The Rangers split their weekend games in the Sunshine State, Friday, after a slow start, New York rallied twice to tie the score but fell 4-3 to the Panthers on a little bit on an unlucky goal following a blocked shot. Saturday, the stars abound, as Artemi Panarin netted a hat trick, Vincent Trocheck notched a goal and three assists on the first four tallies scored by New York and Igor Shesterkin was a monster on his 28th birthday in a 5-1 win over the Lightning. The Blueshirts are off until Tuesday when they face Carolina at MSG.
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Gustafsson – Schneider
Shesterkin
Quick
Healthy scratches: Edstrom, Jones
LTIR: Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko
1) Goaltending: the box score shows that Jonathan Quick allowed four goals on 32 shots Friday in the loss. That unfortunately does not even remotely tell the full story. Without Quick's first period performance, the score could have easily been 4-0 Florida, as he was on his game right from the puck drop. Evidence of just how ridiculously good Quick was in net can be seen on the "scorpion" save he made.
Not to be outdone, Shesterkin made 34 saves in the win Saturday. His play late in the second period when Tampa put an inordinate amount of pressure in the Rangers' defensive end was key to the win. Igor has won five straight contests, allowing just eight goals on 147 shots against. Igor is making the tough save look easy as he is completely on his game after struggling in late-November into early-December. As I said before, goaltending coach Benoit Allaire belongs in the Hall of Fame for the work he has done in New York.
2) Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere - all that line did this weekend was score five goals and dish out six assists. Laf scored a goal Friday and had a pair of helpers Saturday. Trocheck set the tone with a dirty goal Saturday and seemingly was elsewhere. Bread is just delivering nightly, as he notched his fourth hat trick with the Rangers - and sixth overall - in the win.
Everytime I think Bread can't do any more than he has been doing, he takes his game to another level. But it's not just the offense but his 200-foot game. He has met the challenge laid down following his rough playoffs but revamping his game to be more gritty as well as attentive in the neutral and defensive zone. He is playing with the joy we saw his first year as a Ranger while also shooting way more than he has in the past, 145 shots already after notching 204 last season. Panarin 's having a Hart-quality season with 23 goals (tied for third in the NHL) and 50 points (third in NHL).
Artemi Panarin records his 100th point in the calendar year 2023. He joins Mark Messier (1995 & 1992) as the only players in Rangers history to record 100 points in multiple calendar years. #NYR
3) Rangers: the stats below show just how magical the season has been to date. Granted, it's 35 games into the season and 47 contests remain, but the first three months have exceeded all of our expectations. The squad looks to be the true definition of a team, as they are receiving contributions up and down the lineup. New York will add at the deadline, as depth, especially down the middle, will be critical and we have no idea if either Filip Chytil or Kaapo Kakko will be back at all. But they also will need to be cognizant of not upsetting the chemistry that exists.
The record on the tail end of back-to-backs and after losses show the resiliency we know is there. Credit goes to the coaching staff and the players for that mark. It's another reason why many of us believe this year could be special, though I am not putting the cart before the horse.
The Rangers become the first team in the NHL to reach the 50-point mark (51 PTS), for the first time since 1993-94. #NYR finishes the 2023 calendar year with a 53-19-8 regular season record for 114 points. pic.twitter.com/vbI7yZeD93
4) For all the positives on this team, the injury to Chytil is a major downer. Kakko will be back at some point and the injury is not career-threatening. For Chytil, that may not be the case and concerns over his future quality of life are more than valid.
When Larry Brooks posted his column Friday, my first thought was Michael Sauer. Brooks' SlapShots column Sunday, seen below, brings up Sauer, which is a painful memory for many of us who vividly remember the hit by Dion Phaneuf's NFL-like shoulder pads.
Friday's column, with the bolded words the key to me, laid out the next steps for Chytil, which include returning home for the next step in his recovery. It's hard not to read the column and not think that Chytil might not return at all this year and maybe not at all. Others, Sidney Crosby comes to mind, have come back from repeated concussions, but it's not necessarily commonplace. Factor in the cumulative impact of concussions and how Chytil has reacted and been sidelined from them and not easy to take anything positive from the situation.
First and foremost is concern for Chytil as a person and his ability to have quality of life. Hockey and his return to the Rangers a distant second. Prayers that this reset helps him in his recovery.
Filip Chytil is returning to his home in Czechia for an indeterminate period in the next step of his recovery from the suspected concussion he sustained on Nov. 2, The Post has learned.
Industry sources have framed the decision reached in conjunction by the 24-year-old center and the Rangers organization as a “reset,” in which Chytil will continue skating on his own under the supervision of the trainer and skills coach with whom he works in the offseason.
Sources have told the Post that Chytil — who is believed to have sustained four concussions throughout his six-year NHL career in which he has been sidelined for injury 10 different times — has made progress while skating on his own at the club’s practice rink over the last four weeks and is committed to returning this year.
The decision, reached mutually by Chytil’s camp and team hierarchy, will allow No. 72 to experience the next phase of his recovery at home in a familiar environment where he will be surrounded by friends and family.
If Chytil is unable to return during the regular-season, the Rangers, who fell 4-3 to the Panthers on Friday night, would gain approximately $3.8 Million of additional space off the center’s $4.437.500M cap hit to bulk up the roster. Using that money would not preclude Chytil returning for the playoffs.
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