After a strong win against the Maple Leafs, the Rangers continued their homestand against the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton stole the show as the Sabres goaltender stood on his head and thwarted a late Rangers comeback as Buffalo defeats the Rangers 3-2. Here is our recap.
Recap
New York had been lackadaisical in the first two periods and failed to establish a strong forecheck inside the Sabres zone. The Rangers would make a late charge but it was too little too late. Defensive miscues and poor coverage was ultimately the downfall for the boys in blue.
Zemgus Girgensons got the Sabres on the board by blasting in the Rangers zone on a line change at 10:26 of the first to take a 1-0 lead. Sam Reinhart would score on a defensive miscues in the second to make it 2-0, then former Ranger Jimmy Vesey would net one in the third to extend the Sabres lead to 3-0. Mika Zibanejad would net one before the end of the third to break the shutout and Chris Kreider would score on a late power play, also in the third, to make it 3-2 but it wasn’t enough.
As previously mentioned, Carter Hutton stood tall for Buffalo, stopping 37 out of the 39 shots against him. On the other end, Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves on 28 shots for the Rangers.
Spotlight on Panarin
Throughout the broadcast, the MSG cameras focused on Artemi Panarin, following him all around the ice during play. Panarin would assist on the Rangers first goal scored by Mika Zibanejad.
Coach Quinn
Post-game Notes:
- Mika Zibanejad tallied two points (one goal, one assist) and led all skaters with five shots on goal. Zibanejad was selected as the game’s Third Star. He has recorded a point in five of the last six games (four goals, six assists), including a goal in four of the last five games. Zibanejad has also posted a multi-point game in each of the last two games, in five of the last eight games, and in seven of the last 12 games.
- Chris Kreider tallied a power play goal and was tied for the team-high with three hits. Kreider has registered a point in each of his last five games (four goals, three assists), in 10 of his last 12 games (eight goals, five assists), and in 19 of his last 24 games (14 goals, 11 assists), and he has not gone two consecutive games without recording a point over his last 24 contests. Kreider has also registered a goal in each of the last two games, in six of his last eight games, and in eight of his last 11 games. He recorded his 20th goal of the season in tonight’s contest, and he has registered 20 or more goals in five of the last six seasons. Kreider also registered his 153rd career goal as a Ranger, moving into sole possession of 25th place on the franchise’s all-time goals list.
- Artemi Panarin recorded an assist and posted a plus-one rating. He has registered an assist/point in eight of his last 11 games (five goals, 12 assists). He leads the NHL in even strength points (54), 5-on-5 points (47), and 5-on-5 assists (30), and he is tied for the NHL lead in even strength assists (33) this season.
- Kaapo Kakko tallied a power play assist and registered four shots on goal. He has notched an assist/point in two of the last three games (two assists). Kakko has registered 18 points in his career, and the 18 points are the most by an 18-year-old in Rangers history.
Notes courtesy of New York Rangers
Next Game: The Rangers conclude their 4 game home stand on Sunday, February 9th, as they take on the Los Angeles Kings at 6PM.
Rangers will practice today at 12PM.
Let’s Go Rangers.