Rangers Summary: A centenary victory

The Rangers won a game. And her deserved to win the match. It’s so nice to see wins every now and then, even though we want the best possible odds on a top pick. The young players played extremely well as Jonathan Quick recovered after five tough games. The icing on the cake was Matthew Robertson’s game-winner, who showed off a new trick as he drove the net in extra time and slid the puck between Joonas Korpisalo’s legs for the win. There won’t be many more wins this season, so if this happens and the young guys are a reason, it can only be a good thing for the Rangers.

Gabe Perreault got a fantastic assist that reminded me and a few other BSB writers of our once favorite Norse hobbit, Mats Zuccarello. We know Perreault has this ceiling, so seeing him play in the NHL at a top level gives me hope for this kid’s future in New York. The same could be said for the line of Noah Laba, Will Cuylle and Brennan Othmann, who played well last night and surrounded Boston in the defensive zone. This trio gave us a glimpse of what Mike Sullivan likes to see from his lines.

Back to Perreault: It looks like he’s finally staying in the top six. The instant chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and JT Miller is a big reason for both veterans’ scoring streaks of late. Perreault may not always get points, but it’s the little things he does that create the ice for scoring opportunities. As he continues to grow and hopefully get more ice time, things should only get better. He no longer looks out of place, which should help his confidence as he looks to take that next step as well.

The same can be said for Noah Laba, who has had his ups and downs this season but has been steadily improving throughout the season. His underlying numbers aren’t great, but the Rangers are hot messes and he’s had a rotating cavalry of linemates, most without much offensive ability. Individually, Laba has a very sneaky, good game style and causes chaos when necessary in the dirty areas. He is short of points, but it is clear that there is something going on with Laba, who seems to be ready for a big breakthrough soon.

Matthew Robertson is the most interesting defenseman on the roster. He usually does little things that don’t make it onto the scoresheet or even the announcer’s mouth, disrupts transitions and has generally remained steady. He’s still inconsistent, perhaps a result of the Rangers being a mess, but at least he’s earned more ice time as the veterans continue to leave us unimpressed. Robertson was called up because he has shown he can make moves like he did in the winner last night, but he only showed that last night. What a goal and what a way to end the three-match skid.