New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck scores a goal against Seattle Kraken goalie Chris Driedger on January 16, 2024. Photo by Charles Wenzelberg via The New York Post
After engaging in a four-game losing skid, the Rangers may be back to their winning ways.
The Rangers took their second straight game on home ice, with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken. The previous night saw them win 2-1 over the Washington Capitals, a game which was much more shaky for New York. That win came following the Rangers’ longest skid of the season, in which they went 0-3-1. Meanwhile, the Kraken came in winning nine of their last ten.
Dominant Win
But last night’s win over the Kraken was much more dominant. In the first period, Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trochek connected on a beautiful power-play goal to take the early 1-0 lead. Seattle stormed back quickly to tie the game with a power-play goal by Jordan Eberle. But it would be all Rangers from that point on as they scored just 28 seconds later.
The following periods saw goals from Blake Wheeler and recently-returned Kaapo Kakko. They are two players that must get going if the Rangers are to make a deep run. Igor Shesterkin was phenomenal as usual, making 29 of 31 saves. He struggled a bit during the losing streak, but that was mostly due to the shoddy defense over that time. While the defense wasn’t exactly the best last night, it was a vast improvement.
“Yes, but it’s easier, too, when we’re doing a better job of picking up (defensively),” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said of Shesterkin’s defense. “But I do think that he seems dialed in right now, and that’s a good thing for us.”
“That’s kind of been the story for our team,” Wheeler said. “Down the stretch and as you get closer to playoff time, you need everyone contributing. Certainly, those guys are going to be looked at to carry the load offensively for us every night, but we’ve all got to chip in.”
What’s Next?
The Rangers have a tough schedule ahead of them, now embarking on a four-game West Coast road trip. They’ll visit the Golden Knights, Kings, Ducks, and Sharks, four games which should get easier as they progress as those teams are essentially being played in order of skill. Meanwhile, the Kraken will take on the Oilers, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, and Blues in their next four contests.
This trip will prove to be a solid test for the Rangers, and if they succeed, it could be them returning to their dominant ways of late 2023. If that is the case, the rest of the NHL best look out.
