The New York Rangers took on the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday (Jan. 5) in Chicago at the United Center hoping to pick up a win. The Rangers were going into the game following a 7-4 loss on Saturday (Jan. 4) to the red-hot Washington Capitals. The Blackhawks were going into the game having defeated the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (Jan. 3) by a score of 4-2. With a goaltending matchup of Louis Domingue against Arvid Soderblom, both struggling teams were hoping they could win this game and start to build some momentum. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Louis Domingue Wins First Start of Season
Domingue has a tough time trying to earn ice time with the Rangers considering the strength of the tandem between the pipes when both Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick are healthy. Unfortunately, Shesterkin is dealing with an injury and Domingue was given an opportunity. In his first start of the season, he was impressive stopping 25 of 27 shots posting a .926 save percentage (SV%).
Related: Maple Leafs Should Target Sabres’ Dylan Cozens to Bolster Centre Depth
Domingue, who is 32 years old, has played with a lot of different teams in his career. Aside from the Rangers, he has spent time with the Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Throughout his 10-year career so far, he has played 144 games winning 61 and posting two shutouts. It’s encouraging to see the Rangers have a strong depth chart between the pipes and that Domingue can be trusted if needed again this season.
Depth Scoring Played a Massive Part in Win
The Rangers often rely on their stars to produce offensively on a nightly basis, including Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafreniere. While they all played well, their win on Sunday has to be credited to their depth scoring as the majority of production came from unexpected sources. Filip Chytil had two goals, Will Borgen scored his first as a Ranger, Jonny Brodzinski and Reilly Smith scored, and Brett Berard had two assists.
Not to take away from Fox who had two assists, Panarin and Lafreniere who had assists, and Vincent Trocheck who scored a goal, it’s important for a team that wants to contend to have offensive production come from more than just their stars. With the Rangers having lost five of their last six heading into the game against the Blackhawks, it’s nice to see they finally found a way to explode offensively and hopefully, build some momentum for their next game.
Lack of Physical Play a Concern?
The Rangers finished the game with a total of 21 hits, outhitting the Blackhawks who only had 17. While some games aren’t as physical as others, it’s easy to be concerned about the lack of hits contributed by their players as they try to pull themselves out from the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, as fans have grown angry with their lack of effort in recent matchups. However, the lack of hits should not concern fans as they head into their next game.
Hits could indicate how gritty a game was and if there is some sort of rivalry involved, but it could also indicate how tough the team played which many fans still value. However, considering they picked up a win, the lack of physical play shouldn’t be an issue, as long as they’re picking up points and trying to push for a playoff spot.
The Rangers are back in action on Tuesday (Jan. 7) against the Dallas Stars as they look to start building a bit of a winning streak. They do not play the Blackhawks again this season.
As the 2024-25 season moves along, be sure to continue following The Hockey Writers as your source for news from around the NHL and the hockey world.
