In our last recap we talked about what a fun run the Rangers have been on. While you can’t take anything away from that success, there was the reality that they beat some inferior competition along the way. At the time of writing that piece they were about to start a stretch that would test their metal. A week later I can gladly say this group passed its test with flying colors. Let’s take a look at what’s been working as well as what needs to improve.
Stars of the Show
Through the early part of the season a lot of energy has been spent worrying about the even strength production of Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Despite their contributions on the power play, fans were frustrated with their 5 v 5 play. Fortunately this past week will help put that narrative to bed. 93 and 20 had their fingerprints all over the Rangers last six games in all phases. These performances were particularly clutch against the Penguins, Flyers and Bruins. To beat the best teams your best players have to be at their best, and that’s exactly what the Rangers got from their leaders.
While the Rangers stars have been at their best, they can’t do it alone. This six game stretch has been highlighted by the Blueshirts bottom six forwards being heavily involved. Nick Bonino has been dynamite in all three zones and picked up his first goal Saturday against Boston, much to the joy of Sam Rosen.
Beyond “Bones” contributions on the third line, the fourth line has been great. Barclay Goodrow continues to be a “glue guy” on this roster, doing all the little things to help the team. His linemates, Tyler Pitlick and Jimmy Vesey, have done their part in a big way. Pitlick was another one of Chris Drury’s bargain buys this summer and he’s played a strong game the last few weeks. On the opposite wing from Pitlick is one of this groups truly unsung heroes, Jimmy Vesey. Vesey’s second stint with the Rangers has gone much better than his first, and this season is his best yet. After being a healthy scratch to start the year, number 26 has earned his spot once again, and is coming off scoring two clutch goals this week against New Jersey and Boston.
All the grinders I just mentioned have helped to set a tone for the rest of the group. The aforementioned names, along with young Will Cuylle have played with energy and provided the “will” to match the team’s “skill.” This brand of hockey will be key to winning the rest of the regular season, and the playoffs in particular. Long may it continue!
On the backend, all of the Rangers defenseman have helped cover for the loss of Adam Fox. For my money though, the best of the bunch has been team captain Jacob Trouba. Number eight has been his usual physical self while also playing stout defense. His rugged throwback style is a match made in heaven with Peter Laviolette’s system. Trouba’s offensive game has even picked up, highlighted by this sweet breakout pass to spring Chris Kreider shorthanded.
Rounding out our stars is backup netminder Jonathan Quick. We highlighted Quick’s play in our last recap, but his excellent work has continued so we can’t ignore him. Number 32 is earning the respect of the Garden Faithful with his 6-0-1 record and .930 save%. While I don’t expect him to keep up this level of play, “JQ32” should be more than serviceable this year in relief of Igor Shesterkin. It’s become an excellent story as Quick is living out his childhood dream in the Garden net.
What Needs Work
If there is one player on the Rangers that I feel needs to sharpen his game, it’s defenseman K’Andre Miller. Number 79’s play has been a mixed bag so far this year. He looks unsure on offense, almost as if he isn’t reading the play well on the rush. Meanwhile on defense he doesn’t feel engaged enough physically. Miller is too big and too lanky not to use his size to his advantage. On Saturday against the Bruins and Monday against Buffalo, he got into a bad habit of giving up easy entries at the blue line. He needs to step to the puck carrier and use his frame to slow the rush and take the puck away. He’s as talented as any defender in the league, it just feels like he needs to play with more conviction in his game. Let’s get more plays like this beautiful goal on Friday out of “Key.”
Unfortunately there is bad news that we have to cover in this section. Obviously this doesn’t need to be “improved,” but the Rangers will have another injury to account for, as Kaapo Kakko went down Monday night. Number 24 was added the LTIR list, following his nasty leg injury. While the NHL is frustratingly vague about injuries, it’s safe to say we won’t see Kakko for an extended period of time. If that is indeed the case, the Rangers will be able to use his cap space to their advantage, as Kakko won’t count against the cap on LTIR. Johnny Brodzinski will fill in for Kakko on the third line for now, a good fit for the checking energetic style that the line plays with. Hopefully Kakko makes a full recovery and the Rangers keep winning while he is out.
The Good News
Despite the injury to Kakko and the loss the Sabres Monday, there is still a lot to feel good about on Broadway. The Rangers weathered a major storm of injuries and have built up a great record while doing so. They have Adam Fox returning the lineup Wednesday against Detroit and Filip Chytil is closing in on a return as well. While they won’t win them all, there’s no reason to doubt this group going forward this season.
Around the Rink
Dean’s Done: Dean Evason joined Jay Woodcroft on the unemployment line when the Wild announced his firing Monday. Minnesota had lost 7 in a row in the face of some lofty expectations. Evason got a lot out of this team since taking over in 2020, going 147-77-27. While I understand the firing, I have some pity on Evason as this team was hamstrung by a nightmarish cap situation. With Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s bought out deals totaling $14.7 million in dead money, it’s very hard to improve a roster that always felt one piece short. Former Devils and Predators coach Jon Hynes will take over behind the bench, and he got off to a winning start Tuesday with a 3-1 home W against St. Louis.
HockeyTown Revival: The Red Wings have been one of the streakiest teams in the league through the first 20 games. After a heart start they hit a rough patch in the schedule. Since then though they have bounced back to win their last three. They currently sit third in the crowded Atlantic division, and are led by an explosive top line. New arrival Alex DeBrincat has 12 goals and his sidekick Dylan Larkin leads the team in points with 21. They also just added future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane to the fold, giving their lineup additional. It will definitely be fun to watch Kane back on the power play opposite “the cat.” If they can get steady goaltending the Wings have a strong chance to break their seven year playoff drought.
LA’s Royal Flush: The Kings have won five straight to move into second place in the Pacific division. At 13-3-3 LA has met their lofty preseason expectations, as this loaded roster is firing on all cylinders. While Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala and Anze Kopitar are doing their usual damage, there is a new name making headlines. The number two pick from the 2020 draft, Quentin Byfield is finally breaking out. With 16 points in 19 games, Byfield is giving LA the production they have been waiting for. If he keeps it up, number 55 may prove to be the missing piece for a team that has been knocking on the door the last few postseasons.
Goal of the Year: We have an early front runner for goal of the year, courtesy of the eternally underrated Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets number 27 is one of the leagues more skilled players and he showed it on that beauty. His slick mitts are usually on the other end of plays like that, as he racks up assists for teammate Kyle Connors lethal shot. The Jets are off to a surprisingly good start, at 12-7-2, sitting in third place in the central and Ehlers has been in the middle of it. They’re a story to keep an eye on the rest of the way.
Maple Leaf Meltdown: The never ending soap opera of the Toronto Maple Leafs finally makes an appearance in this blog. My preseason Stanley Cup champion has been off to an up and down start. Their inconsistency even plays out within games, and their loss Friday was a perfect example of that. Giving away two separate leads in the game to the Blackhawks, is bad enough. It’s even worse when it’s due to giving up a hat trick to grinder Jason Dickinson. This team still has so much trouble in the d-zone and it’s hard to see them going far if it isn’t cleaned up.
Rock ‘em sock ‘em: Monday night brought us another edition of the “Tkachuk brothers bowl.” Of course knowing the Tkachuk brothers, this game unsurprisingly turned into a scene out of Slapshot. With the Panthers leading 4-0 in the third period the game got nasty and the physical play led to every player on the ice getting a misconduct, thusly ejecting them from the game. The league has long left nights like these behind, but every now and then they’re good for a laugh. Panthers coach Paul Maurice certainly enjoyed it, almost sounds like he’s gonna go home and watch a VHS of Don Cherry’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘em Hockey.
Let me know what you think of the Rangers and the rest of the NHL on Twitter and in the comments below. You can follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. We’re saving up for two big football articles that will drop next week, hence the delay. Stay tuned for more!
The Broadway Breakdown 
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