|
Rangers split first two exhibition games, a few thoughts after the contests |
|
|
|
|
|
The Rangers kicked off their exhibition season with games Monday and Tuesday night. Monday, the Blueshirts defeated the Islanders 4-1. Tuesday, New York fell 3-2 to Boston. The Rangers are next in action Thursday at home versus New Jersey.
Rangers-Islanders game group and recap:
Rangers-Bruins game group and recap::
A few quick thoughts:
- Jimmy Vesey is clearly being given every chance to make this team. The Larry Brooks and Colin Stephenson profiles in Tuesday's newspaper lend credence to that view. Vesey suiting up on back-to-back nights, tallying a pair of helpers Tuesday after scoring the first goal Monday, certainly helped his case. Vesey was miscast as a second-line winger during his original stint with the team. But he reinvented himself as a bottom-six, grit winger who can score a little and play the penalty kill. Those attributes coupled with a low-base salary give him a realistic chance to be the 12th-14th forward.
- Along with Vesey, Gustav Rydahl, Ryan Carpenter, Bobby Trivigno and Vitali Kravtsov, who all played Monday, traveled to Boston and played in back-to-back games. Rydahl left the game in the second but returned. Of that list, no one massively stood out, though Trivigno certainly has no problem playing a physical game so you know he is on the ice. Kravtsov has not yet excelled and given his style of play, may benefit from playing with linemates who have a similar style rather than ones where he might need to be the one getting the puck or doing the dirty work.
- K'Andre Miller is setting himself for a massive second contract. If he has a similar level of growth this season to what he had between years 1 and 2, Miller will have solidified his status as a top-pair blueliner with all the trappings therein. Miller has better recognition as to when to pinch and when to lay back, plus his speed and skating ability allow him to recover from any mistakes. Add in excellent hand-eye coordination on stick checks and increased physical play and you have close to what should be a full package on the blueline.
- Alexis Lafrenière scored Tuesday but that wasn't close to the full or important story. Laf left the game with 5:50 remaining in the third period after getting hit by teammate Hunter Skinner’s shot and looked to be saying, "my foot, my foot" after the play. Fortunately, the team reported after the game that Laf was fine. But until we see him on the ice in practice with no ill effects, I will slightly reserve judgment.
- As you all noted in the prior blog comments, Adam Sykora, the team’s second round pick at this summer’s draft, was loaned back to his team in the Slovakia league, HK Nitra. This is not a surprise, as was the probable occurrence the entire time.
- Brennan Othmann is certainly making a case to stay. Since Othmann has to be returned to juniors as the AHL is not an option, I could see the team keeping him for nine games and then making a decision. Othmann has a lot of bodies in front of him, but he has not looked out of place to date, Will Cuylle to me is more likely to start the year at Hartford and possibly be a call up during the season.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»