First Period:
Second Period:
- Chris Kreider (14) (Power Play) Assists: Adam Fox (15), Ryan Strome (10)
- Kevin Rooney (4) Assists: Barclay Goodrow (6), Ryan Reaves (2)
Third Period:
Ad
- Andy Andreoff (1) Assists: Otto Koivula (1), Sebastian Aho (1)
- Kevin Rooney (5) Assists: Ryan Reaves (3)
- Chris Kreider (15) Assists: Mika Zibanejad (12), Kaapo Kakko (3)
Stats:
- This was a game that the Rangers just could not lose. The Islanders are literally missing half of their roster and they had a few guys playing tonight that I’d never heard of or thought were out of the league. This was just a game that they had to have and while they certainly took way too many penalties and mish/moshy at times, they got it done. They defended pretty well, didn’t give up much, killed all those penalties and scored that huge goal only seconds after the Isles scored. In some ways it was like the Rangers playing a regular season lineup and the Islanders playing a preseason lineup, but the win and the two points are all that matters.
- The Rangers got Ryan Reaves for games like this, but this was not the performance they were expecting from him. He made a big play on the second goal and then a Panarin/Fox-type of pass to Kevin Rooney for that huge third goal. Rooney and Reaves have been constants on the fourth line and they had Dryden Hunt with them for most of the year, but Barclay Goodrow the last game and a half. No matter who the third member on the line is, the Rangers seem to have found the fourth line they have been searching for the past few years.
- I kept saying that I thought Kaapo Kakko would be better suited to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Then Kakko started scoring and it seemed like he had finally found his way with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome….and now he’s with Zibanejad and Kreider. I think that long-term it still might be the best place for him, but not when he’s on four game point streak with the other line. They did work together on Kreider’s second goal though and now Kakko has a five-game point streak.
- I don’t see how JG Pageau doesn’t get at least two minutes for something on that hit on Ryan Lindgren. Late hit, hit to the head, something. I doubt the league takes any action on it.
- Adam Fox certainly isn’t the one you want getting involved in a scrum, but that is his defense partner and that level of team toughness has obviously been a major point of emphasis. Same goes for Alexis Lafreniere fighting Pageau later on, but that is the mentality of this team. They are going to respond when the time comes. For Pageau’s sake scrumming with Fox and fighting Lafreniere has to be preferable to getting Ryan Reaves.
- Igor Shesterkin didn’t have to do much, but he was good and picked up his first career win against the Isles.
- They took care of business tonight against a severely depleted team. Sunday’s game is probably TBD in terms of it being played or not, but if it’s the same Islanders lineup it will be another game they will have to have. Before they worry about Saturday though, they head to Boston for a Friday afternoon game with the Bruins.