The New York Rangers have had an up-and-down start to the season. They started great with a win in Buffalo but were beaten by a weaker Columbus Blue Jackets team. Then, they were able to get the momentum back by winning their home opener against the Arizona Coyotes. With the Rangers only having one more home game this month before going on a long road trip, it’s safe to say that this is going to be a crucial time for the team to improve on what they have done so far. Here are three takeaways from the first week of the season.
Artemi Panarin Is Shooting the Puck
While he is known more as a passer, Artemi Panarin has started this season firing the puck, and he is shooting it often. He leads the Rangers with 12 shots on goal through the first three games. This is a good sign to see, as Panarin has a lethal shot that he has not used enough in the past. He could easily be a 30-goal, 95-plus-point player if he just shot the puck more, and he seems to be doing that more through these first three games. His line with Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere has continued to look very good and has been the team’s best line to start the season.
Panarin is finding the open space on the ice and is shooting the puck whenever he gets the chance. If he can continue to shoot the puck at this pace for the rest of the season, he is going to be an even more dangerous player and will make the Rangers an even better offensive team than they already are. Panarin is ready to put last season behind him and move forward, and this has been a good start to the season for him.
Rangers’ Penalty Troubles
The Rangers have been guilty of taking too many penalties, and these first few games and their home opener were no different. If you don’t count the penalties that were given out at the end of the game due to the players getting into a scrum, the Rangers took six penalties. They even gave the Coyotes a full two-minute 5-on-3 advantage, and the Coyotes were awarded a penalty shot that Igor Shesterkin stopped. While they did kill off all but one of the penalties, the Rangers can’t be taking six penalties a game. They cannot afford to be a man down for that long and give their opposition that many power-play chances, no matter who the team is.
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The Rangers are currently third in the entire NHL in penalty minutes with 48. They have taken 16 penalties throughout the first three games, with 14 of those being minor penalties and the other two being game misconducts given to Jacob Trouba and Barclay Goodrow after the scrum with the Coyotes. You can’t blame every call on the ref, so the Rangers need to stay more disciplined as the season goes on.
Blake Wheeler Has Looked Invisible
As the Rangers have only played three games, this may be an overreaction, but Blake Wheeler has not looked good at all during these games and especially during the home opener. Being live at the game, you can just tell how slow he really is. He had one good scoring chance, but other than that, he looked invisible.
Wheeler was even taken off the second power-play unit during this game, being replaced by Erik Gustafsson. While he isn’t in the same role that he was with the Winnipeg Jets, many expected more out of him because he was getting a fresh start.
Wheeler has also been missing shifts during the past two games, with Panarin getting double-shifted on his line. While it is unknown why he is missing shifts, it is concerning to see that he isn’t able to play at certain points when his line goes out during the game. If Wheeler doesn’t pick up his game soon, he may see his role diminish even more, and maybe some night, he will even be a healthy scratch. He needs to show more if he wants to keep his spot in the lineup.
With a tough upcoming schedule through the rest of October, the Rangers are going to need to build off this start and continue doing what works for them while also learning from the mistakes they have made. It is going to be an up-and-down season, so hopefully, the Rangers have more positives than negatives as the season continues.
