The New York Rangers beat the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-3 in overtime last night. It was a close game that went back and forth as the Blueshirts found themselves both leading by a goal and being down by a goal at some points in the contest.
By the end of the game, K’Andre Miller became the overtime hero to give the Rangers their fourth straight win and improve the Blueshirts’ record to 6-2-0. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but the Blueshirts were luckily able to walk out of Vancouver as winners.
Artemi Panarin is having a Hart-caliber season
The Rangers’ MVP this year has easily been superstar forward Artemi Panarin. Not only did he score a goal and an assist last night to improve his season point total to 12, but he has managed to record a point in every single game so far this year.
It’s still quite early on in the year, but Panarin looks like he’s ready to make another case for the Hart Trophy this season as the league MVP. He was a finalist back in the 2019-20 season but has not been back in the running since. This could be the year that Panarin finally hits the 100-point mark and brings home the Hart if he continues to play like he has all season so far.
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The Rangers would be lost without Lindgren or Shesterkin
While the Rangers were able to seal a victory in overtime last night, the Canucks had multiple chances to beat the Blueshirts earlier on in the game. Had it not been for the heroics of Ryan Lindgren or Igor Shesterkin, Vancouver very well could have won. Lindgren made multiple blocks late in regulation, and Shesterkin came through with incredible saves in overtime to keep the Rangers in it.
Last night was just one of many performances that proved how vital Lindgren and Shesterkin are to the Rangers’ success. Lindgren is a defensive machine who boosts the Blueshirts’ grit, strength, and physicality. Shesterkin is easily one of the best goaltenders in the world and has stolen many games for the Blueshirts. Without their game-saving plays last night, chances are the Rangers would not have gotten the win.
The Rangers’ power play continues to be unstoppable
In last night’s victory, the Rangers’ power play managed to find the back of the net three times in its six attempts. With a 50% success rate against Vancouver, the Blueshirts’ overall power play percentage this season has improved to 34.5%. This is the current second-best power play in the NHL, only behind their divisional rivals, the New Jersey Devils.
The Rangers would like to score more even-strength goals and not rely too heavily on their power play to steal their games, but it’s still incredible to see the special teams performing at such a high success rate. With Panarin, Adam Fox, and Mika Zibanejad all scoring on the man advantage last night, the Rangers were able to complete a comeback and ultimately walk out of Vancouver as winners.
