In need of a bounce back win, the Rangers dominated the Chicago Blackhawks in a game that may have been overshadowed by the NHL debut of Brennan Othmann. He did not look out of place at all. It will be interesting to see how much NHL game time he will get with the return of Kaapo Kakko looming.
For now though, Othmann is finally at the NHL level after having a pretty solid start in Hartford. That shooting mentality was certainly there in his debut as he registered 5 shots on goal in 12:26 of ice time. Playing alongside Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski, he’s being eased into NHL action, so points may be tough to come by initially.
This cup of coffee is going to be fun to watch, however long it lasts. The Rangers are mimicking with him what they did with Will Cuylle last season. That worked out pretty well, right?
Speaking of Cuylle, there was some concern when he was bumped to the 4th line to replace Tyler Pitlick, but it worked out nicely with him and Vesey connecting for a goal. The coaching staff wanted Othmann in the top nine for his debut, and Cuylle was the unfortunate casualty. It certainly didn’t matter though as Cuylle still was able to make an impact.
With the great bounce back win came a great bounce back performance in net by Igor Shesterkin. Stopping 21 of 22 shots, he looked like himself again. The lone goal against was off a breakaway and a pretty good move from former Ranger Colin Blackwell. A lazy change didn’t help either.
Igor did not let that goal rattle him though, and he put up the wall and gave the Rangers a chance before they pulled away in the 3rd period to a 4-1 win. He also has the honor of representing the Rangers at All-Star weekend as he was chosen. Artemi Panarin declined as he and his wife are expecting their second baby as announced by him immediately after the game.
This was a business-like win for the Rangers. No nonsense. Just go back to the fundamentals and come away with a win. The Rangers are 10-1 after losses on the season and have a mental fortitude and confidence that I don’t think we’ve seen in New York in quite some time. They know they’re going to win after losses. That’s the tone this coaching staff has set for the year, and it shows.
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