3 Rangers takeaways from shutout win that flipped script on Predators
Though they would’ve liked to finish this one better than they did, the New York Rangers were the far better team Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, skating to a 4-0 win against the Nashville Predators.
Right from the opening face-off, the Rangers were in control, as an early 1-0 lead became a well-deserved 3-0 advantage through two periods. The visitors took it to their hosts in the final period, though, firing 20 shots on Jonathan Quick, who had to turn in his best work over the final 20 minutes to secure his third shutout of the season.
All in all, the Rangers did what they had to against one of the worst teams in the NHL. With the win, they moved two points closer to a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, now two points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card with 22 games to play.
This game shows, in a way, how far the Rangers have come since their brutal 4-15-0 stretch in November and December. Back on Dec. 17 at Bridgestone Arena, the Rangers lost 2-0 to the Predators, who were last overall in the NHL standings at the time. That loss was New York’s third straight and 11th in 14 games at the time. A game the Rangers had to win, they couldn’t and didn’t.
Similar circumstances but a vastly different result Sunday. Nashville has the third-worst record in the League now and it was a game New York had to win, no questions asked. This time, the Rangers flipped the scripts and did just that. It was their third win in four games and sixth in the past nine.
Just a good reminder of where the Rangers are now compared to where they were more than two months ago.
Related: Rangers trade grades after acquired Calvin de Haan, Juuso Parssinen from Avalanche
Three takeaways from Rangers 4-0 win against Predators
Here are three takeaways from an important Rangers win on Sunday.
1. Mika’s march
“Mika March” has been a rallying cry for the Rangers Faithful for years, due to Mika Zibanejad’s typically strong play in the month. And he continued that trend with two assists and an all-around strong game against the Predators in the Rangers first March game this season.
But his play since the start of February should be called “Mika’s march.” Forget about the month, his march to redemption is in full force right now. No player in the NHL has more points than Zibanejad (15) since Feb. 1. He’s riding a six-game point streak and has points in nine of 10 since the start of February, when he’s tied for the NHL lead with 11 assists and also has four goals. He’s had a three-point game and four two-points games, including against Nashville.
His re-emergence as a difference maker for the Rangers coincides directly with J.T. Miller being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31. Zibanejad has turned around his ugly season and negative narrative since primarily shifting to wing on a line with Miller, who plays like a bull every shift. Zibanejad looks like a completely different player, confident and even more physical, never a hallmark of his game.
As for Miller, he had a goal and assist Sunday, extending his point streak to five games. He’s scored six goals and totaled 12 points in 10 games since the trade, and helped Zibanejad — and perhaps the Rangers too — salvage his season.
2. New guys are big “hit”
Calvin de Haan and Juuso Parsinnen made their collective presence felt one day after being acquired by the Rangers from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade that saw Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Vesey head west. Parssinen, the third-line center, and de Haan, the veteran defenseman who paired with Zac Jones, led the Rangers hit parade against the Predators, combining for 12 of New York’s 33 hits.
Each had a team-high six hits, and de Haan added a first-period assist on Artemi Panarin’s game-opening goal for good measure. Parssinen logged 14:03 TOI, centering Brennan Othmann (two hits, one blocked shot) and Jonny Brodzinski (three shots on goal, three hits). De Haan played 16:26, all at even strength, and had two shots on goal and took a minor penalty for delay of game in the third period.
Brett Berard is not exactly a new guy but he stepped in and played a big game in his first one back after the forward was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League. The 22-year-old adds such an important element of speed to the Rangers, and was a whirling dervish on the fourth line Sunday. Berard had five shots on goal, three hits and two blocks in 10+ minutes and capped his strong return with a snipe of a goal from between the circles in the third period.
3. Zac Jones steps up with Adam Fox out
Zac Jones had a season-high 22:15 TOI to lead the Rangers in that category against the Predators. He didn’t land on the score sheet, but was effective moving the puck and played a hard game, even shaking off a deflected puck to the jaw to add another bruise to his face after a similar incident Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He’s not Adam Fox, but Jones is trying to show he’s worthy of being an NHL regular after, again, spending much of this season as the extra defenseman. With Fox sidelined for a while due to an upper-body injury, Jones is getting his chance and so far, so good.
Let’s get a longer look at him quarterbacking the power play to really evaluate his full worth. Jones was on PP2 against the Maple Leafs but manned the point for the top unit, in Fox’s place, Sunday. The Rangers were an inconsistent 1-for-5 on the power play and twice were held without a shot on goal. So, there’s work to be done. But remember, the Rangers’ power play is 20th in the NHL (20.7 percent), so this isn’t to blame the 24-year-old defenseman. Let’s see how things go in the coming games before we can better judge Jones, on the power play and overall.
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