'MATTER OF TIME'
As recently as a few days ago, the Rangers were struggling to take shape and seemingly headed for a slide in the standings.
Now, they not only have taken significant strides toward finding their game, but they also have a 10-point cushion on the Penguins and a strong grip on third place in the Metropolitan Division, with the playoffs just a month away.
Chris Kreider scored the goahead goal with 8:15 left in regulation before chipping in an emptynet score to give the Rangers a 4-2 win over the Penguins on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Oh, how much can change in the matter of a little over a week in the NHL.
“I think [it was] a matter of time,” said Adam Fox, who skated without his usual defensive partner, Ryan Lindgren, for a ninth straight game. “I think also maybe we expected it just to be easy. We brought in a lot of skill and just thought we could skill our way against teams.
“We’re playing the right way now and then that skill comes out. You need a little time to click with new guys and I think we’ve done a good job of that the last few games.”
The Rangers, who lost in overtime Sunday at Pittsburgh in the first of three games in seven days between the teams, played fast on Thursday.
They put the puck on net in different ways all game. They were also active away from the puck, while effectively executing giveand-go’s and cycling through the zone.
It was still a neck-and-neck game between two teams that always seem to have some extra bite to their play when they face each other, especially after the seven-game, first-round playoff series last year.
Jake Guentzel tied the score at 2-2 for the Penguins just over halfway through the final frame, when the Rangers’ fourth line had been on for a long shift and allowed Pittsburgh’s top unit to take advantage. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby fed Guentzel for the five-hole shot on Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
But Kreider scored twice within the span of 7:25 toward the end of the third period to push the Rangers ahead. After cleaning up a long shot from Fox to regain the lead, Kreider then scored his 30th goal of the season into an empty net later in the third.
“The division is tight,” said Kreider, who has now reached the 30-goal mark for the second
straight season. “Playoff race is tight. It’s a big win, big division win. A four-point game.”
Tyler Motte, who plays so much bigger than his 5-foot-10 stature, pieced together another impactful game for the Rangers.
In addition to giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the second period, when he stole the puck from Pierre-Olivier Joseph and buried it from in front of Pittsburgh’s net, Motte was everywhere, as usual.
It was the first goal in the regular season for Motte with the Rangers, which he joined before the 2021-22 trade deadline.
In addition to that tally, Motte, who missed two games this month with an upper-body injury, got the last word in a chippy game with Joseph.
After Motte collided with Jeff Petry early on, which bounced the Penguins defenseman from the game, Joseph retaliated with a highshouldered hit on the Rangers wing. But Motte was only in the Rangers locker room for a brief time before he returned to the ice.
“I didn’t even know who it was to be honest with you,” Motte said. “It was just nice to see one go in the net. Kind of had a Grade-A opportunity in the slot there I think a shift before. Sometimes, you can get a little frustrated. But to see one go in, it gives you a little bit of confidence, for sure.”