The Rangers won 2-1 in Winnipeg last night in a game that can best be described dull. At this stage of the season however, all that matters to the Rangers is that they left the MTS Arena with 2 points to make their Western Canadian trip a highly successful one. All in all as the Rangers head home, despite playing inconsistent error prone hockey to begin the year they will be more than happy to be 3-2-2. Let’s get to some game thoughts.

  • 2 Power Play goals. Really? The first goal came from some sustained pressure on the power play after which Girardi and Del Zotto moved the puck before Fedotenko redirected a Girardi shot. It wasn’t complicated or beautiful hockey but hockey basics. The second PP goal was the kind of lucky break you need (off the skate and in) but the Rangers managed to get good entry to the zone and that’s what happens if you can get behind the defense.
  • Mike Del Zotto had a good game. He looked more confident, wanted the puck on his stick and it looks like he’s really turning his game round with each and every game. Would have played this much if everyone was healthy? No, but his game is profiting from all the ice time. A +4 on the season is a long way from those rookie days.
  • The Rangers looked solid in the second period, created a few chances and finally had some sustained pressure in the offensive zone. The pressure resulted in Claude Noel needing to take a time out for the Jets.
  • Marian Gaborik was shut down in this game. No shots, little going for him. This is the kind of game when your depth has to come through when your star players can’t get it done. Thankfully the depth came through tonight.
  • Callahan: Better. Dubinsky: wasn’t. Richards: invisible.
  • The Rangers realise you have to shoot and get shots on net to win games, right? They will not win many games when they only have 17 shots on net like last night.  In the 7 games thus far the Rangers have recorded less than 20 shots in 4 of 7 games; that’s pathetic. Amazingly they are 2-1-1 in those games.
  • Penalties: the Rangers were better disciplined last night. I had to check the box score a few times because I couldn’t believe the Rangers only took one penalty aside from the Prust fight. Stay out of the box and you win games.
  • If this game wasn’t further evidence that the Rangers have the best goaltending combination in the game I don’t know what is. Biron played well, stepped in and the Rangers didn’t skip a beat. He was solid all night and I thought he was helpless on Antropov’s goal.
  • Is it me or does Antropov always play well against the Rangers?
  • Dan Girardi is playing on another level right now even if I thought he could have cleared the zone before the Jets’ goal.
The Rangers won this game thanks to three key ingredients; goaltending (again), special teams (for once) and discipline (really?). As a team, if you can stay out of the box and be at least respectable on the power play you will always have a chance. The Rangers managed to play a distinctly average game and come away with the two points because of those three things. That said, they really need to get more shots on net if they expect to win consistently.

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