Rangers Double Up Devils As DeAngelo Dominates
Igor Shesterkin got his second consecutive start since being recalled from Hartford earlier this week, and the young Russian followed up Tuesday night’s win with a 46-save performance to backstop the Rangers win. Oh, and Tony DeAngelo happened to score five points as well.
Artemiy Panarin – The Bread Man not only delivered the first goal of the game for the Rangers, but he added a pair of assists as well. Panarin’s goal gave the Blueshirts an early first-period lead, as he walked into a one-timer set up by Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox.
Panarin has done nothing but impress in his first season with the Rangers. Panarin now has 61 points on the season (24G, 37A) as he continues to pile up the points in his premier season on Broadway.
Tony DeAngelo – It was a career night for the Sewell, NJ native, as DeAngelo recorded his first career hat-trick, as well as a pair of assists, to lead the Rangers to victory. DeAngelo’s first goal was scored in a similar fashion to Panarin’s, as DeAngelo stepped into a one-timer that was set up by Mika Zibanejad.
DeAngelo got his second of the night on a wrister from the top of the circles, taking Marc Staal’s pass and wiring it by a screened Mackenzie Blackwood.
DeAngelo finished off the hat-trick with another hard wrist shot, scoring on the man-advantage from the top of the hash marks.
DeAngelo has had a very strong year both offensively and defensively for David Quinn’s squad, as the pending restricted free agent plays for his next contract. And based on how the season has gone so far, it looks like DeAngelo will command a hefty raise for a lot of years.
Chris Kreider – DeAngelo’s other assist set up a gorgeous goal by Chris Kreider. With the Blueshirts on the powerplay, DeAngelo fired the puck down the ice and off the end boards. Chris Kreider raced down the ice to catch the rebounding puck off the boards, deked to his backhand, and tucked the puck into the back of the net.
As we’ve mentioned before, Chris Kreider is playing for his next contract, whether that is with the Rangers or elsewhere. But if the Rangers do end up trading the veteran winger at the deadline, which is a very likely scenario, him playing good hockey will help the Rangers get a good return for the 28-year-old Kreider.
Jesper Fast – The icing on the cake came from Jesper Fast, who converted on a 2v1 with Ryan Strome to seal the two points for the Rangers. Fast’s goal was his seventh of the season, as he is in the final year of his current three-year contract.
Igor Shesterkin – It was a busy night for the rookie goaltender, who stopped 46 of the 49 shots he faced. Shesterkin looked comfortable in net and even said as much in his postgame interview. But if the early returns are signs of the future, the Rangers may have found their next franchise goaltender.
Next Game: The Rangers head to St Louis for a Saturday night matchup with the Blues. Puck drops at 8!
LETS GO RANGERS!
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