Rangers knock off red-hot Kraken with decisive victory
The best teams the group the Rangers view themselves as part of are separated by how they respond to rough patches.
Th Rangers have now taken their seasons low point a four-game losing skid and quickly turned it into what could be an inflection point.
They created a new streak in the process, beating the Kraken 5-2 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden for their second consecutive win after the four-game slide.
It had many of the qualities of the Rangers early-season dominance decisive north-south attacking, crisp and precise passing and a vintage performance by Igor Shesterkin in net.
But also with some unusual names standing out as the goal scorers, as the Rangers got long-desired contributions from members outside the top-six.
Down the stretch and as you get closer to playoff time, you need everyone contributing, Blake Wheeler, who scored two goals, said after the game. Certainly those top-six guys are gonna be looked at to carry the load offensively every night, but we all need to chip in.
4New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck #16 scores a goal past Seattle Kraken goaltender Chris Driedger #60 during the first period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostArtemi Panarin was given far too much space on a power play early in the first period, allowed to waltz deep into the offensive zone.
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He expertly found Vincent Trocheck streaking in front of the goal with a no-look, cross-ice pass, and Trocheck calmly tapped it in to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead.
Justin Schultz had been penalized for delay of game.
Panarin now has 60 points on the season, tying him with Canucks center and ex-Ranger J.T. Miller for fourth-most in the league.
Kaapo Kakko, skating with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the first line again, notably got in on the action in what was just his second game back after missing the previous 21 with a lower-body injury.
He buried a snap shot off a well-placed backhand feed from Zibanejad to extend the lead to 4-1 17:01 into the second period, an encouraging sign for the line, which has struggled to produce in recent weeks.
I got some time off, work out, think about my game, Kakko said. Im back right now and hopefully better than before. … When you havent been scoring, or playing, scoring helps a lot.
Just moments before, Wheeler extended the lead to 3-1 to give the Rangers some breathing room.
He cleverly deflected in Jonny Brodzinskis shot 12:32 into the second period, giving the Rangers often-criticized bottom-six a rare highlight.
4 New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin defends the net against Seattle Kraken left wing Tomas Tatar during the second period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostWheeler later scored an empty-net goal 17:21 into the third period to extend the lead to 5-2.
Shesterkin was at his best, turning away 29 of the 31 shots he faced.
The Rangers relied heavily on him in the beginning of the second period when he plucked out several point-blank chances, including a double save on Will Borgen and Schultz just over a minute into the period and a save on a breakaway from Kailer Yamamoto.
He was really good, I thought, coach Peter Laviolette said. Theyre a rush team, they generate a lot off the rush. Even though you got two guys back, theyre coming with three or four, so you gotta be mindful of everything. You need your goaltender to make big saves like he did tonight.
4New York Rangers right wing Blake Wheeler #17 celebrates with his teammates after he scores a goal during the second period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostAfter Jordan Eberle tied the game at 1-1 for the Kraken in the first period, Erik Gustafsson scored just 28 seconds later to immediately re-establish the Rangers lead.
He collected a loose puck in the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot past Chris Driedger to make it 2-1, 11:09 into the first period.
Tuesdays win also marked the second game of the second half of the regular season, which the Rangers have begun 2-0 following Sundays 2-1 win over the Capitals.
Perhaps the Rangers left their weeks of bad hockey in the first half of the season.
They entered 9-9-1 since Dec. 5, but improved to 28-13-2 with Tuesdays win, remaining in first place in the Metro Division.
The red-hot Kraken had won nine straight games before falling to the Penguins on Monday.
But a clinical first two periods and more assured defending helped the Rangers deliver Seattles second-straight loss.
And helped provide the Rangers a momentary sigh of relief after recent frustration.
4New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a save during the second period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostAfter playing their worst hockey of the year, the Rangers now carry badly needed new life into their four-game road trip out West.
It was good, Laviolette said. I thought the balance was good, the scoring was good, we needed that. We hadnt really had that the last few games, it seemed like we were pressing, pressing, pressing, we couldnt get it to go. It was nice to score some goals.
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