New York Rangers week ahead includes three home games, two vs. division rivals
After playing eight games, six of them on the road, in 14 days, the New York Rangers will spend the week playing three games at home, two against teams from their own division.
The Rangers’ 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, which ended a five-game losing streak, was the first of five consecutive games at Madison Square Garden, including all three this week. Even better is that after their game against the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Rangers get three days off — something they haven’t had since Nov. 4-6.
No doubt coach Peter Laviolette and his staff will use some of the time off to work on defensive-zone coverage. The Rangers struggled in their own zone throughout their losing streak, and their streak-ending win came largely on the strength of three power-play goals, including Kaapo Kakko’s game-winner with 24 seconds remaining in regulation. New York was outscored 3-1 at 5-on-5, and Montreal had 15 of the 21 high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The Canadiens trailed 3-1 after two periods but forced the Rangers into numerous turnovers and errors in the third, with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki scoring to tie the game 3-3 before Kakko’s goal, so there’s work to be done.
Defensive-zone struggles were paramount in the three losses last week that preceded the win against Canadiens. They were outscored 3-0 in the third period of a 5-2 home loss to the St. Louis Blues on Monday and couldn’t hold off the Carolina Hurricanes’ third-period surge in a 4-3 loss two nights later. Friday’s 3-1 loss at Philadelphia saw the Flyers score two early goals 70 seconds apart, bombard Igor Shesterkin with the first 10 shots of the game and give the puck away 18 times.
At 13-9-1, the Rangers enter the week holding the first wild card position in the Eastern Conference — they’re even in points with the Flyers, but Philadelphia has played two more games. However, they’re six points behind the third-place Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division, where the top three teams – the ‘Canes, Devils and first-place Washington Capitals — are separated by two points.
Who’s hot
Will Cuylle has been the Rangers’ best player recently. His behind-the-back pass set up Kakko’s winning goal Saturday and extended his points streak to four games. He’s second on the team with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) despite averaging just 14:40 of ice time through 23 games. Cuylle also leads the Rangers in hits and is tied for fifth in the NHL with 94.
Rookie forward Brett Berard has added a shot of energy since being called up from AHL Hartford. He had an assist in his NHL debut on Monday, scored his first goal two nights later and hasn’t looked out of place. He got the chance to play when Chris Kreider missed three games with back spasms; when Kreider returned Saturday, Laviolette kept him in the lineup.
Who’s not
Reilly Smith was the healthy scratch when Berard dressed against the Canadiens. Smith hasn’t scored a goal in nine games, a stretch that has seen him contribute just three assists. His average ice time for the season is down to 15:28, and he’s played less than 15 minutes in each of his two previous appearances before being scratched Saturday.
Alexis Lafreniere had an assist on Artemi Panarin’s first-period power-play goal against Montreal, but he’s gone five games without a goal and is minus-6 in that span, dropping him to minus-10 for the season.
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Rangers lookahead this week includes …
The middle three games of their five-game homestand, with two of the three against division rivals.
New Jersey Devils at Rangers (Dec. 2, 7 p.m. ET; MSG/NHL Network)
The cross-Hudson rivals meet for the first time this season, with the Devils coming to town after a 6-5 loss at Washington on Saturday. Offense is not a problem for New Jersey; the Devils are second in the NHL with 94 goals. Jesper Bratt (31), Jack Hughes (30) and Nico Hischier (27, including 15 goals) are 1-2-3 in points, and New Jersey has gotten a boost from Stefan Noesen’s 13 goals, six of which have come on the power play.
The offseason addition of goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames has made a big difference after last season’s chaos in the crease. Markstrom is 11-6-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Markstrom has excelled against the Rangers in his career; he’s 9-4-2 with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
Artemi Panarin, the Rangers’ top scorer, has thrived against the Devils. He has 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) and is plus-18 against New Jersey.
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Pittsburgh Penguins at Rangers (Dec. 6, 7 p.m. ET; Hulu/ESPN+)
The Penguins make their first trip of the season to the Garden looking to avenge a season-opening 6-0 wipeout by the Rangers, a night that saw them dominated in every phase of the game in front of their home fans.
Pittsburgh’s problem has been keeping the puck out of the net. They’re the first team to allow 100 goals this season despite tightening up some last week, when they swept three games and allowed a combined total of three goals in back-to-back wins against the Boston Bruins on Friday and Calgary Flames on Saturday. Protecting leads has been an issue; the Penguins have lost a league-leading five times when leading by multiple goals.
Sidney Crosby has 108 points (40 goals, 68 assists) in 86 career games against the Rangers, his third-highest total against any team. The Rangers have had more success against Evgeni Malkin, who has 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 70 games. Igor Shesterkin is 8-5-2 after his shutout of the Penguins on opening night, which lowered his career GAA against Pittsburgh to 1.94 and improved his save percentage to .930.
Seattle Kraken at Rangers (Dec. 8, 1 p.m. ET; MSG/NHL Network)
The Rangers have never lost in regulation to the NHL’s newest franchise. They are 6-0-1, including a 2-0 victory at Seattle on Nov. 17 that saw Jonathan Quick earn his 62nd NHL shutout. New York has won all three games against Seattle against Madison Square Garden.
The Kraken, who entered the week having allowed 17 goals while losing their past three games, have scored a total of 12 goals in their seven games against the Rangers. Shesterkin has faced Seattle five times, going 4-0-1 with a 2.18 GAA and .934 save percentage.
New York could get its first-ever look at Joey Daccord, who has taken over the No. 1 goaltending job in Seattle. He’s never faced the Rangers.
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