Chytil Starts It, Georgiev Finishes It As Rangers Trounce Islanders At MSG

Nov 21, 2018

Getty Images

Following last week’s 7-5 slugfest in Brooklyn, the Rangers entered tonight’s game against their crosstown rivals having lost eight consecutive games to the Islanders. But, with Alex Georgiev between the pipes and Filip Chytil entering the game with goals in four straight, the Rangers were in a good position to come away with the two points.

Filip Chytil – The 19-year-old rookie is showing the NHL why the Rangers were right to take him in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft. Chytil got his fifth goal of the season in the opening moments of the first period, corralling his own blocked pass and firing the puck into the net.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065397659253514242?s=21

Since being moved to the wing, we have seen Chytil’s offensive game getting better and better every night. If this keeps up, the Rangers may have found the homegrown superstar forward they’ve been missing.

Cody McLeod – My thoughts on Mr. McLeod are well known, but I am not too big of a man to admit when I’m wrong. McLeod played a strong game tonight, scoring the second goal of the game on a redirect of Tony DeAngelo’s point shot. The tally was the first of McLeod’s Rangers career and first since December 2017.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065398533820506112?s=21

The only negative from tonight for McLeod was that he injured his hand in a scrap with Ross Johnston, one McLeod was reluctant to participate in with the Blueshirts leading in the second period. If McLeod is going to be out for the weekend’s games, we could see a call up from Hartford.

Neal Pionk – The Rangers signed Pionk as a college free agent from UMD, and boy, has he made the Rangers front office look like geniuses. Pionk is defensively astute in his own end and has started to blossom offensively this season. The Rangers third goal of the night came on the power play as Pionk stepped into a slap shot to make it 3-0 Blueshirts.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065401362106720258?s=21

Kevin Hayes – Signed to a one-year deal in the off-season, Kevin Hayes is determined to prove to the Rangers he will be worth the long term financial investment. And with the way he’s been playing over the last couple of weeks, you could certainly make a strong argument that Hayes shouldn’t go anywhere at season’s end. Hayes notched his fifth goal of the campaign, finishing off a nice play that started with forcing a turnover by the Isles. If Hayes is going to get the money he seeks from the Rangers, he will have to continue playing at this level for the rest of the year.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065420483657633792?s=21

Chris Kreider – Rangers fans have been waiting for Kreider to put it all together and David Quinn seems to have gotten him to do just that. Kreider has used his size, speed and skill to propel him to the top of the Rangers scoring lead as he notched his 12th goal of the season with an absolute snipe past Robin Lehner. Under the previous regime, we saw Kreider have moments of brilliance but it always seemed like he was missing something. Now, Kreider is turning into the power forward the fans have been waiting to see.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065431792528883712?s=21

Alexandar Georgiev – After last week’s loss, David Quinn decided to give Georgiev a crack at ending the Rangers’ losing streak against the Islanders. Georgiev proved to be equal to the task as he recorded his first NHL shutout with 29 saves.

https://twitter.com/4bnyrgameday/status/1065430885477097473?s=21

With a plethora of goaltending prospects waiting in the wings, Georgiev’s future on Broadway may be a bit up in the air. But as long he is on Jeff Gorton’s roster, he will be a very serviceable backup for Henrik Lundqvist.

Next Game: The Blueshirts will head to the City of Brotherly Love on Friday to face the Flyers. Puck drops at 1!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Mentioned in this article:

More About: