A tale of two goaltenders. In one end, Linus Ullmark faced only 18 shots on goal as the Rangers went quality over quantity, scoring twice. On the other end, Igor Shesterkin faced 41 shots and stopped 40, preserving the win for the Rangers. While the Rangers continue to figure out the game plan at 5 on 5 with their defensive pairings, Igor is banking point after point as the Rangers are 7-2-1 to start the season.
The win may have been a Shesterkin special, but we shouldn’t take things away from the forward lines. If it isn’t the Artemi Panarin line one night, it’s the Filip Chytil line, or the Mika Zibanejad line, or the fourth line making a difference. The Rangers focus more on the quality of their chances over quantity, and it’s making all four lines dangerous.
Reilly Smith looks great on the top line, and on PP2, setting up Alexis Lafreniere for a rare PP2 goal. This depth can make a huge difference down the road, and the Rangers definitely need to continue and make sure this is the “A” lineup at forward. The ice time is properly distributed, sometimes a line will have a rough shift or two, but then the team finds ways with their shooting talent to make their shots count.
The same cannot be said for the defensive pairings, who have looked disastrous, sloppy, and are full of miscommunication on defensive reads. The lone goal against last night was because Braden Schneider and Victor Mancini missed Adam Gaudette all alone on the side of the net.
Whether you want to call this the rookie wall for Mancini or not, it would benefit the Rangers best if they deployed their defense with the goal of transitioning the puck to offense, rather than the outdated “defense only” thought process. Zac Jones is rotting in the press box night after night, and the dude knows how to break a puck out.
There is definitely some shiny new toy syndrome with Mancini right now, and while he earned it with his play in camp, the defense badly needs a raw puck moving defenseman. Mancini will eventually be back, but having all four of him, Ryan Lindgren, Braden Schneider, and Jacob Trouba makes for a weak defensive team, and a team that can’t move the puck. They need more balance on the blue line, much like the forward balance they currently have.
A win is a win though, and with a 7-2-1 start, the Rangers certainly are putting those bleak offseason predictions to rest. The team has too much raw talent to truly be a bad team. They need to clean up aspects of their game, but this is a good hockey team.
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