Who Should the Rangers be Thankful for from Wednesday Night's Game Against Carolina?

It appears that — on Nov. 28 — the New York Rangers have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to their young guns.

For his first league goal, rookie Brett Berard sniped home an amazing shot on the odd man rush against the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Building of his assist from Will Cuyle's goal against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25, this makes Berard the first Blueshirt to start his NHL career with a two-point game streak since March of 2018.

"“I thought [Berard] worked really hard out there. I thought he was trying to make a difference.”"

Rangers' Coach Peter Laviolette

Not to mention, the call from Sam Rosen on the Rhode Island native's goal really topped the whole moment as something historic for the young stud.

Berard is 5'9", 174 pounds and born in 2002. He's a gold medalist with the United States men's national junior hockey team as a result of the 2021 World Junior ice Hockey Championships. While at the 2021 Championship, he was the second youngest member on the ice for the United States.

In 2023-24, Berard played the entire campaign for Hartford, and led the team in goals with 25 and was third on the team in points with 48. Additionally, he finished third among AHL rookies in goals.

He was one of the Rangers' last cuts before the start of the regular season. This was likely due to his playstyle — an aggressive forechecker with an ability to kill penalties and drive the net.

Going back to his league debut, in a heartwarming moment the left wing's mother and father were actually seen high-fiving in the Garden stands when he picked picked up the assist on Cuylle’s second goal. It was a secondary assist after his wraparound shot was stopped by Blues goaltender Joel Hofer; the rebound kicked out to Zibanejad, who fed Cuylle for a wide-open look and his ninth goal of the season.

In fact, Berard said he hopes to only connect more with Cuylle.

“It’s awesome. had a great year,” Berard said. “He was awesome to me when I first signed here, those first three games in Hartford . So, just to come in here, have a familiar face, be able to play with him … hopefully we can keep building off of it.”

This was said because Cuylle and Berard know each other well. They were each selected in the 2020 NHL Draft; Cuylle was New York's second-round pick at No. 60 and Berard was a fifth-round selection at No. 134.

Another heartwarming moment for both Berard and Rangers fans came from watching take his rookie lap ahead of his debut. If one was paying attention, the emotion of the moment was there on his face.

"“It means everything. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of. There’s really no words to describe the feelings I've had the past 24 hours. It was awesome to have family and friends here.""

Brett Berard, postgame St. Louis

Two points in two NHL games is no small fete. It's even more impressive when analyzing that Berard is producing more than league veteran Mika Zibanejad, who he shares a line with.

Obviously, the Rangers have been on a skid. Four consecutive losses is no laughing matter. And yet, the future looks somewhat bright as in those losses — it's been the young guys like Berard who have been some of the Blueshirts best contributors as of late.

And for that, despite the losses, Rangers fans should express their thanks.