Strome’s 1st-period goal enough for 5th straight win
Ryan Strome scored on a power play 6 minutes, 3 seconds into the game, and Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin made it stand up by combining for 28 saves as New York beat San Jose 1-0 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers have won five games in a row.
Rangers center Filip Chytil managed two more shots but still couldn’t find the net.
Since he returned from a three-game absence because of an upper-body injury last month, Chytil has been doing all the right things on the ice. He’s driven to the net, created chances for himself and his linemates, and drawn praise from his coach, Gerard Gallant.
He just doesn’t have any goals. Entering Friday’s game, Chytil, the Rangers’ third-line center, had two goals and two assists in his first 18 games this season. And in the six games since returning to the lineup after his injury, he had just one assist.
Goaltenders have made Hall of Fame-worthy saves on point-blank chances against him, and all the young Czech can do is shake his head, tell himself not to get frustrated and keep trying.
“It’s the whole season,” Chytil said of his hard luck around the slot areas. “I don’t know what’s happened, but 18 games, only two goals. I’d like to have more, but it doesn’t work like that.
“I just have to come to the rink, work hard, work on my shooting, work from where I’m [going to be] shooting.”
Chytil can take heart in seeing how things have gone for teammate Kaapo Kakko, who didn’t have a point in his first 10 games of the season, but then, once he got that first goal, put up three goals and five assists in his next seven games.
Chytil said he believes the same thing will happen for him.
“I believe when I score the first goal, it’s going to come again,” he said. “And the best is coming.”
For now, Chytil comforts himself by acknowledging the age-old hockey wisdom that at least he is getting scoring chances, and that’s a good thing.
Entering Friday’s game, his 35 shots on goal in five-on-five play were the thirdmost on the team behind Chris Kreider (40) and Jacob Trouba (38). His individual scoring chances (35) were third behind Kreider (43) and Artemi Panarin (41), and his high-danger scoring chances (19) were also third, behind Julien Gauthier (23) and Kreider (21).
“I create chances,” Chytil said. “I’m happy about my individual [play]. If I wouldn’t have these chances, if I wasn’t doing what I’m doing, I would be [upset]. …
“When I get the chance, I try to score goal. If not, I just come to the practice the next day and work hard.”
Gallant said he hopes Chytil can stay positive and not get down.
“I played the game a long time ago, and as long as you’re getting chances, you feel you’re going to score,” Gallant said. “Fil’s getting opportunities, playing good hockey, so I’m sure he’s not going to come home and say, ‘I’ve got a score tonight.’ …
“They want to get the goals in the net, as many as they can get. But I sure hope [he’s not discouraged] because we’re happy with the way he’s played.”