3 Rangers takeaways from dominating 6-1 win over Sharks to close out road trip
Now that’s more like it, New York Rangers.
For the second straight night, the Rangers faced an inferior opponent and jumped out to a lead in a must-win game with a chance to move up in the Eastern Conference standings. This time, the Rangers never let up and hammered the San Jose Sharks 6-1 at SAP Center on Saturday, just 24 hours after blowing a two-goal lead late in the third period of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
A win Friday would’ve lifted the Rangers into sole possession of the second wild card in the East, but they muffed that opportunity — in painful fashion. They had the same opportunity Saturday and took full advantage.
So, the Rangers (35-32-7) are free and clear of their competitors, at least for a day. They are two points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens, and three ahead of the Islanders and Detroit Red Wings. However, each has two games in hand on the Rangers, except the Red Wings, who’ve played one fewer game.
The Canadiens visit the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon and the Islanders are in Raleigh to face the Carolina Huirrcanes.
As for the Rangers, as they fly home from a 1-1-1 swing through California, they do so with a lopsided victory under their belts. It was a much-needed respite from the grind of a 3-7-2 stretch of mediocrity and worse in their prior 12 games.
Off until a Wednesday home date against the Minnesota Wild, the Rangers can only watch as their equally shaky competitors make up some of the games in hand.
Related: Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault,. Drew Fortescue help Boston College advance in NCAA tournament
Three Rangers takeaways from 6-1 win against Sharks
Here are three takeaways from a must-win 6-1 thrashing of the Sharks on Saturday night.
1. Join the party
Yes, Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox each scored two goals apiece — with Panarin’s pair of snipes in the first period a real tone-setter for this game. But pretty much everyone up and down the lineup joined in the fun. It was New York’s most lopsided victory since a 6-1 thrashing of the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23.
Twelve of the 18 Rangers skaters had at least one point Saturday, and five players recorded two points. J.T. Miller extended his point streak to four games (three goals, four assists) with a pair of helpers; Fox recorded the third two-goal game of his career and led all skaters with six shots; Panarin upped his goals totals to 10 in March and 33 this season.
Fox wasn’t the only defenseman thinking offense. Five of the six Rangers d-men notched at least one point — only Carson Soucy did not — and Urho Vaakanainen had his second multi-point game of the season with two assists. The defensemen did their thing at the other end of the rink, too; the Rangers finished with 20 blocked shots, including five by Braden Schneider, four by Fox and three by K’Andre Miller.
2. Excellent backup plan
Jonathan Quick started his first game since March 9, which you might remember was an ugly 7-3 home-ice loss to the Blue Jackets. Back in there Saturday after Igor Shesterkin started nine straight, Quick was exceptionally sharp when called upon, and this time his teammates rewarded him with that six-goal breakout.
Quick was tested right away on a Rangers defensive breakdown against the Sharks rush that allowed Alex Wennberg a clear lane to the net before the fans settled into their seats. Quick made that important save and finished with 21 on 22 shots.
The 39-year-old actually had a few eye-popping saves before rookie Cam Lund scored his first NHL goal with 2:14 remaining to ruin Quick’s bid for his fourth shutout this season. Most memorable was his outstanding glove save on Will Smith’s left-wing snipe off an odd-man rush. Quick also left 18-year-old stud Macklin Celebrini shaking his head after a point-blank save in the third period.
Quick even shook off a substantial collision when Collin Graf leveled him at 17:04 of the second period. Nothing was going to ruin the veteran’s night, it seemed.
3. Kid’s going to get one … soon
Brennan Othmann continues to be a bright spot down the stretch for the Rangers. The 2021 first-round pick certainly doesn’t look out of place since he was elevated to play on a line with Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, after being a wrecking ball in the bottom six following his recall from Hartford of the American Hockey League.
The 22-year-old is always around the net and is a solid playmaker, as well, evidenced by his slick pass that set up Fox for his second goal of the game in the second period. Othmann came close — again — to scoring his first NHL goal, but his second-period break-in attempt just missed, hitting the outside of the net. He also had a nice rush chance in the first period.
He’s going to get that first goal, probably sooner rather than later. Othmann is playing that well right now and getting to the right areas to score. You can just feel it. Once he does get that first one, more should follow. Remember, Othmann has been a goal-scorer everywhere he’s played, including potting 21 as a rookie pro with Hartford last season.
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