The New York Rangers only faced two foes this week, both at home in the Garden. The Rangers were able to come away victorious in both matches to give them a 6-1-1 record in their last eight at home. Both teams had plenty of opportunities to score and get the momentum in their favor. It almost worked for the St. Louis Blues, but not quite as much for the New Jersey Devils. One thing both teams had in common was they had to face a goaltender by the name of Igor Shesterkin.
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New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues
March 2, 2022
Madison Square Garden
W 5-3
1st Period
08:55-Alexis Lafreniere & Adam Fox
2nd Period
16:36-Ryan Strome, Artemi Panarin & Jacob Trouba
17:30-Ryan O’Reilly, Brandon Saad & David Perron
18:37-Ivan Barbashev & Jordan Kyrou
19:44-David Perron, Ryan O’Reilly & Colton Parayko
3rd Period
07:27-Patrik Nemeth, Ryan Strome & Dryden Hunt
11:40-Chris Kreider, Adam Fox & Artemi Panarin
18:08-Artemi Panarin & Adam Fox
The commentators for this game were all about being confident that Pavel Buchnevich would score against his old team. However, it did not happen, thanks to Shesterkin. The ironic or funny part of this game is that Buchnevich almost tipped a goal into his own net on a pass from Mika Zibanejad that was meant for Kreider.
The Rangers were looking good throughout the first. Lafreniere got the Rangers on the board and, throughout the game, looked like he was finally getting his swagger back. Strome out the rangers up 2-0 in the second. However, St. Louis would stage a comeback and take the lead, scoring three goals in a little over two minutes.
Things looked dire for the Rangers, but they did not give up. In the third period, Nemeth scored his first goal of the season, and it was a great way to celebrate the recent birth of his son. It also put the Rangers back in the game, tying it 3-3. Then Kreider put another one in the net, giving the Rangers back the lead. Not too long after that, Trouba put a clean but hard hit on Jordan Kyrou, and then Trouba and Brayden Schenn got into a kerfuffle over it. Once the bru-ha-ha settled down, Panarin sealed the game for the Rangers on a pass from Fox.
The Rangers played well overall, except when they gave up those three goals in the second. This game marks the 18th time the Rangers have made a comeback to win a game. Someone should give them a crown…or a shiny cup for their efforts.
New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
March 4, 2022
Madison Square Garden
W 3-1
1st Period
11:11-Mika Zibanejad, Jacob Trouba, & Chris Kreider
13:56-Nico Hischier & Andreas Johnsson
2nd Period
08:57-Filip Chytil, & Ryan Lindgren
3rd Period
11:23-Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad & Adam Fox
Zibanejad opened the scoring when he sent a backhand past goaltender Nico Daws, but less than three minutes later, Hishier tied it up 1-1. After that, both teams battled back and forth, but the Rangers were able to take the lead in the second on a goal from Chytil. It is his sixth goal of the season, and fans can only hope that it is the start of something great for him. Finally, the third period gave us a goal from Kreider, making him third in most goals for the season, with 36 behind Leon Draisaitl (38) and Auston Matthews (39). This put the Rangers up 3-1, which would be the final result.
Shesterkin made 32 saves, putting on a clinic as he made some great saves throughout the game. His save percentage for the game was .970. He is 7-1-1 in his past nine starts and has allowed two or fewer goals in eight of them.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “I mean, seriously, how many Grade A chances did they get? The rush chances they got, the Grade A chances, the breakaways, he’s unbelievable.”
There were almost a few kerfuffles but some major boos from the Garden crowd when P.K. Subban tripped Panarin. Unfortunately, none of the defensemen went after him. Barclay Goodrow did get into a small kerfuffle with him, but it was nothing major. This is the same player responsible for Sammy Blais missing an entire season. Luckily for Panarin, he came out of the meeting unscathed.
What We Learned This Week
The Rangers are the comeback kings, and there is undoubtedly no quit in New York. Although, they do need to take an honest look at why they keep having to come from behind to win a game. Blown coverage will usually do it every time…if it isn’t a turnover. This gives New York a two-game win streak to send them off into the last big road trip of the season, which is a four-game trip through the Central Division.
There is the possibility the Rangers will make it to second place in the Metropolitan. They are not far behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold that spot. What is even more impressive is they are not far behind the team that is in first, the Carolina Hurricanes. Provided all three teams keep playing well, it will be a tight race for the top three spots.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
