Four games were on the docket this week for the Broadway Blueshirts. They had some games where they played well but they were also dominated by one of the best teams in the West. Let’s break down another week of New York Rangers hockey!

New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks – 12/7/21

The Rangers came into this game right on the heels of beating the Hawks 3-2. This time instead of MSG, the battle between these two squads made their way to the United Center. The Rangers scored just over a minute in when Jacob Trouba would send home a beautiful feed from Artemiy Paranin. Panarin would collect his 500th NHL point on the play. The Blackhawks would show signs of life and score twice before the period ended, taking a 2-1 lead into the locker room.

Making our way to the second period, Panarin would rifle home a power-play goal just around three minutes in to tie the game at two. Minutes later, Jacob Trouba would plant a massive hit on Jujhar Khaira of the Hawks and play would stop due to injury. Trouba’s hit, although clean, was hard to watch and thankfully Khaira will make a full recovery. The game would head to the third period tied at two goals a piece.

The third period was all Rangers with them scoring four straight goals from Chris Kreider, Kevin Rooney, Panarin again and finally Barclay Goodrow. This win was as close to domination as you can get and the Rangers swept their home and home series with the Hawks winning by a combined score of 9-4. Next up, the Avalanche come to MSG.

New York Rangers vs. Colorado Avalanche – 12/8/21

Oh boy this game was one to forget for New York Rangers fans. With the exception of one play at the end of the first period, this is a game where you burn the footage and tell your team to forget about it if you’re the coach. The Rangers looked tired, fatigued and you could tell after getting in the previous night at 2:30 am from Chicago and from playing so many games recently that this game was a set up for failure. That prediction came true.

The Rangers would lose 7-3 to the Avalanche. The second period was brutal as the Avs scored five goals, including two in 22 seconds from Logan O’Connor. The lone bright spot I mentioned before was Rangers rookie defenseman Nils Lundkvist scoring his first NHL goal with a beautiful snipe on the power-play at the end of the first period. Adam Huska, a rookie goalie playing in his first NHL game got shelled and it almost felt unfair to make this kid start his first game against a powerhouse like the Avs. Real trial by fire stuff. Unfortunately for the Rangers, everything that went wrong did and this is one no fan wants to remember.

New York Rangers vs. Buffalo Sabres – 12/10/21

Ah this one felt nice, even though they made us sweat for it. The Rangers made their way up to the KeyBank center in Buffalo on a chilly Friday night and left Buffalo with a 2-1 win.
Mika Zibanejad would score his fifth goal of the season in the first period. Panarin would rip a cross ice pass that would get deflected off a player on the Sabres and right to Zibanejad. Zibanejad then collected the puck on a silver platter and slammed it past the Sabres netminder for a 1-0 Rangers lead. The teams would enter the locker room with the Rangers holding the lead.

To the second period we go and the lone highlight was thankfully a Rangers goal. 2020 first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere seems to have found a spot that he enjoys scoring from quite a bit. Adam Fox would place a nice hard shot right on net at the goalie’s pads. The shot then rebounded right off the goalie’s pads and straight to Lafreniere by the left circle. Lafreniere would rip the puck from there and score to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. It was his sixth of the year.

The third was eventful with the Sabres showing some life and ultimately having the tying goal get called back for being way offside. Rasmus Dahlin cost his team a goal from skating back to the blueline slowly. The Rangers would hold on for a 2-1 lead.

New York Rangers vs. Nashville Predators – 12/12/21

Well talk about a dud of a game. The Rangers were pretty awful to start this game but got much better as the game went on. Many of their top guys had their chances but the real story of this game was Nashville goalie Jusse Saros. Saros stole the show and the game with his many jaw dropping saves throughout the game. When the Rangers turned up the heat in the second and third periods, Saros was the sole reason the Preds were still in the game. Saros would finish with 32 saves and the shutout.

Some nights you just get goalied.

NYR record: 18-6-3

The New York Rangers just don’t seem to know what losing is anymore and it’s been such a fun ride to watch. Artemiy Panarin is back to his superstar ways and is looking more dominant on the ice now than he has all season. Kaapo Kakko is in the midst of his breakout and every game he is looking more and more like the kid picked second overall a few years ago. Chris Kreider is looking better than he has his entire career and the line of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Julien Gauthier have found some nice chemistry. Let’s jump into an undefeated week of New York Rangers hockey.

12/1/21 – New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

It’s always fun destroying a team who is not only a rival, but has a former head coach at the helm. The Flyers are in the middle of a drastic tailspin and they look absolutely lost. The Rangers were not going to let his game be a trap game for them and they took it to the Flyers the entire game.

Early in the first, Nils Lundkvist would send the puck to Jacob Trouba, who played a quick give-and-go with Kaapo Kakko. Trouba would then score on a one-time rocket to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead on the power-play. A great start for the Rangers. Just minutes later Dryden Hunt, who has looked at home playing right next to Panarin and Ryan Strome, would pot his third goal of the season. Panarin would send a perfect cross-ice pass in the neutral zone to a speeding Hunt. Hunt then fought off Ivan Provorov and lasered the puck past the Flyers goalie for a 2-0 Rangers lead. The Flyers were again looking hapless and the Rangers weren’t taking any pity.

Just 34 seconds into the second period, the Rangers would score again. Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko and Chris Kreider would link up for a perfect tic-tac-toe play that ended in Kreider’s 16th goal of the season. When things are going right, they’re going right and the Rangers were looking like a well oiled machine.

The Rangers would get a five-minute major and Dryden Hunt would be assessed a game misconduct in one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen an officiating crew make. The Rangers would kill the penalty but soon after Morgan Frost would get the Flyers on the board. Thankfully, that’s all the hapless Flyers were able to muster and the Rangers would go on to win 4-1 after they added an empty net goal from Artemiy Panarin.

12/3/21 – New York Rangers vs. San Jose Sharks

A 1-0 win against an opponent who many people would’ve again taken lightly. Not this club. The New York Rangers would only score once this game off a clap bomb from Ryan Strome early in the first period on the power-play. The real story of this game though is Igor Shesterkin.

Shesterkin has been dynamite all year for the Rangers and is considered one of the early frontrunners for the Vezina trophy so it’s safe to say any long term injury to him would seriously hamper the Rangers. In the third period, Shesterkin was taken off the ice after an apparently injury and placed on IR after the game. Coach Gerard Gallant said he should be ok in a week but for now, its Alexandar Georgiev’s crease. He did well in relief, stopping all nine shots he faced. A tight win was replaced by some nerves from Rangers fans.

12/4/21 – New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks

The Alexandar Georgiev redemption tour begins. The Blackhawks visited the Garden after playing better on the ice recently but after a season full of disgusting organizational behavior, it was good to see the Rangers beat this team and stop noted liar and bad person Jonathan Toews from scoring his first goal of the season.

Both Blackhawks goals this game were for a lack of a better word, jank. The Blackhawks would score late in the first when Brandon Hagel would illegally use a high stick to pass the puck to Patrick Kane who scored. The goal should have been waived off and the Rangers even challenged it but the refs allowed it to stand.

The second period was all Rangers. Ryan Strome would finish off a perfect cross-ice feed from Artemi Panarin and score into a wide open cage on the power-play. 1-1. Then later in the period, who else but Adam Fox, would score to put the Rangers up 2-1. Fox would grab a Panarin rebound in front of the net and tap it past the goaltender. 2-1 Rangers. The third period was all Rangers and eventually they broke through yet again as Panarin would score his seventh of the season. Strome backhanded a pass to a wide open Panarin who snapped the puck past Kevin Lankinen for a 3-1 lead.

The Rangers were up 3-1 late but the refs would rear their heads yet again and make sure the Blackhawks kept it close. After a shot from Alex DeBrincat that Georgeiv stopped before the line, Kirby Dach would hit Georgiev on the back in the crease and the puck would cross the goal line. For some reason the refs thought this was a good goal and the lead was cut to 3-2. The Rangers would win despite horrid officiating and get their sixth straight.

The Rangers are now 16-4-3 and second overall in the NHL in points percentage standings. They’re second in the Metropolitan Division and fourth overall in the NHL in points. Let’s Go Rangers!

The New York Rangers continued their winning ways this week with two wins in both games played. The players are starting to gel extremely well within Gerard Gallant’s system of hockey and the offense seems to be getting better game by game. The Rangers scored at least four goals in both games this week and extended their win total on the season to 13. Let’s jump into what was a short, but exciting week of New York Rangers hockey.

New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders – 11/24/21

Yes, the Islanders were an absolutely depleted team this week but that doesn’t make the victory over them at IBS… excuse me I mean UBS arena any less exciting. The Rangers/Islanders rivalry is as fierce as any in the sport of hockey and these games are always can’t miss no matter the roster makeup. After a scoreless first period, the Rangers would strike first in the second. Who scored the game’s opening goal? You guessed it: none other than Christopher James Kreider.

Kreider would perfectly redirect a Ryan Strome feed past the Isles’ goaltender for a 1-0 lead. It would be Kreider’s 14th goal of the season and shockingly it was scored on the power-play. Kreider has reached a level we have never seen before this year with 14 goals (and maybe another to come…) scored before American Thanksgiving. If the Rangers do make the playoffs this season, he will be a big reason why. Kevin Rooney was next to make his impact felt and he would score roughly 14 and a half minutes into the second period. The fourth line came through huge when Barclay Goodrow sent a beautiful feed to Rooney, who then tapped the puck across the goal line. 2-0 Rangers heading into the third period.

Andy Andreoff would score for the Islanders just 3:52 into the third but the Rangers had no intentions of letting them back into the game. Just seconds later at 4:12 of the third period, Kevin Rooney would score his second of the game after receiving a gorgeous feed from Ryan Reaves. The fourth line made their presence felt again as the Rangers took a 3-1 lead. At 11:02 of the third, Chris Kreider would put the final nail in the coffin. Mika Zibanejad and Kreider linked up for a beautiful give and go play that ended in Kreider’s 15th goal of the year. That’s 15 before American Thanksgiving now. Rangers win 4-1 and win the first battle of New York at UBS Arena.

New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins – 11/26/21

This was a statement game for the New York Rangers. The Boston Bruins are a very good team and despite some ridiculous heroics throughout the game from goalie Jeremy Swayman, the Rangers found their offensive groove once again and would go on to defeat the Bruins by the score of 5-2. Let’s see how we got there

Roughly 15 minutes into the game the Bruins would lead 1-0 after a goal from Craig Smith. Some shoddy defensive play led to the opening tally but the Rangers would not go to the locker room quietly. At 19:54 of the first period, Ryan Strome would score a huge goal for the team. Artemiy Panarin would send a perfect pass to Strome who one-timed the puck home from the slot. 1-1 heading to the second period.

At 6:51 of the second period, Patrice Bergeron would score to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead but from there it was all Rangers. Dryden Hunt would slam home a Ryan Lindgren rebound at 12:33 of the second to tie the game at two. Hunt looked great on a line with Panarin and Strome this game. He gives them a player with an endless motor akin to Jesper Fast of past seasons. The third period would feature three more goals from the Rangers. Julien Gauthier would send a laser of a pass to Panarin who would bang home the puck for a 3-2 lead. It was a gorgeous goal scored on the rush. Gauthier would make his presence felt again later in the period as he would send a feed to Alexis Lafreniere on a 2-on-1 play. Lafreniere would snipe the puck past Swayman for a 4-2 Rangers lead. They were rolling. Jacob Trouba would cap the win with an empty netter late in the period.

13-4-3. The Rangers are on fire.