This road trip brings to mind last season’s similar trip through the same cities which also included a stop in Winnipeg for one against the Jets. The Rangers were 5-0-0 on that road trip, which really set the tone for the rest of their season.

After starting out with a 2-2-0 record and trying to find their game under new coach Peter Laviolette last season, the Rangers embarked on a five-game road trip from Oct. 21-30 which, same as this season, started in Seattle against the Kraken.

The Rangers swept that road trip, and some of those wins came in dramatic fashion. Not only did it start a six-game win streak for the Blueshirts and a run of 10 wins in 11 games, but it set the standard for how they were expected to play going forward for the rest of the season. Ultimately, the Rangers set franchise records with 55 wins and 114 points, and won the Presidents’ Trophy as the best team in the NHL for the regular season.

The Rangers (10-4-1) have won five of their past nine games, but largely struggled in that stretch at both ends of the rink. They simply need to play better. And perhaps this trip can provide the same medicine as the one in 2023-24 did.

In recent years, the Rangers have been among the best NHL teams on the road. This season, they are 5-1-0 away from Madison Square Garden, after three straight seasons of 24 road wins, including 25 last season and in 2021-22.

Related: Rangers coach believes Jonny Brodzinski ‘good fit’ on 3rd after Filip Chytil injury

A look back on Rangers 5-0-0 road trip in 2023-24

With all of this in mind, let’s take a look back on last season’s successful road trip in October, before the Rangers drop the puck on this current trek Sunday in Seattle.

Oct. 21, 2023 – Rangers 4 – Kraken 1

After a 4-1 loss on home ice to the Nashville Predators on Oct. 19, the Rangers headed out west to take on the Kraken. This was Jonathan Quick’s first start in goal with the Rangers., meaning there was much apprehension heading into the game. After some down years and an underwhelming preseason, a lot of questions surrounded Quick and if he would be a serviceable backup to Igor Shesterkin.

The three-time Stanley Cup champion put that notion to bed with a solid performance, making 18 saves on 19 shots and helping the Rangers earn a 4-1 victory, kickstarting a great season for the veteran netminder. After the Rangers trailed 1-0, Artemi Panarin scored two goals in the contest, and Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko each had one. Filip Chytil had three assists in one of his best games of what unfortunately turned out to be an injury-shortened season. And who can forget Vincent Trocheck’s rousing third-period fight with Jared McCann?

Oct. 24, 2023 – Rangers 3 – Flames 1

Three nights later, the Rangers were in Calgary against another mediocre opponent. The Rangers received another great goaltending performance, when Shesterkin made 25 saves on 26 shots to help the Rangers win 3-1.

Lafreniere scored for the second straight game, and Chris Kreider and since-departed defenseman Erik Gustafsson picked up the other two goals, each in the second period after the Rangers fell behind 1-0 just 1:12 into the first period. Chytil registered two more assists, and Panarin, Adam Fox, and K’Andre Miller all picked up helpers.

Oct. 26, 2023 – Rangers 3 – Oilers 0

Now, it was Quick’s turn to shine once again. In his second game of the season, he picked up his first shutout with the Rangers, making 29 saves, blanking Connor McDavid and the Oilers 3-0 in Edmonton. The Rangers scored all three goals in the second period. Lafreniere scored extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, and Fox and Braden Schneider had the other two goals. Each defenseman also registered an assist.

Panarin continued his blazing point streak with two assists in the contest. Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey had assists as well. With the win, the Rangers were now on a three-game win streak, and momentum was building for the rest of the trip, and the rest of the season.

Oct. 28, 2023 – Rangers 4 – Canucks 3 (OT)

This 4-3 overtime win against the Canucks is when the road trip really heated up for the Rangers. The two teams traded goals back and forth, leading to a fantastic overtime finish. After New York went up 1-0 on a Panarin goal, the Canucks answered with two of their own. The Rangers battled back with goals from Fox and Mika Zibanejad, but the Canucks tied it with just under five minutes left in regulation, just after the Rangers killed off a penalty to Chytil.

It would take overtime, but Miller ended up scoring the game-winner with an assist from Kreider. Zibanejad had himself a three-point night with a goal and two assists; Panarin and Fox had a goal and an assist; and Trocheck added an assist as well. Shesterkin had a big night with 30 saves, and kept the Rangers in the game, especially in overtime, when he made five saves.

Oct. 30, 2023 – Rangers 3 – Jets 2 (OT)

To cap off this impressive stretch of games, the Rangers faced off against the Winnipeg Jets less than 48 hours after the draining battle against the Canucks. It was a similar story, and another overtime victory. Panarin opened the scoring in the first period, assisted by Jacob Trouba and Miller. The Jets answered with two goals of their own, and then Kreider tied it late in the third period, with assists from Fox and Panarin.

Once again the Rangers found themselves in overtime, likely drained from the last game, and the road trip as a whole. Even so, they found a way to win. This time, Zibanejad was the overtime hero, scoring off a feed from Panarin to send the Rangers home after a perfect nine-day road trip. Miller also assisted on the overtime winner. Shesterkin had to be great once again, making 26 saves, five of them coming in OT.

In a battle of special teams and goaltending, the Rangers bested their local rivals to improve to 8-2-1. This moves the Blueshirts into first place in the Metropolitan Division with 17 points, and third in the overall NHL standings. They trail only the Florida Panthers (9-3-1) and the Winnipeg Jets (11-1-0).

The Rangers posted a much-needed five-goal performance, while Igor Shesterkin was superb between the pipes once again, making 35 saves.

Also Read: Former Rangers forward sparks Blues with shocking fight against Maple Leafs

3 takeaways from Rangers 5-2 win against Islanders

Here are three takeaways from the game Sunday.

1. Special teams come up big

Without a doubt, the Rangers’ special teams ultimately won them this game. Yes, Artemi Panarin scored a huge power-play goal, but the real story here is the performance put on by the penalty killers. First and foremost, the Rangers were a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Not only that, but they also scored a short-handed goal courtesy of Chris Kreider, off gorgeous sequence with — who else? — Mika Zibanejad, to open the scoring in the first period.

Kreider now has two shorties this season, and his 11 short-handed goals since the start of the 2021-22 season, most in the NHL in that span.

93 + 20 putting in the work on the PK. pic.twitter.com/B7ljylCzQO

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 3, 2024

The Rangers almost had two goals on the same kill, if not for an unreal save by Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin following the Kreider goal.

Throughout the 10 minutes that the Rangers played shorthanded, they had two scoring chances for, four against, and one high-danger chance for, while only allowing two against, per Natural Stat Trick. Their expected goals for was .41 during this time, while the Islanders was only a .58 during 10 minutes of power play time. To say the penalty-kill unit came up big is an understatement.

2. New-look lines survive first test run

In an effort to spark more offensive production, coach Peter Laviolette threw the lines in a blender just a day before this game. He split up the long-time duo of Kreider and Zibanejad, and broke up the dynamic line of Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, and Alexis Lafreniere. He even split up the third line of Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko, who’ve played great together thus far.

How did they respond? Well, that’s up for debate, according to the stats. At 5v5, the Rangers were out-chanced 30-20, and had 10 high-danger chances while allowing 14. So, while they managed to score three goals at even strength including an empty netter, and allowed only two, they still did not necessarily have the edge in play. Hence why special teams and goaltending earned this victory. Nonetheless, the new lines looked okay in their first test run, so it will be interesting to see if they remain the same going forward.

3. Mika Zibanejad slaps back with 3-point game

Laviolette claimed that the lineup changes were not directly an attempt to get Zibanejad going in terms of offense, but it may have turned out that way. Zibanejad had three assists and three shots on goal against the Islanders. He was on the ice for 10 chances for and 10 against, and was on ice when the Rangers generated six high-danger chances for, four against.

That’s a pretty good response against the noise from his critics that turned up against him recently.

While it would be nice for him to find the back of the net, he is getting looks. Zibanejad finished the game with an individual expected goals for of 1.73, second-highest on the team. Though he only has two goals so far this season, Zibanejad does have 10 points in 11 games, a solid pace to start the season. Consistency’s been missing from his game. So, let’s see what he does Friday against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Rangers extended their season-opening points streak to five games by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena. At 4-0-1, the Rangers lead the Eastern Conference with a .900 points percentage; they’re two points behind the New Jersey Devils for first place in the Metropolitan Division, though the Devils have played three more games.

New York has earned points in each of its first five games for the fourth time in franchise history; the others are 2008-09, 1997-98 and 1983-84). The Rangers also improved to 3-0-0 away from Madison Square Garden, something they’d done only twice before in franchise history – and not since 1931-32.

Aided by two empty-net goals, the Rangers have scored 24 times in their first five games. The only time they’ve scored more in that stretch was 1979-80, when they had 25.

But unlike the 5-2 win at Detroit on Thursday that completed a home-and-home sweep of the Red Wings, the victory against the Maple Leafs had some harrowing moments. The Rangers led 2-0 after two periods on goals by Alexis Lafreniere in the first period and Chris Kreider in the second. But Toronto came out loaded for bear in the third period, coming at goaltender Igor Shesterkin in waves at times.

Auston Matthews ended Shesterkin’s bid for his second shutout this season when he scored 3:40 into the final period, and the Maple Leafs had a load of other Grade A chances. But the Rangers had Shesterkin, who kept Toronto from getting the equalizer until Kreider and Artemi Panarin hit the empty net in the final minute.

“I thought it was a really good win,” coach Peter Laviolette said postgame. “Good team in Toronto; that’s never an easy thing to do. I thought we sat back a little bit in the third period, Shesterkin had to make some big saves, but they pushed too. When they’re down 2-0, you can expect that.”

Related: Top 10 NHL goalie tandems including Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Jonathan Quick

3 takeaways from Rangers 4-1 win against Maple Leafs

Here are three key takeaways from the game Saturday.

1. Igor Shesterkin continues to shine

It’s hard to imagine an NHL goaltender playing a whole lot better than Shesterkin, who continues to make the case for the big contract he’s sure to get before next season.

The final score was 4-1, but it was a 2-1 game for most of the third period before the empty-netters. The only reason the Rangers had that lead was Shesterkin, who was brilliant all night long – but especially in the third period after the Maple Leafs got the early goal by Matthews to make it a one-goal game.

The Maple Leafs attacked in waves. But every time they had a Grade A chance, Shesterkin had the answer. William Nylander was so frustrated that at one point he went back to the bench and broke his stick. Shesterkin finished with 34 saves and improved to 3-0-1 with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. He’s allowed one goal in each of his three wins.

“He’s able to probably give us bigger leads in games than we deserve, especially through the first five games of the season,” said forward Reilly Smith, who came to the Rangers from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the summer. “He makes saves on pretty much sure goals, and that makes a huge difference.”

2. Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith line keeps producing

The Rangers got Smith in hopes he would fill the hole at right wing on the top line with left wing Chris Kreider and center Mika Zibanejad. So far, so good.

Kreider scored the game-winning goal in the second period and added his empty-netter in the final minute, giving him five goals in as many games. Zibanejad and Smith had assists on each of Kreider’s goals. Zibanejad has five points (one goal, four assists), all in the past three games, and Smith has a goal and three assists.

The line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Lafreniere has gotten most of the attention through the first five games, but Laviolette is more than happy with what he’s getting from the Kreider-Zibanejad-Smith trio.

“I think they’ve been good,” Laviolette said. “They had a pretty good game tonight, but they’ve been together since the start of the year, and I think they’ve played pretty well.”

3. Artemi Panarin loses one streak, keeps another

Panarin kept his points streak from the start of the season alive when he scored into an empty net with 14 seconds remaining, giving him six goals and 12 points in five games. However, his team-record streak of multiple-point games from the beginning of the season did come to an end.

Panarin is on track to surpass the career-high 120 points he put up last season, when he came within three points of matching Jaromir Jagr’s single-season team record 123 points, set in 2005-06. He finished the week with four goals and four assists in three games, including a hat trick in Detroit on Thursday.

Not only is Panarin piling up points for himself, he’s also helping his linemates. Right wing Alexis Lafreniere scored the first goal Saturday and has also had points in all five games, and center Vincent Trocheck is second on the team with two goals and seven points – while winning 59 percent of his face-offs.

In December, as the New York Rangers were heading into the New Year, I laid out 5 bold predictions.

At the time of the article, the Blueshirts were humming having garnered 42 points through 30 games and on pace for a 114 point season. I made it clear that breaking the team’s single season point record of 113 set in 2014-15 was NOT one of my predictions.

The team did come darn close posting 110 points on the strength of a 52-24-6 record.

Let’s look back and those five bold predictions for 2022 and see how things went.

New York Rangers predictions: Adam Fox will win Norris Trophy again

What I wrote in December:

To start us off, I believe Adam Fox will be the first defenseman to win consecutive Norris Trophies since Nicklas Lidstrom won three in a row with the Detroit Red Wings from 2005/06 to 2007/08.

Fox, 23, from Jericho, NY is tied with Tampa’s Victor Hedman in scoring for defensemen with 31 points. While last season, he was considered a bit of an unknown, that’s not the case anymore.

Although Fox isn’t as flashy with the puck like some other defensemen, or physically imposing as others, his ability to always make the right play sets him apart. It’s those million little things he does in a game that has the entire NHL on notice and why he wins another Norris title.

Prediction Verdict:

Fox had a tremendous season and finished with 74 points in 78 games. He missed the All-Star game due to injury and it probably lingered beyond that. In the end, Roman Josi is a favorite to win the Norris as he registered 96 points in 80 games, 10 more points than Cale Makar.

This was a miss!

Artemi Panarin will break 100 points

What I wrote in December:

The Rangers best offensive weapon got off to a slow start this season but has dramatically picked up his scoring pace.

In his first season with the Rangers (2019-20), Panarin would have easily broken the 100 point mark but the pandemic cut the year short. He finished with 95 and had no chance last year with just 56 games. However, with 33 points in 30 games he’s only on pace for 90 this season.

My bold prediction is that the Breadman will pick up his play even more coming out of the break. This time Artemi will not be denied scoring 100 points for the first time in his career.

Prediction Verdict:

This one will go down as a miss but if this was a game of horseshoes, I’d certainly get a point for being closest to the stake. Panarin finished the season with 96 points but only played in 75 games. He was scratched in the final two games for precautionary reasons after an upper-body issue that forced him to leave the game against the Hurricanes on April 26.

Chris Kreider will not disappear

What I wrote in December:

The importance of Chris Kreider to this team can’t be underestimated. He is considered on of the NHL’s fastest skaters and best net front guys in the league. Yet, in his 10 year career he’s never scored more than 28 goals. He’s hit that mark twice, once in 2016/17 and 2018/19.

Kreider, 30, has always been a streaky scorer but his penchant to go on long droughts without a goal has become an annual right of passage. He certainly has a nice cushion with 18 goals in 30 games, but too often we’ve seen his hot starts fizzle.

It will not happen this season.

Thanks to an excellent power play, Kreider will not only break the 30 goal mark for the first time, he will hit 40.

Prediction Verdict:

Nailed it! And then some!

What a year for Kreider, who ended the season with 52 goals and 77 points in 81 games. His 26 power play goals also led the entire NHL.

Gerard Gallant will win the Jack Adams Award

What I wrote in December:

While Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour seems to be a media darling for coach of the year, what Gerard Gallant will do in his first season in New York can’t be ignored.

He has the Rangers among the one of the top team’s in the league with a .700 points percentage. That’s tied for third best in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Gallant last coached in the NHL during the 2019-20 season, but it looks like the 58 year-old bench boss hasn’t missed a beat. If the Rangers continue at this pace voters will be hard pressed not to select him.

Since its inception, no New York Rangers coach has ever won the Jack Adams Award. That ends in 2022.

Prediction Verdict:

Per Vegas Insider, Flames coach Darryl Sutter is the favorite at +200 with Gerard Gallant right behind him at +300. I recently wrote in detail why I think Gallant will win it here.

To be determined!

New York Rangers make the Stanley Cup Final

What I wrote in December:

In 2018, the New York Rangers sent out a letter to fans announcing a rebuild. Many painful trades of fan favorites and the eventual buyout of legendary goalie Henrik Lundqvist were endured.

Now out of the ashes a perennial Stanley Cup contender will rise. Led by stars like Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and another great goalie in the making named Igor Shesterkin, NY will make an improbable Cup Final appearance.

Unfortunately, they are likely to face a stacked veteran team that’s been built to win for years. I expect in some sort of twist of fate, Gallant will lose to the club he brought to the Stanley Cup final in 2017/18.

Even though they will fall short, it will be the first of many long playoff runs with at least one Championship in their near future.

Prediction Verdict:

The Stanley Cup playoffs begin on May 3 for the Blueshirts and they have as good as chance as any in the East. Part of my prediction was that the Rangers would lose to the Golden Knights in the Final. Well, Vegas has been eliminated so maybe this prediction should read the Rangers will win the Cup.

To be determined!

NHL Playoffs Round One previews and predictions

The NHL Playoffs will begin on May 2! Here’s a look at all 8 series plus some predictions. Read more!

Filip Chytil, the future 2nd line center

Ryan Strome will almost certainly continue as Panarin’s centerman for likely the next two seasons. However, Filip Chytil is being groomed as the heir apparent.

Chytil, the 21st overall selection in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft, has made significant strides since making his Ranger debut in 2017-2018 season. His combination of size, speed, skating ability and adept goal scoring touch, would be a perfect compliment for the razor sharp, tape-to-tape passes and extraordinary vision of the electrifying Panarin.

Unlike Strome, Chytil has a second gear to his game as was witnessed during last season when the native of the Czech Republic scored a plethora of highlight-reel goals. When Chytil has the puck and a modicum of open ice, the Garden Faithful tends to scoot just a bit towards the edge of their seat, chair or sofa in anticipation. It is time that head coach David Quinn gives the 21-year-old a prime time slot on the roster.

A future high octane second line?

The right side of the Panarin line also has an opening with Jesper Fast traveling down the I95 corridor to join former Ranger Brady Skjei and the Carolina Hurricanes. The empty slot on the right-wing on the team’s second line is screaming for 2019 2nd overall selection Kaapo Kakko to fill that position.

It’s clear and obvious that the game plan for Kakko last season was to keep the training wheels on and bring the talented Finn along carefully and slowly. The approach to Kakko’s growth was not dissimilar to a young QB on an NFL roster. Well, with his rookie season under his belt and with a tiny taste of playoff hockey now tucked away in his memory banks, like Chytil, the time has come for coach Quinn to unleash the man-child who some felt was the best overall player in the 2019 draft.

Kakko’s offensive game is reminiscent of former Ranger Rick Nash. Kakko’s 6’3 200lbs (and still growing) frame along with his net-mouth wizardry and dynamic stick handling ability would work perfectly with the elite skill levels of Panarin and Chytil.

The engine that runs the machine, Artemi Panarin

Artemi Panarin is a special, gifted and unique player. Panarin has the uncanny ability to lift the play of his line mates. Ryan Strome’s career year in 2019-20 was in direct correlation of having #10 beside him. There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that Panarin would not only elevate Chytil and Kakko, but I truly feel the two former first round picks could bring the Breadman’s game up a few notches as well.

Remember what the Hurricanes did in the three game playoff white washing: they shut down Panarin and Strome was not able to pick up the slack. Let’s see other teams try and smother Panarin while giving Chytil and Kakko gobs and gobs of open ice to work their magic.

Of course, David Quinn and his staff have the final decision to make on who plays what position and with which line mates. But, a line of Panarin-Chytil-Kakko dueling with the suspected “top line” of Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider for Ranger supremacy will be quite a friendly battle to uphold. Get pumped up Ranger fans! Your team is loaded and exciting and ready to conquer the rest of the NHL

Jesper Fast – The Rangers opened the scoring with Jesper Fast finishing off a beautiful play from linemate Artemiy Panarin. Panarin got the cross-ice pass from Ryan Strome, out-waited goaltender Aaron Dell, and found Fast at the front of the net for the 1-0 lead.

Fast wasn’t done, though, as the rugged winger would pot the game-winner as well. After San Jose was called for icing, the Rangers won the ensuing face-off back to Jacob Trouba, who had his shot stopped. Fast, much like his play away from the puck, was relentless and eventually knocked the rebound over the sprawling Dell to give the Rangers the lead.

Fast’s two goals were his 10th and 11th tallies of the year, as the pending UFA continues to play his game amid the trade deadline craziness.

Mika Zibanejad – The suave Swede tied the game for the Blueshirts in the second period, once again thanks to the BreadMan. With Evander Kane skating below the goal line, Panarin swiped the puck off the stick of the Sharks forward and right to the waiting Zibanejad, who scored his 28th of the season.

Zibanejad has now scored a goal in five of his last six games, and 9 in his previous 12 contests. You’d have to think had he not missed a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season with an injury, Zibanejad could be amongst the league leaders in goals.

Igor Shesterkin – Simply put, the 24-year-old Russian stole this one. Shesterkin made 44 saves, including 21 in the first period, to earn his ninth NHL victory in his first ten starts. The Moscow native made a few dazzling stops, including this doozy on Evander Kane in the first period.

What the Rangers will do leading up to Monday’s trade deadline remains unclear. But one thing is for sure; Igor Shesterkin is the organization’s number one goalie of the future.

Next Game: The Rangers head to Barclays Center for a matchup with the Islanders. Puck drops at 7!

Postgame Notes

• The Rangers have won nine of their last 14 home games, dating back to Dec. 22 (9-5-0 record), and have outscored their opponents, 52-37, in the 14 contests. The Blueshirts have also earned at least one point in 15 of their last 24 home games (14-9-1 record).
• Shesterkin is the first goaltender in Rangers history who has earned a win in nine of his first 10 career NHL appearances, and according to NHL Stats and Information, he is the first goaltender who has earned a win in nine of his first 10 appearances as a member of the Rangers in franchise history. He is the fourth goaltender in NHL history who has earned nine wins in his first ten career NHL appearances.
• The Rangers extended their winning streak to three games and have won seven of the last eight games (7-1-0 record), eight of the last 10 games (8-2-0 record), and 10 of the last 13 games (10-3-0 record). The Blueshirts have earned at least one point in 26 of the last 41 games, dating back to Nov. 23 at Montreal (24-15-2 record over the span). The Rangers have earned 29 of their 33 wins this season in regulation and 32 of their 33 wins in either regulation or the five-minute overtime period (the Blueshirts earned 26 regulation/OT wins in 2018-19). As of the conclusion of tonight’s contest, the Rangers’ 29 regulation wins this season are the fourth-most in the NHL and are the most in the Metropolitan Division.

Notes provided by the Rangers

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Filip Chytil – The Czech neophyte got the Rangers on the board in the first period, picking up the loose puck in the neutral zone and beating Lehner between the legs for the early lead.

The goal was Chytil’s 13th of the year, as he continues showing his abilities on the ice for this young Rangers team. Chytil’s speed, skill, and ability to protect the puck will keep the 20-year-old in the NHL for a long time.

Pavel Buchnevich – “Captain Happy” broke the 1-1 deadlock in the second period, finishing off a great play behind the net by Chris Kreider. After taking a hit, Kreider protected the puck, moved to the side of the net, and hit Buchnevich in front for the easy goal.

Buchnevich’s goal was his 14th of the season, and his third in the last four games. With roughly 20 games remaining in the 2019-20 season, Buchnevich is trying to show that he is a valuable piece for the Rangers going forward.

Ryan Strome – It was a family affair for Ryan Strome, who not only faced his brother, Dylan, on the ice but had his mom cheering from the stands on the annual Rangers mom’s trip. Strome would give the Rangers a 3-1 lead 88 seconds after Buchnevich’s tally, capitalizing on the power play chance from new Ranger Julien Gauthier being held by former Penguin Olli Maatta. With his back to goal, Strome got the rebound of Tony DeAngelo’s shot, spun around and fired it into the net.

The goal was Strome’s 15th of the season and his eighth point in the last nine games.

Chris Kreider – The much-discussed forward got the game-winner for David Quinn’s squad, niftily taking the pass from Mika Zibanjead before sliding it between the legs of Lehner for the fourth Rangers goal.

Kreider’s 24th goal of the season gave the Rangers their fifth win in the last six games.

Artemiy Panarin – Playing against his former team, Artemiy Panarin did not disappoint. Panarin got his 30th of the season, taking advantage of a Chicago turnover and wiring one over the glove of Lehner to put the proverbial icing on the cake.

There really isn’t a whole lot left to say about the BreadMan, who now has 79 points in 58 games during his first year with the Blueshirts.

Mika Zibanejad – After picking up three assists in the third period, Zibanjead got a goal of his own, and a nice one at that. Following some great work from Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich received the pass from his opposite winger and fired one toward the net, where Zibanjead would redirect it into the net.

Zibanjead’s tally was his 26th of the season, which is remarkable considering he missed some time dealing with injuries at the beginning of the year.

Igor Shesterkin – The Rangers netminder got the seventh win of his NHL career, making 37 saves on 40 Chicago shots. Shesterkin was strong despite giving up three goals, as he continues to prove that he is the real deal for the Blueshirts.

Next Game: The Rangers return to action on Friday night when they face the Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Puck drops at 7!

Post Game Notes

• Igor Shesterkin made 37 saves, including 15 saves in the second period and 10 or more saves in each period of the contest, to earn his seventh career NHL win in his eighth career NHL appearance and extend his winning/point streak to five games. Shesterkin is the first goaltender in Rangers history who has earned a win in seven of his first eight career NHL appearances. In addition, he is the first NHL goaltender who has earned a win in seven of his first eight career NHL appearances since Martin Jones earned a win in each of his first eight career NHL appearances during the 2013-14 season. Shesterkin is also the first Rangers rookie goaltender who has posted a five-game winning streak since Dan Blackburn from Mar. 30, 2002 to Apr. 8, 2002. He has stopped 275 of 293 shots in his eight career NHL appearances (.939 SV%), including 273 of the last 289 shots (.945 SV% over the span).
• The Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich line recorded nine points (three goals, six assists) in tonight’s game, and each player registered a goal and posted a multi-point game in the contest. The three players have recorded 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) over the last 12 contests.
• Chris Kreider has registered a point in eight of his last 11 games (eight goals, six assists), in 13 of his last 18 games (12 goals, eight assists), and in 22 of his last 30 games (18 goals, 14 assists), and he has not gone two consecutive games without a point over the span. He has also tallied a goal in five of the last eight games, in nine of his last 14 contests, and in 11 of his last 17 games.

Post game notes courtesy of the Rangers

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Artemiy Panarin – After Minnesota took a 1-0 lead, the Rangers’ leading scorer tied it up at one by finishing a great passing play. The puck went from Ryan Strome to Tony DeAngelo and finally to Panarin, who wired it from the left circle. The goal was Panarin’s 29th of the season as he continues to light it up for the Blueshirts.

But, the “BreadMan” wasn’t done yet. It would be Panarin’s hard pass that Mika Zibanjad would redirect into the net to tie the game, and it would be Panarin’s shootout goal that would seal the two points for the Rangers. If this is what Panarin can do in his first season on Broadway, the sky is the limit for the Russian forward.

Pavel Buchnevich – It was another Russian forward that started the comeback in the third period for the Blueshirts. With about eight minutes to go in regulation, the puck came to Buchnevich from the aforementioned Panarin at the front of the net. Buchnevich appeared to be trying to pass it to the backdoor player, but the puck bounced off of two Minnesota players and into the net behind an out of position Alex Stalock.

The goal is Buchnevich’s 12th of the season, and his third in the last six games. The goal is also the seventh point in the last six games for the 24-year-old from Cherepovets.

Mika Zibanejad – The suave Swede sent the game to overtime by deflecting the hard pass from Artemiy Panarin into the net past a lunging Stalock. The goal is the 24th of the year for Zibanejad.

Zibanejad would also get the game-winner in the shootout, finishing off the forehand-backhand deke over the outstretched Minnesota netminder.

Alexandar Georgiev – It was the second start for the young Bulgarian since January 21st as David Quinn and the Rangers continue to use their three goalie rotation leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline. Georgiev was solid in this one, allowing three goals on 26 shots, giving his team a chance to come back late in the third. It’s unclear whether Georgiev will still be with the organization following the February 24th deadline, but he certainly wants to be playing his best hockey heading into it.

Next Game: The Rangers head to Columbus to face John Tortorella and the Blue Jackets on Friday night. Puck drops at 7!

Post Game Notes

• Alexandar Georgiev made 23 saves, stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period and overtime and stopped both shooters in the shootout to earn his 13th win of the season. Georgiev has earned a win in 10 of 14 road appearances in 2019-20 (10-4-0 record).
• The Rangers won a game when allowing the first goal for the 10th time this season. In addition, the Blueshirts won a game when trailing entering the third period for the second time in 2019-20. The Rangers won a game when trailing by two or more goals entering the third period for the first time since Feb. 6, 2019 vs. Boston.
• The Rangers have won each of the last three games, four of the last five games (4-1-0 record), six of the last eight games (6-2-0 record), and 10 of the last 15 contests (10-5-0 record). The Rangers have posted a three-game winning streak for the second time this season (also from Nov. 23 at Montreal to Nov. 27 vs. Carolina). The Blueshirts have also earned at least one point in 22 of the last 36 games, dating back to Nov. 23 at Montreal (20-14-2 record over the span).
• New York extended its road winning streak to four games and has outscored its opponents, 12-6, over the four contests. The Rangers have posted a road winning streak of four games or longer for the first time since a five-game road winning streak from Feb. 23, 2017 at Toronto to Mar. 7, 2017 at Florida.

Postgame notes provided by the Rangers

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Hart Talk

It’s time for Artemi Panarin to be a major contender for the Hart Trophy as the league MVP. The last player to win it without his team making the postseason was Mario Lemieux, it may be time for it to happen again.

Top Trade Topics

Georgiev: The Rangers are sticking with the 3 goalie system as expected. A league source told me that Toronto’s interest has dropped as they are focused on getting a defenseman. On the flip side, the Sharks are hot for a goalie and feel Georgiev is a starter for them as both Martin Jones and Aaron Dell have faltered. READ MORE

Kreider: We’ve been saying that even if the Rangers wanted to keep Kreider, where they are as a franchise , what his contract would be, and how tantalizing the offers are going to be will see him moved at the deadline. There are at least 8 teams interested in him at the moment. READ MORE

Buchnevich: So let me get this straight, he poses no cap issues and is on pace for 45 points which would be a career high (he scored 43 in 2018). In essence, the Rangers have a young cost controlled talented winger, who continues to show improvement, and Brooks thinks the Rangers might want to trade him. We need to discuss this. READ MORE

More Bread

Explosion

The score sheet was silent for both teams as the Rangers and Red Wings were held scoreless. New York dominated possession and outshot the Red Wings 15-7 in the first. The Rangers were relentless and finally got on the board at 9:23 of the second. Mika Zibanejad sped down the wing and dished it to a diving Pavel Buchnevich to give New York a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, Chris Kreider deflected a beautiful shot into the net from Adam Fox to make it 2-0 at 11:56 of the second.

Artemi Panarin dazzled the Garden crowd with a sensational rush and dangle to put one past Jimmy Howard to make it 3-0 at 19:18 in the second. Mika Zibanejad would add a power play goal as rifled one past the shoulder of Jimmy Howard to make it 4-0 at 5:02 in the third. Zibanejad’s power play goal is his 200th point as a New York Ranger.

Late Surge

Robby Fabbri and Valtteri Filppula would add two goals just about five minutes apart to lead a surge by Detroit to make it 4-2. The surge for Detroit would continue with the empty net but to no avail as New York held on for the win. Igor Shesterkin took two attempts at the empty net but both chances were short and wide. Although he didn’t hit the net, Shesterkin looked sensational in goal, as he stopped 25 out of the 25 shots against him.

The Scoring Czar?

Igor Shesterkin who has shown an excellent ability to handle and pass the puck made two bids on the empty net and will no doubt score one at some point.

Post-Game Notes

• The Rangers have won three of the last five games (3-2-0 record over the span) and five of the last eight games (5-3-0 record). The Blueshirts have also earned at least one point in 17 of the last 29 games, dating back to Nov. 23 at Montreal (15-12-2 record over the span).
• Mika Zibanejad recorded three points (one goal, two assists), including his 200th career point as a Ranger, and posted a plus-two rating in 21:04 of ice time. The Rangers have posted a 12-1-1 record in games which Zibanejad has recorded a goal this season.
• Artemi Panarin recorded two points (one goal, one assist), including the game-winning goal, and led all skaters with seven shots on goal. He leads the NHL in several categories this season, including even strength points (53) and 5-on-5 points (46). Panarin recorded his 70th point of the 2019-20 season tonight. He has tallied 70 or more points in each of his five NHL seasons, and he is one of three undrafted players in NHL history who have recorded at least 70 points in each of their first five NHL seasons (along with Wayne Gretzky) and Peter Stastny.
• Chris Kreider tallied two points (one goal, one assist), recorded four shots on goal, and posted a plus-two rating. He has also tallied a goal in each of the last two games, in four of the last five games, and in six of the last eight contests. Kreider has recorded 33 goals on tipped shots since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is the most in the NHL over the span.

NEXT GAME: The Rangers get right back to it as they play the Red Wings again in Detroit Saturday night at 7PM.

LETS GO RANGERS

Notes courtesy of the NYR PR Dept.