After defeating both the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators in their previous two matchups, the New York Rangers were looking to continue their dominance and snag their 18th win of the season in a battle against the league-worst San Jose Sharks. In the end, the Rangers were able to take two points away from the Sharks with a 6-5 regulation victory. With a game that was way too close for comfort, here are three takeaways from what shouldn’t have been a one-goal game.
Too Close For Comfort
For the best team in the league to only defeat the worst team in the league by one goal, something has to be fixed. This game was too close for comfort in the end, even though the Sharks only got close with a late-game rally. It seemed clear that the Rangers weren’t playing to the best of their abilities and while they still came away with a win, they would’ve liked the game to have a bit more of a score gap between the two sides.
The Rangers have been more than dominant against every opponent this season and were hoping to continue that type of dominance against a terrible Sharks team. With great offensive performances from Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, and Mika Zibanejad, there were some definite positives when it came to scoring goals for the Rangers. However, they collapsed at certain points of the game and gave up five goals to a team that has struggled to score all season.
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Small mistakes led to easily avoidable goals but a game like this gives the Rangers a chance to learn and grow. Hopefully, they can build off their strong offensive showing and clean up what was a weak defensive game and one where they didn’t quite win every battle they needed to.
Panarin Explodes For Hat-Trick
One player who deserves some serious recognition is Panarin, who scored three goals and added an assist against the Sharks. He remains the leading scorer of the Rangers as he notched his 15th goal and 20th assist of the season pushing him to 35 points through 23 games played. He has, without a doubt, been the team’s most valuable player and will continue to be a huge part of their success this season and into the playoffs.
Panarin has a chance to be a nominee for the Hart Trophy if he can continue producing at the level he has begun the season. His strengths at both ends of the ice make him one of the strongest all-around players in the NHL and the Rangers are more than fortunate to have him.
Quick Has Off-Game, Still Wins
Heading into the matchup with the Sharks, Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick had a 1.99 goals-against average (GAA) and a .930 save percentage (SV%) through eight games played. Against the Sharks, he stopped 23 of 28 shots giving him a .821 SV% on the night, which dropped his stats a bit, but he was still able to backstop the team to a win.
With Shesterkin being the starter for the Rangers, Quick getting this game against a lesser opponent to give him a rest was a no-brainer. He didn’t have the greatest game individually and neither did his teammates, but he was able to play well enough to keep his undefeated streak as a Ranger alive.
The Rangers are back in action Tuesday (Dec. 5) in a battle against the Ottawa Senators. They will be looking to push their winning streak to four games after their win against the Sharks.
