3 Rangers takeaways from another comeback win against Bruins
The Comeback Kids from 2023-24 appear to be making a comeback themselves this season. For the second straight game, the New York Rangers erased a 2-1 third-period deficit and rallied for a victory Tuesday, to pick up another pair of crucial points in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
After scoring three times in the third period Sunday en route to a 4-2 win at MSG against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Rangers got goals from Vincent Trocheck and Chris Kreider over the final 20 minutes to slip past the Boston Bruins 3-2 at home on Wednesday.
These types of comebacks were commonplace for the Rangers last season, when they led the NHL with 28 comeback victories in their Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign. They tied the Detroit Red Wings for the League lead with 14 comeback wins in the third period.
This season? Not so much.
That is until the past two games, which, coincidentally or not, were the second and third since J.T. Miller arrived in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. Overall, the Rangers are 3-20-1 when trailing after two periods this season.
The latest win, coupled with the Montreal Canadiens’ 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, lifted the Rangers back into 12th in the conference. New York is now four points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild card and five in arrears of the Red Wings for the top wild card in the East.
The Rangers also gained valuable ground on the Bruins. They’re now four back of the Bruins, and have three games in hand after winning the season series 2-1-0.
Related: Rangers trade targets to round out bottom 6, including Brandon Tanev, Nick Bjugstad
3 Rangers takeaways from 3-2 win against Bruins
Here are three takeaways from the latest comeback win Wednesday:
Dominant defense
Despite allowing those quick-strike goals 16 seconds apart in the second period, the Rangers really shut down the Bruins. They kept the Bruins to the outside most of the game, got bodies and sticks in passing and shooting lanes consistently, and remained structured in their own end. As a result, the Rangers allowed only 17 shots on goal total and just 12 at 5v5. Natural Stat Trick says Boston had 13 scoring chances, including seven high danger, but it sure didn’t appear to be that many to the naked eye.
K’Andre Miller was a horse on D, playing 25 minutes, blocking four shots and adding the primary assist on Trocheck’s tying goal. But really it was all 18 Rangers skaters who deserve credit here for maintaining defensive zone structure at one end, and sustaining excellent forecheck pressure at the other end to limit the Bruins at every turn.
“We’re getting better and better as the year goes on defensively,” Trocheck said postgame.
Appreciating Chris Kreider, his effort, and his game-winning goal
It hasn’t been the season Kreider envisioned, for sure. His production is down. The 33-year-old has battled back issues and missed some games. His name was brought up by his own general manager in trade talks.
But Kreider cares deeply about the Rangers. And his first goal in seven games was as timely as it was breathtaking in a way. Starting from deep in his own end on the penalty kill, Kreider was “shot out of a cannon” — in the words of Rangers coach Peter Laviolette — to catch up to Mika Zibanejad on a short-handed rush in the the third period. Kreider blew past a slew of players along the way, received Zibanejad’s pass in his skates, got the puck to his stick and fired the game-winner past Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo at 11:54 of the third period to make it 3-2.
“You can hear him. Not screaming, the way he skates,” Zibanejad said with a touch of awe.
It was Kreider’s third shorty of the season, League-leading 12th since the 2021-22 season. It was also his 16th goal this season, tied for second on the Rangers. And did you know he now has six game-winning goals, double the amount of Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, who are second on the team with three apiece? So, here’s a bit of appreciation for the old pro.
Making most of their chances
Neither Matt Rempe nor Zac Jones had a lot of ice time against he Bruins, but each made the most of their opportunities out there to contribute to this latest Rangers win.
Rempe had just 11 shifts totaling 8:18 TOI on Wednesday, but tied Artemi Panarin with a team-high four shots on goal and led all skaters with five hits. In the first period, when the two teams seemingly sleepwalked to a combined 12 shots on goal, Rempe had three of them, including a pair in tight that were denied by Korpisalo. Rempe also had a clean breakaway in the second, made a good move to his backhand but was stoned by Korpisalo’s right pad. Yes, that was a bad holding penalty with the score tied 2-2 midway through the third period; but even that worked out when Kreider scored the short-handed game winner.
With Urho Vaakanainen sidelined due to an illness, Jones played his first game since Dec, 23, logging 13:32 TOI. He received major praise from Laviolette postgame for his compete level in the defensive zone. The Rangers allowed only three shots on goal and two scoring chances with Jones on the ice 5v5, with an xGF of 56.15 per Natural Stat Trick. Not bad for a guy who sat out 18 consecutive games in the press box.
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