On Tuesday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, the Kitchener Rangers snapped their three-game losing streak, bouncing back to beat the Guelph Storm after dropping the first game of a home-and-home series to them on Saturday.
Following the Rangers’ losses to the Greyhounds and Storm, I neglected the usual takeaways pieces, as I would have been parroting my own comments from their first loss of the losing streak to the Kingston Frontenacs. I then started working on a much larger piece about this team struggling offensively.
Related: 5 Takeaways From Kitchener Rangers’ Loss to Kingston Frontenacs
However, after a 41-shot performance as a team in which their star players carried the offensive load, it may no longer be the case. So, back to the regularly scheduled program, here are three takeaways from the Rangers’ second win over the Storm this season.
Rangers’ Hit The Magic Number
Over the Rangers’ losing streak, they only scored four goals. Last night against the Storm, they got to three, and that seems to be the magic number for this team, with a 13-1-0-0 record when scoring three or more goals.
In the other piece I referenced, my main point was that this team does not need to be explosive and score five, six, or seven goals to win hockey games comfortably. Their defensive group is talented; the entire forward group is committed to helping on the defensive end; they are exceptionally well-coached; and they have had phenomenal goaltending from Christian Kirsch and Jason Schaubel.
It’s been rare for this team to struggle defensively this season. When they have been beaten, it’s usually because they haven’t created enough chances. To me, these struggles stem from the Rangers trying to force plays rather than taking what the defence is giving them.
Last night, against the Storm, was the perfect bounce back in my eyes. They created offence in all kinds of ways; they had numerous chances off the rush; they scored off a beautiful passing play when Jack Pridham found Cameron Arquette from behind the net, and then on a recovered puck off a forecheck when Luca Romano fed Luke Ellinas.
While it was only three goals, including the empty-netter, the Rangers’ offence looked dynamic again.
Rangers Have Found ‘Go To’ Fourth Line?
Even if you’ve been following the Rangers for just this season, you know head coach Jussi Ahokas likes to tinker with the lineup and make sure everyone gets some ice time to maximize development and keep fresh legs.
It has happened a ton this season, with the Rangers dealing with players being away at the start of the season for NHL training camps, a lengthy suspension, and several injuries. However, over the past few games, the Rangers have had Matthew Hlacar, Avry Anstis, and Evan Headrick rounding out their 12 forwards on their bottom line, and the three have played very well recently despite the Rangers struggling.
In this game against the Storm, the trio created numerous scoring chances in the first period and, in my opinion, set the tone for the Rangers getting a flurry of them on their first shift. In the second period, they finally broke through after another long stint in the offensive zone, where Hlacar banged home a rebound, which everyone thought opened the scoring.
However, upon review, this goal was called back for a blatant offside from 40 seconds earlier in the shift. By the time the puck went in, the offside had nothing to do with the play, and I am sure most people forgot about the zone entry.
Although they weren’t rewarded in this game, these guys have played very well together, and as the season goes on, I like this as the Rangers’ go-to fourth line.
Snake Bitten Rangers Starting to Heat Back Up
During the second intermission with Sean Furfaro, Rangers’ rinkside host, Alexander Bilecki mentioned that he has felt snake-bitten at times this season. He has been a mainstay on the Rangers’ blue line because of the improved defence he has brought this season, along with the offensive impact.
Bilecki has been playing really well and has a right to feel like he has deserved some better results with the chances he’s generated and helped generate, and he isn’t the only Rangers player who has had a right to feel that way.
On Tuesday night, we saw Romano snap a three-game pointless streak and Arquette snap an eight-game goal drought, ending a streak of three games without points. With the empty-netter, Pridham ended his longest stretch of the season without a goal.
The Rangers’ recent offensive struggles were not easy to break down; it was partially the lack of volume of chances I discussed earlier, but they also ran into some hot goaltenders, and they played arguably their worst defence of the season over that three-game losing streak.
However, seeing all their stars get back on the scoresheet in this one should give them a lot of confidence, because when these guys heat up, the points come in bunches.
What’s Next for the Rangers?
The Rangers will await the decision on who will host the 2027 Memorial Cup, which will be announced later this week. They will then be back in action Friday against the Ottawa 67’s, then again on Sunday on the road against the Oshawa Generals.
