The Rangers got a much needed two points last night to tie the Montreal Canadiens in points, a step in the right direction for a team that needs to bank points to keep their season alive. Team defense was once again out to lunch in spurts throughout the game, but the offense came to play and the Rangers controlled play for most of the game. The Rangers didn’t look like a Cup contender last night, but they got two points and were actually fun to watch for a change.
All eyes were on Gabe Perreault, though he could not get on the score sheet. He was extremely noticeable in his 13:38 TOI and probably missed out on a few primary assists if the Rangers were able to finish on some of his looks. The points will come, it’s evident the hockey sense on Perreault is there, though he has some work to do defensively. Technically Perreault did score, but it was a deflection off a Brock Faber shot that eluded Igor Shesterkin.
The Rangers were able to put up five goals, but the power play was putrid, extending its streak to 2-for-43 with horrific execution. It’s sad to see how the once automatic powerplay has become a running gag of jokes lately. Perhaps now we might have a new appreciation for the powerplay, one that many statheads wrote off as “a nice to have” when it was firing on all cylinders.
It’s not super clear which coach is running the Rangers power play, but it desperately needs a shake up. It goes against conventional wisdom to tell the prior quintet of Zibanejad, Fox, Kreider, Panarin, and Trocheck to keep going out there and pass the puck around just to get low percentage shots. Maybe PP2, fresh with Perreault and JT Miller, should get more of the TOI share at 5v5.
While the offense was fine, save for the powerplay, Igor Shesterkin saw far too many high danger chances yet again. Just because he’s the highest paid goalie in the NHL doesn’t mean he should have the worst workload in the league, there’s only so much he can do. From the Adam Fox to Vincent Trocheck turnover, to the Trocheck turnover on the powerplay, to whatever K’Andre Miller did, the Rangers were just making dumb plays all night.
Minnesota is putrid offensively, but those kinds of turnovers against the Devils, whom the Rangers play next, will cost them dearly.
