First Period:
- Mika Zibanejad (6) (Power Play) Assists: Artemi Panarin (20), Adam Fox (23)
Second Period:
Third Period:
- Reilly Smith (6) Assists: Adam Fox (24), Sam Carrick (5)
- Owen Power (4) Assists: Peyton Krebs (7), Bowen Byram (12)
- Adam Fox (1) (Empty Net) Assists: Vincent Trocheck (10)
- Tage Thompson (16) Assists: Owen Power (15), JJ Peterka (10)
Stats:
Adam Rotter:
- A win. But an ugly win and another brutal third period where the Rangers were holding on for dear life, scored to go up two, held on again after Buffalo scored, they got an empty netter to again go up two again but then had to hold on again in the final 40 seconds after the Sabres scored again.
- The Rangers were pretty good in the first two periods, at least compared to a Buffalo team that….is not good. But the Sabres controlled the whole third period and the Rangers seemed to let them. There were still too many soft plays trying to exit the zone, too many low percentage passes and too much playing on their heels.
- Luckily Igor Shesterkin was on his game tonight as the last line of defense. He was terrific in always keeping the Rangers at least one goal ahead.
- Mika Zibanejad desperately needed that first goal. A lot will get better with the Rangers if Zibanejad is shooting, hitting the net and scoring. He needs to be much better defensively than he has been this season, but I’d imagine that scoring more would lift his whole game.
- The PP/Zibanejad scored the Rangers first goal but the PP seemed to get progressively worse as the game went on. This was the kind of game over the last few years that the Rangers won because the PP scored two or three times. They had the chances but couldn’t do it.
- K’Andre Miller didn’t play in the third because of an upper-body injury. Miller has not been good this season but the Rangers don’t have a ton of defensive depth if he ends up missing time.
- It’s a win and it’s good that they did win and hold on because had they blown this game, after that third period, to a team that had lost seven straight then I don’t know what would have happened tomorrow. But they can avoid all of that for now and hope that the increase in the level of competition that is coming will raise their game as well.
- LA at MSG on Saturday and then a trip to see the Blues on Sunday.