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The Rangers have shown a lot of promise in recent years, but this is shaping up to be the season where they put it all together. With a 3-2 victory over Montreal last night, the Rangers have won four straight games to improve their record to 10-3-3.
A lot of their success so far this season can be attributed to goaltender Igor Shesterkin and he was certainly a factor again on Tuesday, stopping 31 of 33 shots. However, it hasn’t been all about him. After winning the Norris Trophy last season, Adam Fox is an early frontrunner again in 2021-22 with four goals and 16 points in 16 games while averaging 24:50 minutes. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have been their typical dominant selves while Ryan Strome and Barclay Goodrow are providing some valuable scoring depth.
It’s been Chris Kreider though who has been the biggest pleasant surprise. At 30-years-old he was already well established as a solid top-six forward coming into this campaign, but goaltenders can’t seem to stop him in 2021-22. He scored his 12th goal in just 16 games last night. That puts him in a tie for second place behind only Leon Draisaitl, who is at a level all of his own with 17 goals in 15 contests.
Kreider’s current pace won’t last, but the Rangers have enough offensive tools that others should be able to pick up the slack when he cools off. In the meantime, are looking like they’ve transitioned from a rebuilding squad to a contender and that’s even without Alexis Lafreniere or Kaapo Kakko playing anywhere near their potential.
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TORONTO 3 NASHVILLE 0
Jack Campbell continued his fantastic season with a 24-save shutout. He already has three shutouts, which is a new career-high for him. He’s posted a 9-3-1 record, 1.68 GAA, and .943 save percentage in 14 games.
Ryan Johansen gave Campbell the most work with a team-high four shots. Nevertheless, he finished the game with no points and a minus-one rating.
Juuse Saros kicked out 31 of 33 Maple Leafs shots. He’s 7-5-1 with a 2.17 GAA and .928 save percentage in 13 starts.
Auston Matthews scored the game-winning goal and registered an assist. He’s up to seven goals and 14 points in 14 games.
David Kampf also had a goal and an assist for Toronto. He has three goals and five points in 17 contests.
FLORIDA 6 NY ISLANDERS 1
The Panthers got the win, but it’ll be hard for them to celebrate with the status of Aleksander Barkov still unknown. He had to be helped off the ice following a knee-on-knee hit from the Islanders’ Scott Mayfield. There was no update on Barkov’s status immediately following the game.
The Islanders’ only goal was scored by Kyle Palmieri. It was his first marker and sixth point in 13 games.
Ilya Sorokin got the start for New York, but he allowed four goals on 17 shots in the first period. Semyon Varlamov came out after that and saved 17 of 19 shots the rest of the way.
At the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky saved 27 of 28 shots. He improved to 7-0-2 with a 1.78 GAA and .942 save percentage in 10 starts.
The Panthers got plenty of offensive support in this game throughout the lineup. Jonathan Huberdeau, Carter Verhaeghe, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Lomberg, and Aaron Ekblad each found the back of the net.
Patric Hornqvist scored a goal and registered an assist for the Panthers. He has two goals and eight points in 16 contests.
NY RANGERS 3 MONTREAL 2
Julien Gauthier scored the game-winning goal. It was his first goal and second point in seven games this season.
Chris Kreider also found the back of the net for the Rangers. He already has 12 goals and 15 points in 16 contests.
Igor Shesterkin stopped 31 of 33 shots to extend his winning streak to three games. He has an 8-2-2 record, 2.42 GAA, and .930 save percentage in 12 starts.
Christian Dvorak scored a goal and registered an assist for Montreal. That gives him two goals and seven points in 18 games.
Cayden Primeau turned aside 31 of 34 shots last night. It was his first start of the 2021-22 campaign.
PHILADELPHIA 2 CALGARY 1 (OT)
Cam Atkinson accounted for the overtime winner. It was his seventh goal and ninth point in 14 games.
Philadelphia’s other goal was scored by Kevin Hayes. He has a goal and an assist in two contests.
Jacob Markstrom stopped 41 of 43 Flames shots. He faced 16 shots in the second period and another 14 in the third, but he only allowed one goal over that span. Although he ultimately lost the game, he deserves credit for at least helping the Flames walk away with a point.
Carter Hart had a busy night too, saving 33 of 34 shots. He improved to 5-3-2 with a 2.19 GAA and .935 save percentage in 10 games.
Oliver Kylington scored the Flames’ only goal. That gives him three goals and 11 points in 15 contests.
BUFFALO 2 PITTSBURGH 1
Dustin Tokarski played a huge part in the victory by stopping 45 of 46 shots. With Buffalo up 2-0, the Penguins fired an incredible 20 shots in the third period, but Tokarski held firm to prevent the comeback win.
Kyle Okposo netted the game-winning goal. It was his fourth goal and ninth point in 15 games.
Buffalo’s other goal was scored by Colin Miller. He’s up to two goals and nine points in 15 contests.
Jake Guentzel netted a power-play goal for the Penguins. He ahs five goals and 11 points in 14 games.
Tristan Jarry stopped 17 of 19 shots on Tuesday. He has a 5-4-3 record, 2.52 GAA, and .917 save percentage in 12 starts.
ARIZONA 3 ST. LOUIS 2
Barrett Hayton scored a pair of goals, including the game winner. He has two goals and three points in 10 games.
Arizona’s other goal was scored by Kyle Capobianco. It was his first goal and second point in two games.
Scott Wedgewood kicked out 34 of 36 Blues shots. He allowed a goal in the first and second periods, but in the end he picked up his second win of the season.
Ryan O’Reilly assisted on both of St. Louis’ markers. He has two goals and seven points in 11 contests.
Jordan Binnington turned aside 20 of 23 shots last night. He’s allowed at least three goals in each of his last three starts.
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SAN JOSE 4 MINNESOTA 1
Timo Meier scored the game-winning goal and registered an assist. He’s on a run of three straight games with at least a point (though it’s not an official point streak because he missed time during that stretch) and he’s only been held off the scoresheet once in his first 10 contests.
Tomas Hertl netted a goal for the Sharks. He has seven goals and 11 points in 15 games.
James Reimer saved 26 of 27 Wild shots. He has a 4-2-1 record, 1.71 GAA, and .943 save percentage in eight contests.
The Wild’s goal was contributed by Joel Eriksson Ek. It was his sixth marker and eighth point in 15 games.
Cam Talbot saved 17 of 21 shots on Tuesday. He’s surrendered three or more goals in five of his last six starts.
WINNIPEG 5 EDMONTON 2
Edmonton lost, but the Oilers’ best two forwards had another amazing game. Leon Draisaitl scored both goals, giving him 17 goals and 33 points in 15 contests. Meanwhile, Connor McDavid assisted on both goals, extending his season-opening point streak to 15 games.
Mikko Koskinen stopped 22 of 26 shots through two periods. Stuart Skinner came out for the third and saved the eight shots he faced, but the damage was already done.
At the other end of the ice, Connor Hellebuyck saved 32 of 34 shots. He improved to 6-2-3 with a 2.79 GAA and .914 save percentage in 11 starts.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the game-winning goal. It was his ninth goal and 15th point in 15 games.
Adam Lowry also chipped in a goal for Winnipeg. He has two goals and four points in 15 contests.
DALLAS 5 DETROIT 2
Jason Robertson led the charge for Dallas with two goals and an assist. He’s up to three goals and nine points in eight contests.
Ryan Suter contributed a goal for the Stars. It was his second goal and eighth point in 14 games.
Jake Oettinger turned aside 28 of 30 Red Wings shots. Both of the goals he allowed were scored in the second within six minutes of each other during the second period.
At the other end of the ice, Alex Nedeljkovic saved 25 of 29 shots. He has a 4-3-2 record, 2.91 GAA, and .913 save percentage in 10 games.
Dylan Larkin scored a power-play goal for the Red Wings in the second period. However, after already logging 12:25 minutes of ice time, Larkin was removed from the game due to the COVID-19 protocol.
CAROLINA 4 VEGAS 2
Vincent Trocheck scored a goal and registered an assist for the Hurricanes. He has four goals and 13 points in 14 contests.
Carolina’s Sebastian Aho also contributed a goal and an assist. He’s up to seven goals and 16 points in 14 games.
Antti Raanta saved 21 of 23 Golden Knight shots. He has a 2-0-0 record, 2.27 GAA, and .906 save percentage in three games.
Robin Lehner was busy at the other end of the ice, stopping 38 of 42 shots. He allowed a pair of goals in each of the first and third periods.
Shea Theodore found the back of the net for Vegas. He has three goals and 11 points in 16 contests.
ANAHEIM 3 WASHINGTON 2 (OT)
Trevor Zegras netted two goals, including the overtime winner. He’s up to six goals and 10 points in 15 contests.
Ryan Getzlaf registered an assist for the Ducks. While that’s not remarkable on its own, it was his 1,000th career point in his 1,118th game.
John Gibson saved 28 of 30 shots last night. That extended his winning streak to seven games.
Tom Wilson scored a goal for the Capitals. He has five goals and 14 points in 16 games.
Vitek Vanecek kicked out 28 of 31 Ducks shots. He has a 4-2-4 record, 2.39 GAA, and .911 save percentage in 11 contests.