The Rangers lost, but honestly that’s not the story, as last night’s OT loss to Columbus was about the best kind of loss this team can have right now. It all about Gabe Perreault putting the team on his back in the third period, with 2 goals and an assist, including the tying goal to cap the comeback from down 4-0. Of course, it would have been better for the Rangers short term to not gain any points in the standings, but that’s just the way it goes when you’re playing a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets.
There has been very little to cheer for with the Rangers this season, so it’s nice to see Perreault not only put up points and play his best game of his young career, but to take the team on his back and carry them through the third period. He, Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, and Will Borgen turned it on, providing the heroics. Perreault has not always had the counting stats playing with Zibanejad and Miller, but it was clear he was becoming more and more comfortable each and every game he’s played on the top line with them.
If there are more games like this coming from Perreault, then he will be the steal of the century for the Rangers from the 2023 NHL Draft. The passing game was so evident in college with Will Smith, and Ryan Leonard, but you take a look at the goals he scored, and you could see a future where he’s potting 25-30 in his sleep. The release is quick, accurate, and the amount of looks Perreault is getting every game now is growing. Hopefully Sullivan really leans into his development and puts him on the top power play unit and play him 20-25 minutes a night. It’s easy to call out lineup decisions, but miss how much Perreault has grown.
Last night looked like it was going to be a dominating win by the Blue Jackets and instead turned into a 3rd period comeback. Igor Shesterkin did not have a good night, as a few of the goals were not normal Igor-like goals he allows, including the OT winner. This is the consequences of being a bad team, and though we shouldn’t be questioning effort from most of the players, it’s hard to ignore that they are losing and they know it won’t get better. It’s human nature to have your mind drift a bit, so perhaps the first period was just that.
Igor has earned the right to play games when he is healthy. He is the richest goaltender in the league and easily a top-2 goalie when healthy. But I really hope that the team doesn’t continue to trot him out there for 75% of the remaining games. There’s a chance Jonathan Quick gets one more kick at the can, which means Dylan Garand or Spencer Martin would get the call to be the backup. It’s a prime chance to call up Garand to see what he can do, even if the Rangers will get worse this week. At some point, we need to see what this kid can do and it helps get Igor some rest. To get ahead of the stats argument, Hartford is a train wreck and it’s less about his stats (goalie stats are weird sometimes) and more about whether he can cut it as an NHL goalie.
Vincent Trocheck hopefully played his final game as a New York Ranger. You want to talk about getting rid of toxicity and players showcasing bad habits, it’s sad to see how Trocheck has fallen here. The OT winner last night really highlighted how much Trocheck is checked out, refusing to back check on the 2-on-1 that resulted in the winning goal. After his very candid interviews with the media about the pending trade, I think it’s pretty clear he’s ready to be done here. The feeling is very much mutual from this fan.
The Rangers don’t play again until Thursday. Who else will be traded before then? Who will be held out of the lineup on Thursday for roster management purposes? That’s the story right now, and hopefully once the trade deadline passes we will see lineups with Brett Berard and/or Brennan Othmann up front, with Scott Morrow getting more time on defense. Once any showcasing is done, it’s time to play the kids.