The New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 5–3. Winning this game gets the team on the right track after losing to the Minnesota Wild in overtime. Many players impressed, but three players truly stood out from the bunch.
Erik Gustafsson steps up in the absence of Adam Fox
The New York Rangers’ defense has proven to be one of the best in the league, even in the absence of Adam Fox. They have done a phenomenal job overall. One of the most underrated aspects of their defense and one of the most underrated signings the Rangers made was bringing in Erik Gustafsson to the team. He demonstrated his value in this game by contributing with two excellent assists.
While the Blake Wheeler signing hasn’t worked out as expected, signings like bringing in Gustafsson have paid off well. Hopefully, he can maintain this level of play throughout the season, and who knows, maybe the Blueshirts will consider extending his contract or even exploring trade possibilities as the deadline approaches.
Artemi Panarin continues the point streak
The Streak Continues. Artemi Panarin has at least scored a point in each of the Blueshirts’ last 12 games.
In fact, for tonight’s game, Panarin scored a goal and even made an assist as well. No matter what, as long as Panarin’s streak continues, he is going to be a part of the standout list. Hopefully, he continues to play well, and heck, maybe he’ll get a point per game for the rest of the season.
Vincent Trocheck leads the Rangers to victory
This is by far the best game of the season for Vincent Trocheck. He scored a total of two crucial goals during this game. Trocheck opened the scoring for the Blueshirts, setting the team on the right track right from the start.
His second goal came on a power play in the second period. These two goals were excellent, but what’s also noteworthy is his multiple takeaways and a high faceoff win percentage during the game.