After being a virtual no-show against the Senators Monday night for Mika Zibanejad’s 1,000th game, the Rangers responded by putting up 43 shots on goal against a Maple Leafs squad in a similar situation to the Rangers. The skaters showed up, but Igor Shesterkin was a tad off his game, leading to the 4-3 loss in regulation. In all fairness, this was the best of both worlds: They lost while getting contributions from Zibanejad (2G), Alexis Lafreniere (1-2-3), and Gabe Perreault (1A). Zibanejad also passed Adam Graves for 4th all time in Rangers goal scoring.
Adam Sykora made his much anticipated debut and did not look an ounce out of place over the course of his 13:33 ice time. His line was on the ice for a couple of goals against, but Sykora played the exact kind of energetic, heavy game that he has shown in Hartford. He likely projects as a bottom six forward on a truly competitive team, but he does have some fun potential on offense if given the chance. He skates with purpose and determination and is good about getting into open lanes. With 10 games remaining, he should definitely be given the runway to go out and make things happen.
As mentioned above, the Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Perreault line is giving us hope and is one of the most entertaining lines to watch in all of hockey. After a few cold games at 5 on 5, the trio once again went off and combined for 6 points in the contest. Mike Sullivan may have helped himself for next year by finding this line, giving him 50% of a viable top-six. The natural chemistry between all 3 jumps off the screen, and Lafreniere in particular–who has received a ton of flak for his lack of production–has been a force since moving back to his natural LW and joining this line.
Lafreniere has played 30 games in this calendar year and has 30 points, which even those who are bad with math can note is a point per game pace. It’s amazing what consistent PP1 time can do, as Lafreniere was already one of the Rangers leading scorers at 5v5 over the last few seasons. If the powerplay points come and Lafreniere puts up 70-80 points a year, are people still calling him a bust?
As for the Rangers, they are officially eliminated from playoff contention following this loss. The year has been frustrating, and when you combine the losses with the eventual roster turnover, it’s natural that we may not see a fully engaged team through the end of the year. Even those that we know are staying will have off nights. They are human, after all.
In the short term, it’s okay that the Rangers are racking up the losses as they are firmly in 31st in the NHL and likely won’t catch the Canucks for last. But in the long term, some wins and building a stronger locker room culture are critical. Let’s see how the kids respond, especially Sykora, as he looks to make it a fifth prospect that sticks with the big club this season.