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NYR 4 WPG 1, Kreider with two, Zib with goal/assist, Igor stops 45, 11F/7D |
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The Rangers opened their four-game road trip with a 4-1 win over the Jets. Winnipeg outshot New York 46-22, and even though many of those shots - as you will see below - came from the slot area, watching the game, it did not seem like many were high-danger chances. Igor Shesterkin was brilliant again, stopping 45 shots, while Chris Kreider is now up to 38 goals after tallying a pair and Mika Zibanejad notched a goal and an assist in the victory. Off to Minnesota on Tuesday, followed by St. Louis on Thursday and then Dallas on Saturday.
Game recap:
A few thoughts:
1) Lineup: just before game-time the news came down that the Rangers were going with a lineup of 11F/7D, scratching Morgan Barron and Julien Gauthier while dressing Libor Hajek.
Kreider-Zibanejad-Lafreniere
Panarin-Strome-Hunt
Goodrow-Chytil-Brodzinski
Hajek-Gettinger-Reaves
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Nemeth-Schneider
Shesterkin
From those in the lineup, Hajek played just under eight minutes. Gettinger saw 6:27 of action. Reaves played 9:47. Part of that was due to New York being short handed six times. But, as seen from the ice time of those three, this means that the "top-nine" saw the lion's share of the action Sunday.
The hope was that we would get a reasonable answer as to why this move was made. If you think the response below from coach Gerard Gallant provides any clarity, I am not sure if we are reading the same information. Yes, there are three more road games and Greg McKegg won't play in any of them, but has Barron seen so many minutes that he needs to be scratched or if there is something they saw in his play that landed him in the press box? The same has to be asked regarding Gauthier, as nothing looked to be apparent the other night warranting a scratch.
2) Shesterkin: beast mode. Forty-four saves. The difference again in this one was every time the Rangers needed a big save, Shesterkin made it. When Winnipeg required one, Connor Hellebuyck was not up to the task.
No major drama in this one. Win number 28 for the likely Vezina Trophy winner. In the victory, he somehow improved on the 1.96 goals-against average and .940 save percentage he brought into the contest.
Defensively, 5x5, I didn't think the Rangers were that bad. The grid below belies that fact, since when looking at it you would think New York beld lots of high danger chances. Many of the prime shots surrendered came during Winnipeg's six power plays. Even then, watching the game, you didn't get the sense that the Jets were carrying play. But it is an area that needs to be cleaned up.
3) Kreider - the beat rolls on. Both goals were classic Kreider, each one displaying a different skill. On the first, inside position gained on the man advantage, benefitting from a pass break up by being in the right place at the right time with the defender having no chance. The second, pure speed, the threat of which had Nate Schmidt playing him to the outside, allowing CK20 to gain the inside and beat the d-man to the puck. Then, as Steve Valiquette called it, a "hope check" by Helly, in which all hope was dashed, as Kreider easily went around him to score his 38th of the season on a play started by a brilliant Zib pass. Twenty-six games to go, 12 markers needed for the magic #50 by Kreider.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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