If there was ever any doubt that Chris Kreider isn't captain material for the New York Rangers, he is certainly proving his leadership now when they need it most. The Rangers come out on top in this battle of the Hudson 6-1 thanks to Kreider's second natural hat trick within five games. Despite Jack Hughes scoring early in the first to start this game off, it was all Rangers after the first period. Unfortunately, things didn't exactly go according to plan and this wasn't a perfect outcome for this heating up New York team.
After an overall flat first period for the team, Mika Zibanejad did not see the ice for the first half of the second period. In what began as a question of him missing a shift turned into him very visibly being benched. You really can't blame the coaching staff for this, they have done everything they can to get Mika going and at the end of the day, it still hasn't worked. While I wouldn't say the benching was warranted, it certainly created a spark and sent a message to this team. Kreider would score twice to give his team the lead and the overall play of the Rangers seemed to change. Puck possession increased, more quality chances were being generated and once Mika got back on the ice, he seemed to play a bit more aggressively, with a little chip on his shoulder.
This energy would carry into the third as Kreider would complete his hat trick off a quick shot just 23 seconds in. Minutes later, Pavel Buchnevich would snap a shot home off a perfect feed from Alexis Lafreniere to make it 4-1. This would result in Lindy Ruff pulling goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood for backup Aaron Dell. The Rangers however, would run into their own goaltender issue. Igor Sheshterkin makes a beautiful save on a grade A scoring chance for Devils defenseman Damon Severson that results in Igor having to be carried off the ice. In what certainly appears to be an ACL issue, the Rangers have not provided any update other than it is a lower body injury that will further be evaluated today. It certainly did not look great as medical trainer Jim Ramsey as well as Pavel Buchnevich had to assist Igor off the ice, who seemed to be unable to put any weight on his leg. Sheshterkin has been outstanding in his last two outings, this will come as a major blow to the Rangers who should however be in good hands with Alexander Georgiev.
Updates on Igor will follow but until then we all wish him the best and hope it is not as serious an injury as it looked. Luckily, the Blueshirts would not let this hinder their momentum as shortly after the injury, Brendan Smith would put one past Aaron Dell. As icing on the cake, Alexis Lafreniere would launch a rocket of a wrist shot to the back of the net, top shelf past Dell to register his first multi point game of his career. This game was a bit of a roller coaster between Mika getting benched and Igor leaving with an injury but nevertheless, the Rangers got the statement win they needed.
The two rivals are back at it in Jersey Saturday afternoon. The Rangers now have five wins in their last seven and need to continue with the success they have been establishing as of late. There is a chance of Kaapo Kakko returning to action this weekend, updates will follow on that. As far as lines go, it might be time for David Quinn to strongly consider switching Mika Zibanejad with Filip Chytil. Perhaps give Zibanejad Saturday afternoon to change his mind but if much of the same continues and the more comfortable Chytil gets following his injury, it may make sense to make this swap. Gauthier would really thrive on the wing of Zibanejad and being put in a less pressuring role might help Mika find the net again. To Mika's credit, Kreider has claimed his lines success on the efforts of Zibanejad despite his lack of production, however Chytil certainly has chemistry with Kreider as well. We will know more tomorrow but nevertheless it is definitely a tough call for David Quinn and his coaching staff.
Chris Feldman
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