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Rangers close out pre-All Game schedule with win, Pride Night |
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The Rangers completed their pre-All Star Game schedule with a 4-1 win over the Golden Knights. Jaroslav Halak won his fifth straight game and his first at MSG this season with a solid performance, stopping 33 shots to notch the victory. Chris Kreider, skating in his 700th game as a Ranger, marked the occasion with his 20th goal of the season while Filip Chytil remained red-hot with his 15th tally of the season and fourth in his last three games. New York is now off until Monday, February 6, when they kick off a three-game homestand by taking on the Flames.
Game recap:
Rangers lines vs. Vegas:
Panarin-Zibanejad-Vesey
Kreider-Trocheck-Goodrow
Lafrenière-Chytil-Kakko
Cuylle-Leschyshyn-Gauthier
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Harpur-Schneider
Halák
Shesterkin
Scratches: Kravtsov, Hajek, Blais (conditioning)
A few thoughts:
1) Kreider-Trocheck-Goodrow rebounded from a rough game against the Maple Leafs to post two goals in the first period and 12 shots throughout the contest. Both goals were a result of hard working plays, which should be the norm for this trio...if they remain together. I am a firm believer that Goodrow fits better on the fourth line. But I am not averse to him skating on the third line, presuming Jimmy Vesey moves from the top line to the fourth line. If Goodrow remains where he is, then New York will not only need a top-six right winger but a fourth line pivot as well.
Trocheck's goal was his first since January 1, a span of 10 games. In that stretch, he notched just two assists and was rightly moved away from Artemi Panarin, Kreider has not looked the same since coming back from his injury with the goal his first point in the four games after returning to action. A week off should certainly do him good. Goodrow, who I know many think is overpaid, has become kind of a jack of all trades, able to be inserted up and down the lineup. He is better suited to the bottom-six while on pace to set a new career-high in points.
2) Chytil's goal was a perfect example of if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. After whiffing on his first two attempts on the forehand, Chytil, while skating backwards, put a backhander towards the net that deflected off Shea Theodore past Adin Hill, A puck luck tally for sure, but given how hot Chytil has been, maybe the issues he had earlier in the season are finally evening out. As I have said before, his contract price is rising daily. Inking him to a long-term deal will be a challenge due to the cap constraints the team is under. We all better hope the cap rises substantially after this season.
3) Halak made several key saves to keep New York in the lead. The one goal he allowed - which came after an uncalled tripping penalty on William Carrier against Alexis Lafrenière - was a bad goal to allow on a sharp angle by Phil Kessel. Besides that, he was extremely sharp, especially when he stoned Keegan Kolesar in front of the net by going post to post and stopping the puck with his glove and body. Halak has become a solid backup to Igor Shesterkin following a 1-6-1 start to his career as a Ranger.
4) In no surprise, and a movie we discussed as probable when he was called up from Hartford to face the Maple Leafs, Will Cuylle was sent back down Saturday. Three reasons why this a smart transaction: 1) including Saturday's game, in which Cuylle played, Hartford plays four times before their February 5-6 All-Star break, allowing him to remain sharp. 2) Cuylle was selected to the AHL All-Star Game, so this might allow him to play even though Zac Jones was named to replace him. Even if eligible, Cuylle might be back by the Rangers by that date, though that largely will depend on what the team does with Sammy Blais, who is on a conditioning stint in Hartford. 3) Last, and extremely important, sending Cuylle down allows the Rangers to accrue additional cap space for as long as he likely remains in the minors
With New York off for the next week, let me know what you would like me to discuss. We can talk a little about the All-Star Game as Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Shesterkin will participate. Obviously, the main key is no one gets injured in the contest, but beyond that let me know what topic you might want me to cover.
Friday was to be Pride Night. I use the word to be because what transpired at MSG was far from what was advertised. In the past, the whole team has sported the Pride-themed warmup jerseys and wrapped their sticks in rainbow tape. Post-game, the team has auctioned off the jerseys to raise money for charity. Advertisements for this year's contest, which quite likely contributed to several purchasing tickets to attend, said "the Rangers will be showing their support by donning pride-themed warm-up jerseys and tape in solidarity with those who continue to advocate for inclusivity,” Rather than that being the case, the team reneged on that promise and wore their Reverse Retro Liberty jerseys both in warmups and in the game.
This year, the Rangers made a contribution to the Ali Forney Center, an agency dedicated to LGBTQ+ homeless youths in the U.S., so at least they honored the charity component. But, by not saying anything pre- or post-game, the Rangers created even more consternation than if they had made a comment. Though a read of the comment they did make does little to mollify or explain their decision. In fact, the statement, which looks similar to what the Flyers said after Ivan Provorov opted to not wear the team's pride jersey and stay in the locker room, stating his religious beliefs, does nothing to answer why the decision not to wear their pride jerseys last night
Rangers statement:
New York likely opted to avoid any sort of similar controversy by obviating the need to have players who might not want to wear the pride jersey by pivoting and doing 180-degree change without any notification. Unfortunately, the manner in which they handled this looks even worse. I am sure there are players for the cause and those who are either indifferent or opposed. The wearing of pride jerseys, which as far as we know in the past has not been an issue, In fact, as noted by Mollie Walker, two players separately told Larry Brooks and Walker that there were no team discussions about sporting the pride-themed jerseys and tape. They did not know why they didn’t wear them.
The Rangers have and will have other "nights." If they truly believe in the purposes for holding these themed events at MSG, then by all means, go forward with the calendar. But if the end goal is solely the publicity and ability to attract those interested in those causes, increasing the bottom line, that speaks of being disingenuous. In addition, if the fear of a player opting out is a driver, then either conversations should have been held before the event or the team should continue with what was advertised and has been held in the past. Irrespective of the end goal, if New York was not planning to hold Pride night in the manner in which was advertised then they owed it to the fanbase to be forthcoming and honest rather than hiding being the guise of just not saying anything and hoped no one noticed.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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