NEW YORK — Throughout their Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign in 2023-24, the New York Rangers had a knack for rallies, leading the league with 28 comeback wins. New York has been missing that ability for much of the season, but it might be — appropriately — coming back.
Two games in a row, the Rangers entered the third period trailing. Two games in a row, the Rangers found a way to win, most recently Wednesday with a 3-2 victory against the Boston Bruins.
“There’s more confidence in the group right now that we can win no matter the situation,” said Mika Zibanejad, who had a pair of primary assists against the Bruins. “Obviously we don’t want to come back every game in the third, but it’s definitely a feeling in the locker room that we’ve done it before and that we know that we can do it.”
Added coach Peter Laviolette: “I think just the confidence the guys gain from winning games, I think that builds inside the game. It’s contagious.”
After a low-event first period, Artemi Panarin put the Rangers up in the second. But late in the period, Boston got a pair of goals from David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm, respectively, in a 16-second span to send the Rangers to intermission down 2-1.
New York continued to out-generate Boston in the third period and eventually got rewarded. K’Andre Miller fed Vincent Trocheck for the game-tying goal, and a Chris Kreider short-handed score put New York up for good against the Bruins, who they’re chasing in the standings.
Here are four takeaways from the game.
Panarin-Miller-Zibanejad has makings of elite top line
It’s early, but the Rangers’ new-look top line is both looking the part and getting results. The latest example was in the second period against Boston. J.T. Miller chipped the puck into the zone and immediately went on the forecheck, pressuring Brandon Carlo. The Bruins defenseman tried to move the puck up ice with Miller bearing down, but his pass went right to Mika Zibanejad, who passed to Artemi Panarin. The winger fired a puck past Korpisalo to put the Rangers up.
Miller didn’t get a point since Carlo briefly had possession of the puck, but his forechecking is the reason the play started.
“I don’t think that goal happens if he doesn’t do that,” Zibanejad said.
“(Miller) is a bull out there,” Laviolette added. “I think that that’s a good piece to have on a line: somebody that goes to the net, doesn’t get moved, somebody that’s first on the forecheck and can finish a hit and yet still have plays and the hockey sense to be able to to play with those two players.”
A three-game sample size is small, but in 35 minutes with Panarin-Miller-Zibanejad on the ice at five-on-five, Natural Stat Trick data says the Rangers have:
•53.97 percent of shot attempts (34-29)
•57.58 percent of shots (19-14)
•65.95 percent of expected goals
•Three goals for with two against
That’s all encouraging.
“They seem excited to play with each other,” Laviolette said.”There were some results offensively right away putting them together. That builds a little bit of hype inside themselves. They’re playing big minutes in tough matchups and yet they’re still producing and doing a good job.”
Perhaps the biggest development is that Zibanejad, who has struggled this season, seems to be unlocked. He’s averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time since the trade and has six points. Not all have been at five-on-five, but the uptick in production is encouraging for the Rangers.
“I think he’s got more confidence,” Kreider said. “Just trying to make more plays. Pucks are going in.”
Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad celebrate the Rangers’ opening goal during the second period. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Kreider shows off speed, short-handed prowess
Chris Kreider has had one of the most disappointing seasons of his career, dealing with back spasms and logging points at a lower rate than he has since playing 23 games in 2012-13. The 33-year-old still can turn on the jets when needed, though.
With the Bruins on a power play midway through the third, Zibanejad carried the puck out of the defensive zone. Kreider burst past a tired Pastrnak.
“Shot out of a cannon,” Laviolette said.
That created a two-on-one rush. Zibanejad and Kreider have struggled to produce consistently when together at five-on-five this season, but they have a distinct ability to create with each other on the penalty kill. Both are top six in shorthanded goals in Rangers history.
Zibanejad, who said he heard Kreider coming, slid a pass to his teammate. The winger managed to hold onto the puck after it hit Charlie McAvoy’s skate. He gathered it in time to fling a shot from an odd angle past Korpisalo for the game-winner. Zibanejad skated his way and they leapt into each other’s arms along the boards.
“Obviously the biggest goal of the night,” Laviolette said.
PP2 comes through
Asked earlier in the day about why he opted to remove Trocheck from the top power play unit in favor of newly acquired J.T. Miller, Laviolette mentioned the top unit’s recent run of success. It had scored on three of its past four chances entering Wednesday.
That changed against the Bruins. Both New York and Boston had largely pedestrian power plays, combining for only four power play shots in the 12 total minutes of five-on-four action.
While the top power play unit was unproductive, the Rangers’ Trocheck-led second grouping came through. Jonny Brodzinski had a couple shots blocked and the unit had a flurry of chances at the end of the power play. Then, moments after Brad Marchand was released from the box but before he was involved in the play, K’Andre Miller flung a puck toward the net. Trocheck — no longer on PP1 — redirected it past Korpisalo.
Jones draws back in
Urho Vaakanainen missed Wednesday’s game with an illness, meaning Zac Jones played for the first time since Dec. 23. He logged 13:32 of ice time and was on the ice for the Rangers’ first goal.
“I thought he was really good. Not just moving the puck and the skating, but for me it was the way he attacked defensively in the defensive zone,” Laviolette said. “There was extra attitude in what he was doing out there. That’s what we’ve been looking for. I thought he really responded with a big game.”
Now Laviolette has a decision to make if Vaakanainen is healthy for next game. The coach often keeps the same lineups after wins, so he could opt to stick with Jones and scratch the Finnish defenseman, who had played the previous 22 games.
(Top photo of Chris Kreider’s short-handed goal: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
