The Rangers (47-20-6) clinched a playoff berth with a dominating 5-1 win over the Senators on Saturday. The victory sent New York to the postseason for the first time since 2017, when they lost in six games to Ottawa in a series they should have won. Yes, this discounts the play-in round from 2020 when they fell to Carolina. With nine games remaining, the Blueshirts are eight points up on the Penguins and tied with ‘Canes, who have a game in hand and face Anaheim today, for first in the division. The two squads ent Tuesday at MSG.
Game recap:
A few thoughts: 1) Lineup: Kaako Kakko (31 games missed) and Rooney (18 games missed) returned to the lineup. Two players in and two players out, as Tyler Motte (upper body) and Filip Chytil (upper body) both sat out due to their injuries Thursday. This is where the depth acquired at the trade deadline by GM Chris Drury comes in extremely handy.
Andrew Copp hit the scoresheet again, scoring top-shelf, short-side on a cross-ice feed from Panarin, and now has four points (two goals, two assists) during a four-game point streak. He has scored 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 10 games since being acquired from the Jets on March 21. Given the chemistry he and Panarin have coupled with the budding relationship building with him and Ryan Strome, presuming they price is reasonable, he looks to someone that needs to be brought back (though that is a topic for another day).
Justin Braun, after sitting Thursday, was back in the lineup opposite Braden Schneider. I have given up trying to predict who will play. Igor Shesterkin was not called up to do much, but was solid again, his second straight strong effort after a mild slump.
Kreider-Zibanejad-Vatrano Panarin-Strome-Copp Lafrenière-Goodrow-Kakko Hunt-Rooney-Reaves
Lindgren-Fox Miller-Trouba Braun-Schneider
Shesterkin
2) Kreider sits one goal shy of the magical 50 mark. Six goals the last nine games gives him the Rangers’ all-time season record. The tallies last night were not his garden variety in front of the crease tip-ins but came on the break, similar to what we use to see in year’s past.
If Kreider is able to mix the power moves with speed coupled with the hand-eye coordination in front of the net, he will be the complete package come playoff time. To date, this has been a magical season. Where that ends remains to be seen, but the arrow certainly is pointing up.
3) Panarin notched a goal and two assists in the win. Elite players step up their game as the season gets closer to the playoffs. Panarin certainly has done so and then some. He has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 10 games since March 22 and 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 35 games since Jan. 15.
Panarin is up to 88 points (21 goals, 67 assists) in 68 games this season. With nine games left, he sits seven points shy of tipping the career-high 95 points he tallied in 69 games in 2019-20, his first in New York. In addition, he is 12 points shy of hitting 100 for the first time in his career. Three years into his stint as a Ranger, Panarin certainly looks like the best free agent signing in the franchise’s history.
4) The Rangers are peaking. With the win, they have won three straight games and are 7-1-1 in their past nine. New York came back to win for an NHL-best 26th time, also setting a franchise record.
Hello postseason. You have been missed. Now it’s time to do some damage and go far.