3 Rangers takeaways from 2-1 win over Anaheim Ducks
The New York Rangers picked up a nice bounce-back victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden following a so-so effort in their first regulation loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
While it wasn’t the most flashy game to watch with a final score of 2-1, there was no shortage of excitement.
The Rangers improved their record to 6-1-1 on the season to regain a one-point lead in the Metropolitan Division. They lead the Eastern Conference, and sit third in the NHL behind the Dallas Stars (7-2-0) and the Winnipeg Jets (8-0-0).
So, the ball keeps rolling for the Rangers, who didn’t let one poor performance against the Panthers slow them down whatsoever. New York has one game left in the month of October, a meeting with the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Related: Rangers recall Jake Leschyshyn ahead of Ducks game
3 takeaways from Rangers 2-1 win against Ducks
Here are three key takeaways from the game Saturday.
1. Quick as ever
In his second start of the season, Jonathan Quick put on another incredible display of goaltending. The 38-year-old veteran made 21 saves on 33 shots to improve to 2-0-0 on the season, and win a goalie duel over Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal, who was outstanding as well.
It was a battle of youth against experience, as Dostal stood in the opposite crease 14 years younger than Quick, at age 24. Though the Ducks may not have had as many high-danger chances as New York did (12-5 in the home team’s favor, per Natural Stat Trick), Quick still had to be sharp all night.
Quick really came up big in the second period, when the Rangers were outshot 15-8 and heavily outplayed. His best stops came on Anaheim’s lone power play of the night. First, he made a beautiful glove save on a one-timer by Ducks forward Mason McTavish. He then stopped McTavish again on the following play, shutting the door on a point-blank rebound attempt.
Signing Quick to a one-year extension last season is paying off early, as the veteran goaltender picked up his 395th win, inching closer to that 400-win milestone.
2. The kids are taking over
Though Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to eight straight games and Ryan Lindgren cashed in with a huge goal, the Rangers “kids” of years past really stepped up when it mattered and carried the bulk of play.
Will Cuylle scored the eventual game winning goal, and had another that was disallowed because the Rangers were ruled offsides. Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko registered assists on that goal, as the Rangers third line continues to be a dominant force for the team. Chytil was flying all over the ice, and had multiple breakaway attempts that were stopped by a red-hot Dostal in net. Chytil was second on the Rangers with four shots on goal and seven attempts.
Alexis Lafreniere also registered an assist, giving him four goals and four assists for eight points in eight games. After signing a massive seven-year, $52.15 million extension with New York, all signs are pointing to him becoming as true star in this League.
3. Lindgren-Trouba pair a pleasant surprise
With coach Peter Laviolette wanting to return to each defense pair having a righty/lefty combination, while also leaving K’Andre Miller with Adam Fox on the top pair, he deployed a new defense pairing of Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba.
This was certainly a new look for the Rangers, as Lindgren and Trouba are both shut-down defenseman who do not produce much offense.
Putting the Lindgren goal aside, this pair actually had a dominant game. According to Natural Stat Trick, Lindgren was on the ice for 11 scoring chances for, just three against. Trouba was out there for 12 chances for, four against. The pair was also on the ice for four high-danger scoring chances for, and none against.
This left Zac Jones and Braden Schneider to play on the third pair, and those two also had a solid game. This could have implications for Victor Mancini, who was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Saturday night. So it will be interesting to see what pairings are used when the Rangers visit the Capitals on Tuesday.
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