The Rangers won their second straight game and third in a row over the Penguins 3-0 on Thursday. In a game that was pretty even and fairly contested most of the night, chippiness ensued following a hit by Anthony Augello on Tyler Motte with about 7:23 remaining in the third period that carried through to and past the end of regulation. These two squads look to be on a path to meet in the playoffs, barring unforeseen circumstances, in a matchup that should be a war.
Game recap:
A few thoughts: 1) Igor Sheshterkin - he sure looked back on the beam yesterday. Great play anticipation. Saves made in traffic. Quick side to side movements. Strong rebound control. Plus a little chirp at the Penguins by waving bye-bye to them after the post-game convergence.
lol pic.twitter.com/NiPtsFPKB4
— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) April 8, 2022
In his four games against the Penguins this season, all of which came in a 41-day span, Shesterkin is 3-1 with a 1.01 goals-against average and a .960 save percentage. While he may be in their heads right now, if the two squads meet in the postseason, all the regular season numbers go out the window. While that is true, entering the playoffs cognizant of the dominance you have had against that team certainly is a positive.
Shesterkin looked to be in a better mood post-game as well, after not wanting to discuss his game following Sunday's shootout loss. He was able to retort to Artemi Panarin's chip at him as to inability to score, as seen below. A happy Igor is a boon for the team, but angry Igor certainly was focused yesterday.
"If he learned how to score as well, I think he’d really be there,… said Artemi Panarin, who took a slick pass from Andrew Copp and backhanded it home for the 2-0 lead at 9:47 of the middle frame. “But right now, we’ll keep him at the salary he’s got.…“He promised that if I started scoring, he’d share a little bit of his contract,… Shesterkin quipped in response.
2) Panarin - his goal yesterday, on a brilliant breakout pass by Jacob Trouba, dish by Andrew Copp and backhand top-shelf by Panarin extended his point streak to three, That marker gave Panarin 20 on the season and upped his total to 85 points. Panarin sits jut 15 points shy of 100 with 10 contests remaining.
The goal was nice, but his shiftiness with the puck and awareness of all on the ice set him apart. Copp is now 3-7-10 in his nine Rangers games, and the chemistry between him and Panarin, which started while Ryan Strme was out, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. He is learning how Panarin plays, when to get him the puck and how to find the open space foer return passes.
3) Kaapo Kakko remained out. With Frank Vatrano getting back on the board again yesterday, thanks to a gritty goal and work by Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejd, the trop line is set. Panarin-Strome-Copp is set as a second line. What this means is when Kakko is back, he likely will not slot onto the top-six, at least immediately and maybe not at all. As a result, we may be looking at a third line of Alexis Lafreniere-Filip Chytil-Kakko, reuniting the kid line, which would be the optimal outcome in my opinion.
Unsure if anyone else noted, but Chytil has taken a major step forward recently. Yesterday, we saw the speed and the power he possesses. While we have only seen flashes, as I have said previously, I am not quite ready to give up on Chytil given the skill level and my hope he can eventually put it all together.
In practice Friday, Chyil was out due to an upper-body injury, but Kakko was back. The third line was Laf-Goodrow-Kakko, which may be what we see versus Ottawa on Saturday.
4) Motte, reaching for the puck near the boards, was caught on high hit by Augello, resulting in some form of injury. Upon initial view, it looked like maybe shoulder, but the hit caused whiplash, which likely will result in him needing to pass concussion protocol. word came down Friday am that motte suffered a "significant" upper body injury. My guess is maybe a separated shoulder or labrum issue from the hit, how his arm was extended and how he reacted post-contact.
Tyler Motte's hurting after this hit from Anthony Angello. It's called as a minor for interference. pic.twitter.com/kjTimvsTpW
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 8, 2022
Losing Motte will have a big impact. He fit in seamlessly on the fourth line, providing speed and energy while also playing on the penalty kill. The hope is that it is not season-ending, but we will need to wait for additional information. With Kevin Rooney also returning to practice Friday, the fourth line was Dryden Hunt, who sealed the win with an empty-net goal, Rooney and Ryan Reaves. Greg McKegg-Jonny Brodzinski-Julien Gautheir were the extras.
5) Defense and penalty kill - The 30 shots they allowed on Tuesday marked the most the Rangers have yielded over the past eight contests in which opponents have gotten an average of 23 shots per. The nine games prior to that, the Blueshirts had permitted an average of 33 per — 10 more a game. This evidences an increased focus on defense, which has been evident in the style of play and improved own zone coverage.
Pittsburgh was without Sidney Crosby, who missed the game with an illness, which impacted their attack. My hope is that the Rangers did not poke the bear last night. But Mark Friedman, who was in with John Marino out, clearly stirred the pot with the post-game scuffle and chatter with Kreider, who looked none too pleased.
In the previous four games, the Rangers were perfect on the penalty kill. That stretch continued yesterday. After going 3-for-3 on Thursday night, the Rangers’ PK has killed off the last 12 power plays it has faced. The blip a few weeks ago looks to be just that, a blip. The positioning was top notch last night, limiting time and space. Pitt did have some chances, but they were few and far between.