The Rangers rebounded from a poor defensive effort against the Hockey Club (how odd is it still to say that) to have a better game against the Red Wings last night. Igor Shesterkin was big when needed, especially in the second period, to help New York win 4-1. The power play contributed while the penalty kill was perfect on the evening. Alexis Lafreniere tallied his second of the season while Artemi Panarin contributed three assists. The Blueshirts complete their home-and-home with the Winged Wheel on Thursday in Hockeytown.
A few thoughts:
1) Shesterkin deserved the shutout last night. A failed coverage in front while the Artemi Panarin-Vincent Trocheck-Alexis Lafreniere was on the ice allowed Dylan Larkin to be open in the slot and score with 1,1 seconds left on the first. Besides that one blip, Igor was up to the task repeatedly after a so-so game Saturday night. Shesterkin's play was so brilliant, Detrroit's coach Derek Lalonde had the line of the night after the game (though he likely will be fined for tampering)
Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde on Igor Shesterkin:
"He's special. I can see why he turned down the 88 (million dollars). Good agent."
2) Defense - work still needs to be done. If Shesterkin had not been brilliant in the middle frame, the score might have been different. New York bookended solid play in the first and third frames with a subpar one in the second. But it did not come back to hurt them.
Vincent Mercogliano covered the defensive lapses in the middle stanza compared to the third.
The Rangers allowed 14 shots on goal and 11 high-danger scoring chances in the middle 20 minutes, and Shesterkin didn't budge on any of them. That included a Detroit power play that featured six shots on goal in a span of 1:19, three of which came in close from JT Compher, and a seventh windmill stop on Alex Debrincat that didn't count because of a high stick moments earlier.
New York also tightened up its defense in the final period, allowing a manageable nine shots on zero high-danger chances to stymie any chances of a Detroit comeback.
3) Mika Zibanejad tallied his first of the year, an empty-netter, while adding a pair of assists. The first came on the PP on a beautiful cross-ice dish to Chris Kreider; the second was a face-off win where Reilly Smith picked the puck up and sniped it past Alex Lyon.
On the scoresheet, Zib had a better game. On ice, as per Mercogliano, the metrics told another story, meaning work remains to be done. Mika's line was out-attempted, 10-4, while registering only two shots on goal at five-on-five and a lowly 8.54% xGF share, according to Natural Stat Trick. But Zib gets to go into the two-day break feeling a little better about his game after a nightmarish performance vs. Utah.
As a reminder, I am out of pocket beginning tomorrow night until Saturday night.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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