Rangers vs. Flames: 3 things to watch for trying to extend win streak to 4 games
Don’t look now, but the New York Rangers are on the verge of equaling their season-long winning streak. The Rangers enter a road contest in Calgary against the Flames seeking their fourth straight win, and can equal their run from Oct. 14-22.
That’s pretty impressive, considering the Rangers (12-4-1) were struggling both defensively and offensively right before this three-game winning streak. There are still signs of that 4-4-0 stretch, such as allowing two rush goals against in a 4-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, but, by and large, the Rangers appear to be on the right track again.
Perhaps the best sign is that New York’s gotten better with each passing game during this streak. It began with a 3-2 win against the San Jose Sharks, continued with a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken and was topped — at least to this point — with a “solid” and “steady” win in Vancouver, using coach Peter Laviolette’s words.
The Rangers have won the first two of this four-game road trip out west. They’re now 7-1-0 in away games this season and have the best road points percentage (.875) in the NHL.
Despite the win streak, the Rangers remain stuck in fourth place in the hotly-contested Metropolitan Division because the first-place Carolina Hurricanes and second-place Washington Capitals have also won three in a row.
The Flames (10-6-3) have won two straight, following a 2-1 shootout win against the Islanders on Tuesday, allowing one goal in those two victories. They’re 7-3-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome and could be finding their footing after a mediocre stretch which followed a 4-0-0 start to the season.
Related: Adam Fox claps back at notion Rangers needed to ‘turn it around’
3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Flames
1. Cool customer
Nearly a quarter of the way through the 2024-25 season, it’s fair to say that Will Cuylle is one of the most pleasant surprises in the NHL. After a steady first season in 2023-24, when he scored 13 goals and led all NHL rookies with 274 hits in 81 games, Cuylle is emerging as a legitimate threat and top power forward this season.
His breakaway snipe against the Canucks was not only a sweet finish, but it was Cuylle’s sixth goal of the season already. He also assisted on Kaapo Kakko’s second-period goal Tuesday, giving him eight helpers — which equals his total from last season. His 72 hits lead the Rangers and are sixth most in the League.
Cuylle’s plus-14 is tied with Braden Schneider for tops on the Rangers. And get this, he’s been a minus only once this season (minus-2 against Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 7).
He’s feeling it right now, too. Cuylle has three goals in his past six games and five points (two goals, three assists) in the past four. The 22-year-old just may very well be following in the breakout footsteps of Alexis Lafreniere, who scored 28 goals last season and is tied with Cuylle for third on the Rangers in scoring with 14 points this season.
2. Special advantage
The Rangers enter this game with a distinct edge on special teams over the Flames. New York is second in the League on the penalty kill (88.9 percent) and seventh on the power play (24.4 percent). Calgary is nearly 10 percent lower on the PP than New York (15.1 percent) and ranks near the bottom of the NHL in that category (29th). It’s not much better for the Flames on the PK, where they are 26th in the League (75.0 percent).
Perhaps this will get the Rangers power play going a bit. They have only two man-up goals in the past six games, though they’ve only had three power-play opportunities the past three games.
The Flames scored their only goal before the shootout against the Islanders on a Rasmus Andersson power-play goal in the third period. Still, they have just three power-play goals in the past 14 games, and only once this season did they score more than once on the man advantage in a game.
3. Facing the Wolf
Calgary’s Dustin Wolf leads all NHL rookie goalies with seven wins, a 2.36 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and one shutout. He’s among the League leaders of all goalies in GAA and save percentage. Since the Flames don’t score a lot (2.58 goals per game; 24th in NHL), the Flames lean heavily on the 23-year-old.
Wolf replaced Jacob Markstrom, who was traded to the New Jersey Devils this past summer, as the No. 1 in Calgary. It’s a move that’s been expected for years really. Wolf was twice named AHL goalie of the year and was AHL MVP in 2022-23.
He’s 4-0-1 in his past five starts, allowing eight goals in that span. Backup Dan Vladar has been pretty good too (3-4-2, 2.65 GAA, .906 save percentage). Calgary’s overall 2.68 GAA in eighth best in the NHL.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Brodzinski – Kakko
Edstrom – Carrick – Vesey
Miller – Fox
Lindgren – Trouba
Jones – Schneider
Shesterkin
Quick
Rangers vs. Flames: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Calgary Flames
When: Thursday, Nov. 21 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome
How to Watch: MSG
Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results
More About:New York Rangers News
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