2020-21 Rangers

Zibanejad and Kakko lead Rangers in 6-3 win over Buffalo

Posted on by Adam Rotter in 2020-21 Rangers

First Period:

  • Mika Zibanejad (17) Assists: Ryan Lindgren (15), Alexis Lafrenière (8)
  • Jeff Skinner (6) Assists: Colin Miller (6), Jacob Bryson (6)
  • Kaapo Kakko (7) Assists: Adam Fox (39), Filip Chytil (12)
  • Mika Zibanejad (18) (Power Play) Assists: Artemi Panarin (39), Adam Fox (40)

Second Period:

  • Mika Zibanejad (19) Assists: Pavel Buchnevich (23), Adam Fox (41)
  • Victor Olofsson (13) (Power Play) Assists: Sam Reinhart (14), Casey Mittelstadt (8)

Third Period:

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  • Kaapo Kakko (8) (Power Play) Assists: Pavel Buchnevich (23), Zachary Jones (1)
  • Sam Reinhart (21) Assists: Dustin Tokarski (1), Rasmus Dahlin (18)
  • Kevin Rooney (8) (Shorthanded) Unassisted

Three Stars:

  • 3: Kaapo Kakko
  • 2: Adam Fox
  • 1: Mika Zibanejad

Stats:

Adam Rotter:

  • Another game for the Rangers where they jumped out to an early lead, let the Sabres kind of hang around, but ultimately closed it out.
  • This was a night of outstanding passes with Alexis Lafreniere finding Mika Zibanejad on the first goal and Adam Fox connecting with Kaapo Kakko for his first of the game. Lafreniere has really been showing his playmaking ability lately and Adam Fox just continues to be Adam Fox.
  • The Fox to Kakko goals is one of my favorite of the season.
  • Kakko has had an interesting season. He was on the upswing when he got Covid and he’s had long goal droughts, but he’s starting to shoot more and his overall game is drastically improved from last year. There is part of me that wonders if Kakko, because he was such a liability last year, has spent most of this year working on his defense and wall play, likely at the expense of his offense, to round out his game. He knows he can score and I’m guessing it’s easier to add that two-way aspect to his game early on and then get back to scoring as opposed to the opposite.
  • Good for Zac Jones to get his first career point. He showed his offensive ability and patience on that play.
  • So the Bruins lost earlier today and now the Rangers are back to within four points of the final playoff spot. Again, it seems unlikely as Boston’s two games in hand happen after the Rangers finish their regular season, but these are important games for the development of the young players and the organization overall. The Rangers are going to need to play well and win games like this when they turn the corner, hopefully next season, and these games will at least provide a baseline of experience.