This week found the New York Rangers at the end of their five-game road trip, with the San Jose Sharks and the Philadelphia Flyers as their opponents. Since the return of the taxi squads and move players in COVID-19 protocols, this week was a fun one for the Rangers. Fans saw a first NHL goal and welcomed home the first Rangers player from Queens.
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New York Rangers @ San Jose Sharks
January 13, 2022
SAP Center at San Jose
W 3-0
1st Period
10:25-Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad & Adam Fox
2nd Period
No Scoring
3rd Period
01:27-Braden Schneider, Ryan Strome & Filip Chytil
19:32-Chris Kreider & Kevin Rooney
Going into the game, the Rangers’ overall record against the Sharks was 30-11-3. They were also on a six-game win streak and added the seventh win in this 3-0 victory. Kreider kicked off the scoring for the Rangers about midway into the first period with a shorthanded goal. It was the first shorthanded goal of his 10-year NHL career. He also ended the game with a goal, achieving the 200 goal point of his career.
Schneider made his NHL debut and showed everyone why the Rangers selected him 19th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He scored his first NHL goal and is the third-youngest Ranger player to do so. This puts him behind Harry Howell in 1952 and Mario Marois in 1977, who were both 19.
Anthony Greco also made his debut with the Rangers, making this the second NHL game he’s ever played. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Rangers on October 9, 2020. His father, Paul Greco, was a firefighter that passed away last year due to 9/11 related illness. Greco showed why he has scored 23 points in 26 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, having two great opportunities to score in this game.
Overall, the Rangers had 31 shots on goal, with Greco coming in with the second most at five. Kreider came in with six shots on goal, converting two of those for goals.
New York Rangers @ Philadelphia Flyers
January 15, 2022
Wells Fargo Center
W 3-2
1st Period
05:54-Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox & Artemi Panarin
11:45-Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny & Scott Laughton
2nd Period
No Scoring
3rd Period
10:11-Cameron York
10:48-Filip Chytil, Artemi Panarin & Ryan Strome
13:30-Chris Kreider, Adam Fox & Kaapo Kakko
The Rangers were finally back on the east coast, bringing their away trip to an end with a game against the Flyers. The Flyers were coming into this game with six straight losses, so they needed a win to get them back on track.
Zibanejad put the Rangers on the board first with a powerplay goal, making it his 150th with the Rangers. Unfortunately, the Flyers tied it up on a goal from Lindblom a little over midway into the first. The goal was a rebound on a save made by Igor Shesterkin after Konecny took a shot at the net.
The second period was mainly a back and forth with the Rangers getting some good looks and coming close to scoring. They outshot the Flyers 12-7. However, the third period found the Flyers attempting to come at the Rangers with everything they had.
York’s goal midway through the period gave the Flyers their first lead of the game. But alas, it was short-lived because 37 seconds later, Chytil locked the puck past Carter Hart and into the net. A few minutes later, Kreider tipped a pass from Fox into the net, giving the Rangers the lead again.
They would continue holding the lead and adding another win and two more points to the board.
What We Learned This Week
- The Rangers were 3-2 on this away game road trip.
- Schneider has kicked off his NHL career with a bang.
- Shesterkin’s shutout streak ended at 138:42 during the Flyers game.
- Barclay Goodrow and Alexis Lafreniere remain in the COVID-19 protocol.
- Assistant coach Gord Murphy is now in the COVID-19 protocol.
As of right now, the Rangers are first in the Metropolitan with 54 points and a 25-10-4 record. They are also third in the league behind the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Although some fans may complain about the inefficiencies that still plague the Rangers, there’s no denying they are in a much better place than last season. Barring any severe decline in play or any serious derailment, they are on the playoff-bound train.
The Rangers are in charge of their destiny, and right now, it’s looking great.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
