First Period:
- Valeri Nichushkin (7) (Power Play) Assists: Cale Makar (7), Nathan MacKinnon (7)
Second Period:
- Barclay Goodrow (2) Assists: Jacob Trouba (3), Sammy Blais (1)
Third Period:
Ad
- Logan O’Connor (1) (Shorthanded) Assists: Andrew Cogliano (2)
Overtime:
Shootout:
- Nathan MacKinnon: Missed
- Kaapo Kakko: Stopped
- Cale Makar: Stopped
- Mika Zibanejad: Stopped
- Mikko Rantanen: Scores
- Artemi Panarin: Scores
- Evan Rodrigues: Scores
- Alexis Lafreniere: Stopped
Stats:
- This was a fun game to watch and one where at times the Rangers looked like the team they are supposed to be and at other times looked slow and turnover prone. They were much better in the second than the first and third was a bit more even, but this was at least more in the ballpark of how the Rangers want to play.
- They had their chances, especially with the PP in OT. The PP had a number of chances throughout the game, but couldn’t convert.
- The two goals they scored tonight came from the bottom-six, which is a great thing when the top-six is also on the scoresheet, but less great when they don’t.
- Artemi Panarin’s line has been generated chances and Alexis Lafreniere was stopped numerous times. The Mika Zibanejad has not been as productive at 5-on-5 as both Zibanejad and Chris Kreider seem a little off from where the Rangers need/want them to be at. Kaapo Kakko has been the most consistent player on that line so far. I’m sure it won’t be too long until Zibanejad, and especially Kreider, get going again.
- Igor Shesterkin’s gaffe with the puck broke the tie that the Rangers worked so hard to get, but he was outstanding tonight. The Rangers did him no favors with all of their turnovers, but he kept the Rangers in the game in the first period and kept it close when Colorado started to tilt the ice again in the third.
- Alex Georgiev was good for Colorado. We saw him play games like this for the Rangers over the past few years, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him do this tonight. He was going to play tonight with a chip on his shoulder because he thinks the Rangers either slighted him or didn’t give him a real chance to follow Henrik Lundqvist. As good as Georgiev had played at times for the Rangers, he wasn’t and isn’t Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers saw enough from Georgiev over time to know what he is and they opted to go with the goalie that won the Vezina last year. And in the end it worked out for everyone. Georgiev went to Colorado and gets to play for a team that can definitely repeat as champs and the Rangers got draft picks that saw them take two players last year and almost certainly use that third round pick this year to upgrade at the deadline.
- That pass from Jimmy Vesey to Adam Fox is why Vesey can be an impactful role player. The Rangers aren’t relying on him for his offense, but he still has those skills and still has those hands to make a play in a way that most other bottom-sixers, and especially fourth-liners if everyone is healthy, can.
- It’s very nitpicky, but I did not love the shot selection for the Rangers in the shootout. Maybe Kaapo Kakko and Mika Zibanejad tried to fool Georgiev by doing something different than what he had seen them do before, but I didn’t think that either was their best move.
- They are right back at it on Wednesday and have their first meeting of the season with the Isles.