Rangers Summary: A Thanksgiving miracle

The Rangers beating the Hurricanes was not on my Thanksgiving bingo card. The sticks controlled most of the match due to their playing style and a questionable performance that gave them multiple power plays, but the Rangers’ top talent was able to finish their limited shooting attempts better. Igor Shesterkin also recovered well after a few free matches. Carolina was once again let down by the Rangers who broke their formula and took advantage of their poor goaltending. It was certainly an unexpected win considering how the Rangers looked, so maybe this is the start of something fun.

Igor Shesterkin hasn’t exactly been bad for weeks, but he’s also not the elite goalkeeper people expect. Last night was a return to form. He was only beaten twice, and one was due to a rough turnover from Braden Schneider and poor recovery on defense. Seth Jarvis’ shot was also a perfect shot, so there was nothing Igor could really do. Sometimes you just get defeated. The important factor was that Rangers didn’t collapse after that goal. There were nine minutes left and it easily could have been a comeback win for the Hurricanes, but Igor and the Rangers took care of business and walked away with two huge points in regulation.

A lot of people owe Adam Fox an apology. He is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, but last year there were too many people willing to move him for cheap because he was playing with a bad knee and had a bad Four Nations Tournament. This is no longer up for debate. How many times per game do we see Fox holding the zone when it looks like the opposition is going free? How many perfect passes, like the one that set up Artemi Panarin’s goal, do we see that some strikers can’t even make? Coming into play this season, Fox is back and better than ever with 22 points in 25 games. Amazing what he can do when he’s not carrying Ryan Lindgren’s corpse.

Vincent Trocheck has his flaws, but he might be one of the most underrated centers in the entire league. Before returning from injury, the top six looked completely confused, and the Rangers couldn’t replace what Trocheck brings. The goal to open the third period was exactly what the Rangers couldn’t bring with him out.

The Canes focused the puck on Panarin, and for good reason. Trocheck found the open ice and put himself in position to receive a pass and blast it from the top without hesitation. That’s not to say the rest of the top six can’t do that, but now the lines feel more complete. The Rangers still have a lot of ground to make up in the standings, and they will need more games like this if they want to have any chance of ultimately competing for the postseason.

With that, Happy Thanksgiving to you, the reader, and to your family, friends, and loved ones. We at Blue Seat Blogs cannot thank you enough for your support over the years. Let’s go Rangers!