DEPTH CHARGE: NY Rangers Stay Hot With 4-1 Win Over Wild Behind Third-String Goalie Domingue.

The NY Rangers extended their streak of games with at least a point to nine (8-0-1) as they used a strong third period to overcome the Minnesota Wild 4-1. Many factors went into a game that was closer than the score indicates. So let’s look at the good (Louuuuuuu), the bad (that 2nd period), and everything in between. (Pick someone up to knock them down again.)

THAT’S GOOD!

NEXT MAN UP

This is a Rangers article, but the mark of a great team would be to emulate what the Boston Bruins have done over the last couple of seasons (regular season, of course). Multiple injuries and key departures, including Krejci and Bergeron, this past offseason, and what happened? They haven’t missed a beat and might be even better.

The Rangers have yet to earn that mantle, but they are proving to have the same intestinal fortitude. Early health at the start of the season was wiped away in a flash as they lost vital pieces, Fox, Igor, and Chytil, in one game. As if that wasn’t enough, their backup goalie, Jonathan Quick, who was harkening back to his prime, also got hurt.

This has led the Rangers to test their depth at an early stage, and they have been up to the challenge. Adam Fox can never be replaced, but Eric Gustafsson has stemmed the tide with solid play all over the ice. Last night was no exception, as he made a fantastic play at the Wild’s blue line to keep the puck in the zone. He then got it to Lafreniere, who made a slick pass that set up Trocheck’s goal for a 1-0 lead.

Funny we should mention his name, as Vincent Trocheck has been on fire since he moved up to the 2nd line with Panarin while Chytil has been out. A three-point performance last night and has lately turned into one of the team’s best finishers, not named Panarin.

Last but not least, as far as stepping up….

LOUUUUUUUUU

Praise can go to goalie coach Benoit Allaire or the structure in front of him, but Louis Domingue stepped up huge last night when called on. Not bad for a third-string goalie who hadn’t had a win in almost two years. The mark of a good team is stepping up and protecting any netminder that steps between the pipes. More often than that, though, it was Domingue who bailed out the Rangers. Especially in the 2nd period when the Wild dominated but only secured one goal out of that suffocating play.

LAFRENIERE

The first three-point game of Lafreniere’s career highlighted just an all-around superb effort by him. He seems to have been rejuvenated by his linemate Panarin, and it’s showing in his whole demeanor. The goal was a beautiful tap-in as he streaked along with Bread off a two-on-one. However, the spirit and fire he exhibited throughout were even more encouraging. Too many times, you barely heard his name during games, providing little to no impact. Now, he’s all over the ice, and you can see his confidence manifest in both production as well as the intangibles we have been waiting to see consistently. There was no more tantalizing takeaway from last night’s game than this.

THAT’S BAD.

WHERE’S THE TEAM WE JUST SAW?

You can get a thesaurus to find out what word is the opposite of tantalizing to describe last night’s second period. There’s not much to criticize these days with this team, but if there is one mindboggling trend, it is how they can look like world-beaters one period and then look inept the very next.  

Yes, to an extent, that’s hockey. Sometimes, the other team responds out of desperation or pride, which can have an effect. Yet, there’s no excuse to completely lose focus for an entire twenty minutes and wipe away the exact structure that was so successful just minutes earlier.

Laviolette has done an excellent job with adjustments in between periods, but I’m hoping this team finds the knack of stopping the bleeding mid-period before it burns us too much to recover from.

CAN I GO NOW?

• I’ve never seen a fight where one player hit the ice, and the refs let the opponent pick him back up and then let them continue to pummel him. It was both gentlemanly and cruel. It serves them right, though. The Wild got mad for NO reason when their player crosschecked Goodrow into Fleury. Talk about creating drama where there wasn’t any.
• Panarin was a little late to the party but stayed hot and extended his points streak to THIRTEEN games to open the season. One more to tie Rod Gilbert for the all-time franchise record, and something tells me he’ll do that against his old club, Columbus, on Sunday.
• Conversely, besides a brief sequence, Kaapo Kakko continues to struggle to make an impact. As exciting as Laf’s resurgence has been, I hoped it would coincide with a leap by Kakko, but it’s been the complete opposite.
• The same thing goes for Mika. That top line has yet to generate much energy, let alone goals, and Zibanejad is a crucial reason why. I still expect his hot streak to come, but we continue to wait.
• Wait no longer for Wheeler as he gets his first goal as a Ranger on the power play. It was not too soon, as it was a big one, and you could see the emotional release for Wheels after he scored. Let’s hope it loosens him up and things start to click.
• The next game is Sunday night at MSG against Columbus. It’s the last game for the Rangers until the following Saturday. Usually, a six-night break wouldn’t be welcome when the team is humming like this, but they are very banged up, so a rest might be coming at the perfect time.