It wasn’t the prettiest of games by any stretch against the Flyers, but it was a huge point in the standings to put the Rangers two points ahead of Pittsburgh. After the shutout against the Islanders, we thought this would be the game the Rangers would get back on track. The offense did not come alive until the 3rd period, but at the rate the Rangers were shooting the puck at Martin Jones, it was bound to go in at some point.
This game solidifies two opinions for me: Braden Schneider is a mainstay and should never come out of the lineup, and, for all the cyber-bullying and vitriol that comes his way at times, Ryan Strome’s production is missed right now. With the return of Strome, Kaapo Kakko, and Kevin Rooney due any day now, the Rangers are about to enter a period of depth that was sorely lacking at the beginning of the year.
Let’s have a little chat about Igor Shesterkin. He’s had a little stretch of inconsistency we are not used to these last number of games. In his last 10 starts, his save percentages are: .970, .765, .879, .929, .966, .792, .952, .917, .833, and .884 in this one. There are a lot of brilliant performances in there, but quite a handful of non-Igor like starts as well.
Is he getting fatigued? As pointed out in our BSB group chat, this is the most games Igor has played in a season. If you recall, he was a running platoon with Ilya Sorokin in the KHL. Is this just as simple as he’s fatigued from playing this many games for the first time in his career? All the more reason that going forward, you have to ensure that you have a capable backup that can play 25-30 games and put up average goaltending.
This was not a point to bash Igor or his brilliant season, he is the clear Vezina winner this season despite this little 10 game stretch, but it is certainly something to look at going forward as we inch closer to the playoffs of how important the balance of rest and rhythm will be for him.
Flyers 1, Rangers 0
This is one of those goals Igor Shesterkin wants back. Clear sighted shot from the blue line, despite the knuckler, is something he gets 99 times out of 100.
Flyers 2, Rangers 0
Jacob Trouba with the turnover in the neutral zone, then some stick checking instead of taking the body, and the Rangers are in a quick 2-0 hole. Owen Tippett got a fortuitous bounce here, but the turnover was the killer.
Flyers 3, Rangers 0
The Rangers took a nap to start the third period. Poor defensive play, with the middle of the ice wide open and Andrew Copp shifting his weight to the wrong side, and the Flyers had a 2-on-0. Bad pass from Adam Fox to turn the puck over started this too.
Flyers 3, Rangers 1
The Rangers had some rough puck luck all game, but finally got one on the Jacob Trouba wrister that Artemiy Panarin got his stick on. This was sustained pressure by the Rangers, and the tip by Panarin was excellent considering his momentum was going away from the puck and the play.
Flyers 3, Rangers 2
The Flyers mishandled the clear, and it led to a 3-on-2, with Frank Vatrano doing what he does best, firing the puck at the net. Hockey 101 from Mika Zibanejad here, as he cut to the net, which both gave Vatrano room to shoot, and gave him the rebound chance.
Rangers 3, Flyers 3
What a pass by Panarin, and great job by Copp to get the step on both Flyers defensemen. This is not good defending from the Flyers, as one guy should not split the defense like that without the puck.
Shot Heatmap
Much like the game against the Isles, the Rangers had the better overall game, controlling shot quantity and quality. The difference, again much like against the Isles, was the percentage of shots that the Flyers had that were quality chances. The Rangers have been very lax defensively lately, making dumb plays. They are, though, the comeback kids.
Game Flow
The Rangers really controlled most of this game, and again that’s what you want to see. The shooting luck will come back, and quite frankly you want this kind of stretch now, as opposed to late April or May. The goaltending will come back too. This kind of play is more sustainable for longer term success, assuming shooting and goaltending comes back. Let’s hope they don’t need these dramatic comebacks in the playoffs.
Final point of the night: The Rangers won the deadline, plain and simple. Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp have both been worth the price they were brought in for. It’s rather incredible to watch honestly. The results and production are obvious and both deserve the ice time they are getting At 5v5.
Andrew Copp is the bigger story though. He’s in a contract year, playing with arguably the 2nd best LW in the game and is not only scoring huge goals, but doing all of the little things that are just out of Ryan Strome’s skillset. Strome is a gifted offensive player and it’s clear he’s a 2C. Is he a cup-winning 2C? Maybe, maybe not, but he is a solid player all the same.
If Copp were to come back and be the 2C, you would have to try and mimic the production you are losing with Strome, so hopefully Chris Drury is keeping that in mind for this summer as the Rangers continue to build for a run of contention here in the coming years.
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