First Period:
- Sam Carrick (4) Assists: Taylor Raddysh (6), Will Borgen (4)
Second Period:
- Alexis Lafreniere (13) Assists: Will Cuylle (15), Vincent Trocheck (25)
- Matvei Michkov (14) (Power Play) Assists: Noah Cates (17), Owen Tippett (17)
Third Period:
- Trevor Zegras (21) Assists: Travis Konecny (33), Travis Sanheim (20)
Overtime:
- Matvei Michkov (15) Unassisted
Stats:
Adam Rotter:
- This is a bad loss. In the long run the loss, even in OT, is probably more meaningful for the Rangers and draft positioning but this is a game the Rangers should have won. They had a great start, a 2-0 lead, Igor Shesterkin returned and looked really good and the Flyers, especially on the second half of a back to back, are just not very good. But the Flyers chipped away, the Rangers took a bunch of penalties and then couldn’t convert on the PP in OT.
- It was really nice to see Shesterkin return after it looked like his season was over when he got hurt, but the result was the same. He can play as well as he can but there is still a shoddy defense in front of him and a forward group that just doesn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone. The Rangers will win more games with Shestekrin than they did with Jonathan Quick and Spencer Martin starting, but it may not be all that much more unless a whole bunch of other players finish the season strong.
- One of those players who will hopefully finish the season strong is Alexis Lafreniere. He scored and there is just a major opportunity in front of him. No one is blocking him anymore. He’s going to get top PP minutes again and he just needs a big finish to the season.
- I understand that Conor Sheary is healthy and had a mostly regular spot in the lineup when he got hurt, but he shouldn’t be playing now. It bothers me less since Brennan Othmann and Brendan Brisson played, but when Adam Edstrom is able to return, with Matt Rempe out, Sheary has to come out. These last two months of the season have to be focused on young players and seeing who is worth moving forward with. Conor Sheary is not that.
- The trade deadline is a week from tomorrow at 3PM and the Rangers play on Saturday, Monday and Thursday. It’s hard to imagine that Vincent Trocheck is in the lineup past Saturday unless tonight was his last game as a Ranger and he is now going to be held out for trade reasons. He showed during the Olympics that he can be trusted to play important minutes and in important situations and with many teams looking for that exact kind of playoff-type player, the Rangers should be able to net multiple assets for him. Beyond Trocheck, we’ll see.
- They see the Penguins on Saturday.