Rangers 3rd line takes ‘simple’ approach to success
Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko were at it again Tuesday night for the New York Rangers. Despite a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Rangers’ third line was a bright spot, scoring twice and continuing to shut down the opposition when on the ice.
Why were Cuylle, Chytil and Kakko so effective against the NHL-best Jets on Tuesday? For the same reason why they’ve been one of the best two-way lines in the league all season.
“They were good. It was more of a simple approach for that line,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette explained postgame. “They got the puck behind the defense, they used our defensemen, they were able to swing some pucks in from a distance, and they went to the net hard. They found themselves in the areas of scoring goals just by getting to the net on the point shots.”
The key word there is “simple.” The third line certainly has talent. But there’s very little fancy about Cuylle, Chytil and Kakko. They play a straightforward game, work hard in all three zones, win puck battles, go the net and score dirty goals.
Cuylle tied the game 1-1 at 13:07 of the first period when he buried the rebound of a Braden Schneider point shot for his fifth goal of the season.
Kakko cut the Rangers’ deficit to 4-3 early in the third period when he shoved another rebound over the goal line at 1:30 — 32 seconds after Mark Scheifele’s second goal of the night.
Each of those goals came from within two feet of the goal line following a save by Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck through significant traffic. Go to the net and good things happen.
“We kept it simple, just got pucks to the net, just put in dirty goals,” Cuylle offered after the loss.
About his goal specifically, Cuylle again used that word.
“Just a simple shot from the point, just a rebound on my stick and just put it in.”
Just simple.
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The third line combined for nine shots on goal and 11 shot attempts against the Jets. Cuylle had four shots, one behind Artemi Panarin for the team lead. The 22-year-old also had an assist on Kakko’s goal for his third two-point game of the season. Kakko scored his second goal of the season and Chytil had an assist.
Digging deeper into the numbers, Cuylle, Chytil and Kakko had an xGF of 82.49 percent, per Natural Hat Trick. They out-chanced the Jets 6-1, including a 3-0 advantage in high-danger opportunities. No other Rangers line had more scoring chances — nor goals — on Tuesday.
Their success Tuesday isn’t a surprise. Cuylle, Chytil and Kakko have outscored opponents 11-0 at 5v5 this season. Their xGF is a team-best 65.5 percent, per Natural Stat Trick. Not surprisingly, they lead the Rangers by a wide margin with 17 rebound attempts this season.
But on Tuesday, their efforts were not enough to keep the Rangers from losing to the Jets, who set an NHL record by winning for the 15th time in 16 games to begin the season. That didn’t sit well with Cuylle.
“It hurts. We felt like we were in the game for most of it. Just felt like every time we got close, tied it up, they jumped ahead again. So, it’s frustrating,” Cuylle explained.
Thursday will be a new day and another game day, another chance for the third line to shine and for the Rangers to get back on track amid their 4-4-0 stretch. The Rangers will host the San Jose Sharks at MSG on Thursday before heading head out on a four-game road trip that begins Sunday in Seattle.
Expect more of the same from New York’s consistent third line.
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