What a fun hockey game to watch last night. This game had just about everything you would want as a fan on a team with young players. Goals with the kids involved, good team defense, and a goalie fight to top it all off. Igor Shesterkin became the the first Rangers goalie to fight since Dan Cloutier fought Tommy Salo in 1998, emerging as the clear victor over Jacob Markstrom. It’s tough to complain when young players are in the lineup and showcasing winning habits so early in their careers, even if the Rangers moved to 29th overall in the standings. The hope is the powers that be see that it’s the kids driving the bus now, so they don’t break up that young core.
As for the game itself, last night’s win begins and ends with a fantastic performance by Shesterkin, both in net and in his boxing match. Shesty looked like his usual feisty self and was fully engaged looking like the Vezina winner he is. The Rangers are in the first phase of this retool/rebuild, and having stability in net to give the kids a security blanket to make mistakes helps build confidence.
Speaking of kids and confidence, how about that Gabe Perreault? The pass he made on Mika Zibanejad’s goal to make it 4-1 was just perfect, and reminded me of a prime Mats Zuccarello pass. Assuming he continues his growth and eventually gets PP1 time, 60-70 points is a legitimate possibility next season. He’s everything we hoped he could be thus far, showing why he was such a steal at #23 overall in 2023. As he gets stronger and more experienced, his forechecking–which is already strong–and other aspects of his game will continue to improve. He’s put up 14 points in 15 games on his new line, and that is without consistent powerplay time.
We must end with the 2026 Steve McDonald Extra Effort Award winner Mika Zibanejad. What a resurgence and what a moment for him, to go from fan favorite to pariah to fan favorite once again as he remains one of the few bright spots on this team. Now the winner of his 3rd Steven McDonald Award, Zibanejad has gone about his business quietly this season and completely rewritten what some fans perceived as a player that looked like he wanted to be anywhere but New York.
There was a quiet confidence to Mika’s game this season. He has eclipsed 30 goals and 70 points this year on a team starved for consistent offense. If this is the Mika we get next year, then he answers a lot of question at center that JT Miller simply can’t right now. He’s a part of the reason why the future went from looking bleak to giving us a sliver of hope. Let’s just hope the powers that be don’t mess it up…again.