In their first five games of the season, the New York Rangers picked up three wins, but dropped two games to the Columbus Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators. The wins came on opening night against the Buffalo Sabres, and then at home against the Arizona Coyotes and away on Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken. The “kids” are starting the season off strong, while star forward Artemi Panarin is finding his groove again after grossly underperforming in the playoffs last season.
In Buffalo, N.Y., for their first game of the season, the Rangers got off to a fast start with two goals in the opening period. Alexis Lafreniere scored the first goal of the season for the Blueshirts, assisted by Panarin and fellow youngster Filip Chytil. Lafreniere is undoubtedly under a lot of pressure this year with trade rumors circulating since the summer, so getting off to a hot start will be important for his confidence and to cement his spot on the team for years to come. Chris Kreider scored the second goal of the period, and added another one in the third after Panarin tallied one in the second period. Captain Jacob Trouba capped off the night with an empty net goal to secure the 5-1 win to start the season. This was the first of three meetings between the two young teams, and both are expected to reach the playoffs this year. Buffalo’s rebuild was quick, and they are slowly emerging as a competitive team that the Rangers will have to watch out for.
The Blueshirts traveled to Columbus, Ohio, days later to take on the Blue Jackets, where they lost 5-3 after Columbus center Boone Jenner scored a hat trick. On the bright side, Erik Gustafsson and Will Cuylle scored their first goals as Rangers, and Chris Kreider scored his third of the season. Kreider continued his hot streak into the home opener against the Arizona Coyotes, netting his fourth in the 2-1 win. Vincent Trocheck scored his first goal of the season in what ended up being the game winner. The win allowed goalie Igor Shesterkin to bounce back after letting up five against the Jackets.
The momentum from the bounce back win didn’t last long though, as the Rangers dropped a game to the Nashville Predators with a 4-1 score. Defensemen Adam Fox scored the only Rangers goal and his first of the year on the power play, finally answering after the Preds scored four straight in the first two periods. Shesterkin took his second loss of the season, but Jonathan Quick replaced him late in the second period and stopped all nine shots he faced. Quick got the win in the next game against the Kraken, stopping 18 of 19 shots in the 4-1 win. The “kids” shined in the win: Lafreniere netted another goal, Kaapo Kakko scored his first of the season, and Filip Chytil recorded three assists. Young defenseman K’Andre Miller showcased his playmaking prowess with two assists, including on Kakko’s game winning goal in the second.
Panarin shook off the cobwebs with two goals, leading the team with seven total points in five games so far.
The young players continue to be the difference makers for the Rangers, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the underperforming veterans sit out in place of players brought up from the American Hockey League (AHL). Losing to non-contenders like the Blue Jackets will negatively impact the team down the line, and the rest of the team needs to step up alongside the “kids” to put a good season together.
The Blueshirts are on their first big road trip of the season, making their first stop in Seattle on Saturday. They’ll play all the Western Canadian teams into the next week and a half, and will return to New York City to play their division rival, the Carolina Hurricanes, on Nov. 2. They’ll head back out to Minnesota on Nov. 4 before returning for a homestand for the first half of November. Fans will look for the Rangers to carry the momentum from the win in Seattle throughout the entire road trip.
