3 Rangers takeaways from rebound victory, series sweep against Red Wings
Make no mistake, the New York Rangers’ 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena was a much-needed rebound victory after their dismal 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres two nights prior. But this was not the rebound performance they were seeking.
In fact, for much of the first 40 minutes Saturday, this game looked eerily like much of how the Rangers (9-3-1) played the previous two weeks. Out-chanced, out-shot, out-hustled, out-played. And they would’ve been out-scored if not for goalie Jonathan Quick, who stopped all 27 shots through two periods of play, including 19 in the second stanza.
Yet they led 3-0 because they received a power-play goal from Chris Kreider in the first period and two quick-strike goals from Jimmy Vesey and Artemi Panarin late in the second.
Things got better in the evenly-played third period. But this has been the blueprint for the past couple weeks, when they’re 4-3-0. Get outplayed, but rely on great goaltending, quick-strike goals and outstanding special-teams play.
That’s been good enough in recent wins against the Ottawa Senators, New York Islanders and now the Red Wings. But it’s not a recipe for long-term success, especially when the Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive.
But the two points count. And a major test stands in front of them, when the Rangers host the 14-1-0 Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
Related: Rangers ‘under siege to much’ recently, Peter Laviolette warns
3 takeaways from Ranger4-0 win against Red Wings
Here are three takeaways from the game Saturday.
1. Quick rescue plan
Typically we’re used to seeing Igor Shesterkin bail the Rangers out of trouble. But that hasn’t been the case the past two games. Shesterkin was pulled after allowing five goals on 12 shots Thursday against the Sabres and then watched from the bench Saturday.
Enter Jonathan Quick to save the day. After stopping nine of 10 shots in relief against the Sabres, Quick was terrific against the Red Wings, making 37 saves in the 61st shutout of his NHL career (third in two seasons with the Rangers).
Simply, he saved the day in the second period when the Rangers looked like the version of themselves that was fairly manhandled by the Sabres and Washington Capitals in recent losses. He stopped all 19 shots, before the goals by Vesey and Panarin 48 seconds apart changed the complexion of the game.
Aging like fine wine, the 38-year-old goalie has a 1.17 goals-against average and .964 save percentage in four games (three starts, all wins). If there was any question that last season’s career rebound was a fluke, it should be laid to rest now.
2. When third is first
On a another night when the Rangers weren’t at their best, the Zac Jones – Braden Schneider defense pair stood out in a positive way. Not unlike Thursday against the Sabres, New York’s third defense pair largely stayed out of trouble, got the puck out of their zone and contributed offensively.
Schneider’s xGF was 56.20 percent, per Natural Stat Trick, best on the Rangers. Jones was a few percentage points behind him. They were better than other defense pairs 5v5 with four high-danger chances for and four against.
Jones assisted on Vesey’s clutch goal, his second helper in two games. Schneider had three shots on goal, five shot attempts, three hits and two blocked shots — a little bit of everything. Playing three games in a row, they look very comfortable together.
3. All 82 vs. Red Wings, please
The Rangers may want to petition the NHL to play each of their 82 games against the Red Wings. They swept the season series 3-0-0, outscoring the Red Wings 13-3, meaning 33 percent of their wins this season so far are against their Original 6 rival from Motown.
Dating back, the Rangers are 12-1-2 in their past 15 games against the Red Wings and have at least one point in 21 of their past 23 meetings (16-2-5) since Jan. 22, 2017. So, yeah, they may be a bit sad not to see the Red Wings again on the schedule this season.
Panarin’s going to miss them, too. He had two more points (goal, assist) against the Red Wings on Saturday. That gives him nine points in three games (four goals, five assists), including a hat trick.
Quick has two of his three wins against Detroit this season. He stopped 66 of 68 shots against the Red Wings, winning twice on the road at Little Caesars Arena.
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