The New York Rangers extended their winning streak to six games last night with a 6-3 victory against the Flyers in Philadelphia. The game featured an abundance of skillful, slick plays and fluidity for a rivalry that has been historically rough around the edges and hard-fought (isn’t that everyone’s history with the Flyers?). So let’s break it down.
THAT’S GOOD!
K’ANDRE’S GOAL
Holy Hannah, that was amazing. If you factor in all aspects of the goal, we will be hard-pressed to see a better goal this year. Miller came out of the box after a penalty to inject some life into a gassed PK unit. He used that energy to make a great play at the Rangers’ blue line to get the puck and charge up the ice. Using sneaky speed, especially as a defenseman, Miller broke away from his man, only to be tripped from behind. Not satisfied with just a penalty, he had the wherewithal to get right back up in stride and finish the play with a sweet move past Carter Hart for a 2-1 lead. It was a sight to see and really set the tone for the Rangers’ solid 2nd period, at least until the end. (We’ll get to that )
GOODROW AND VESEY: TOP 9 STALWARTS
Okay, we’re having a little fun with that title. However, I still maintain the Rangers are better suited and more balanced if Goodrow employs his skills down on the 3rd or 4th line to exploit better matchups. However, you can never argue with production and results, and both these players are doing their best to stay right where they are.
Goodrow, especially, had a great night. He set up the first goal with a perfect cross-ice pass to Artemi Panarin, who broke a goalless streak with a top-shelf snipe. Not to be outdone, Goodrow later found himself alone in front of the net off a beautiful pass from Zibanejad, and he got one past Hart with some slick hands of his own.
Jimmy Vesey also continued to make himself heard on the 3rd line (although with the Rangers, I’m starting to think of them more as one “Top 9 Unit” than worrying about labels.). Vesey took what seemed to be an innocent pass from Trocheck, spun around, and surprised Hart with a great shot that gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead.
Gallant indicated there is a lineup change coming that might eventually find Goodrow or Vesey regularly deployed in the bottom six. But, until then, all Rangers fans (well, most Rangers fans. Many are very stubborn.) would be more than happy if they keep scoring and prove us wrong.
PENALTY KILL
Scroll down to the bad section if you want to read about the other side of our special teams, but there is no denying our penalty kill was a huge reason for the victory last night. The Rangers deftly killed off four penalties, including securing the win with Jacob Trouba’s empty-net goal at the end of the game, while the Flyers had a 6-on-4 advantage. The Rangers still need to clean up a lot of their sloppiness. Any time you put the other team on a power play, it’s a dangerous proposition. However, the irony is when the Rangers’ penalty kill is humming, not only do they prevent goals, but many times have better scoring opportunities than they do at even strength. Just another odd quirk about this team we follow.
THAT’S BAD
THAT SHORTHANDED GOAL: ALL AGONY, NO ECSTASY
There were other negative aspects to the game, but we’ll only have one BAD section to encapsulate a soul-crushing sequence. In the end, it didn’t matter, but science has shown us that souls can be temporarily crushed, so let’s chronicle it.
The Rangers were locking this game down, winning 3-1 and controlling the period. For a moment, it seemed like the Rangers had plunged the dagger into the Flyers. Chris Kreider drove the net (like many Rangers on this night) and initially appeared to get a trickling puck stopped on the goal line by Hart. However, hopeful replay angles made it appear that the puck had crossed the goal line. Yet, in the past, Toronto has been known to put our souls in a blender and spit them out, so of course, no goal.
So while that outcome was deflating, the consolation prize was the Rangers did get a power play out of the ordeal. However, when we opened that prize, it was instead just a pair of ugly socks from your least favorite aunt. Artemi Panarin was guilty of a lazy pass at the blue line (a terrible habit, especially this year), which led to a 2-on-0 rush the other way resulting in a Scott Laughton goal. The goal cut the lead to 3-2 and gave the Flyers life where there previously was none.
The Rangers ultimately got away with it, but it was a frustrating sequence that almost derailed a mostly positive effort.
CAN I GO NOW?
- Halak had a very solid night in net, including some huge saves. Yet, he didn’t get the best angle on the first goal from Van Riemsdyk, and he needs to stop that third goal from Morgan Frost. While the overall effort was sound, his game could still afford to be tightened up.
- Panarin did have a terrible miscue setting up the shorthanded goal for the Flyers, but otherwise, he looked sharp offensively, including his excellent first goal. Not to be redundant, but along with Mika, he has the best finishing skills on the team, so we really need him to keep shooting.
- Loved the effort from the 4th line. Kravtsov had a very active game, including a very nice deflection that Hart stopped. I still believe he is best suited with higher-skilled players, but all I ask is that he stay in the lineup to keep building some rhythm. It should pay off.
- My mantra will always be that the three sweetest words in hockey are EMPTY. NET. GOAL. So, I’ll always welcome two of them. It’s extra satisfying that they both resulted in the first goals for Trouba and Lindgren. I’m sure they’ll both take it!
- Kakko would have had that last empty netter if it wasn’t for the slashing stick of Tony D’Angelo. It must have been tough for Tony D. to be booed in your own building every time you touched the puck, but Rangers fans travel well.
- We’ll see if that holds true tonight, as the Rangers are right back on the ice against the Blackhawks in Chicago. Embarrassingly, the Rangers are Chicago’s only win in their last 15 games. That alone should be enough to fuel the team to earn some payback and notch their 7th straight win.
