Rangers’ new-look lineup posts shutout
NEW YORK — The Rangers came out of the trade deadline with 20 regularseason games left to build chemistry and continuity with their new-look lineup.
Saturday represented an encouraging first step. They took care of business with a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden, with Igor Shesterkin pitching a 26-save shutout — his second of the season — and the Rangers wasting no time testdriving their pair of new forwards.
“That’s over now,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of the trade deadline. “You’re in the final stretch. … This is where you want to start doing things the right way.”
Jack Roslovic stepped directly into the top-line right-wing slot, while Alex Wennberg took over as third-line center.
They were both effective given the circumstances — Roslovic, who was part of the Rangers’ final trade just before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline, had been in New York for less than 24 hours at the time of Saturday’s puck drop — and made positive impressions on their new teammates.
“You plug in two pieces, it’s a little bit of adjustment, especially for them more than the guys who play here and are used to the system and everything like that,” said defenseman Adam Fox, who finished with a pair of assists. “But I thought they fit in real seamlessly. Wenny played a great two-way game there and drew the penalty on the PK. He was just really good on both ends, and obviously Rosy, you can see his speed and what he could do. As they get more acclimated, I’m sure you’ll see more and more.”
The trickle-down effect on the rest of the lineup was apparent, with all four lines making valuable contributions.
The result was a balanced attack, with Laviolette laying the ground work for the specific roles everyone is expected to play.
“For them jumping into a new team, new system, new lineup and a new building, it’s exciting, but it can be challenging, as well,” the coach said. “I thought they played a really good game.”
Roslovic gets try on top line
Only line remained untouched after the deadline — the dynamic trio Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière.
Don’t expect that to change anytime soon. They’ve been the Rangers’ most consistent source of offense all season, and while they didn’t register any fiveon-five goals against the Blues, it was Trocheck tipping a Panarin shot on a first-period power play to give New York a 1-0 lead.
They’re the Rangers’ true top line, but if they hope to go on a long playoff run, they’re going to need their 1B line combination to get going, as well.
The feeling out process between Roslovic, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad will take time, of course, with those growing pains visible on a few shifts when passes were sent to spots of open ice with no one there to receive them. But there were also flashes of skill plays and offensive-zone pressure that made you think there might be something there, especially when Roslovic was able to attack with in transition.
“It’s always a little bit more challenging jumping into something new with new linemates and not even really have a skate together,” Laviolette said. “I thought that Roslovic did a really good job, just bringing speed and had the puck on his stick and created in the offensive zone. The line looked dangerous to me.”
Fox’s relationship with Roslovic dates back to their time together with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
He recalled his new teammate skating on a loaded USNTDP top line with current NHL stars Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk, pointing to that as evidence that Roslovic “has a knack for playing with good players.”
The Rangers (41-18-4) have the same belief, but the 27-year-old winger understood he wasn’t going to prove it all in one game.
“When you play with two guys like that, you can tend to force play, so don’t try to be flashy or try to be a hero on the first night,” said Roslovic, who had one of his six shot attempts hit the crossbar late in the third period. “Play simple, try to learn and try to start building chemistry.”
Wennberg makes impact
Ice time was tilted in the top six’s favor, but the bottom six made it’s case for a more even distribution moving forward. Wennberg worked in between the young winger duo of Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko, with that line out-shooting the Blues by a lopsided 11-2 margin while they were on the ice together, according to Natural Stat Trick. The 29year-old Swede seemed to click right away with Cuylle, who finished with five shots on goal, and earned an assist on Kakko’s power-play goal in the third period.
“I felt that we were finding each other pretty well,” he said. “These are guys I’ve never played with before. It takes some time to build chemistry, but right away, you feel like there’s something there. I’m excited to see what we can build on.”
Wennberg also made a key play on a second-period penalty kill, when he batted down a pass for a takeaway and used his speed to draw a penalty that ended St. Louis’ power play prematurely. He joked that “I wish I was a little bit faster,” but his impact at five-on-five and on special teams was evident.
“I thought Wennberg’s line with Kaapo and Cools were really good,” Laviolette said. “They were good defensively, generated chances.”
Matt Rempe may be here to stay
Of the four lines, the most noticeable may have been the checking unit featuring Jimmy Vesey, Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe.
The new additions meant that two forwards needed to come out of the lineup, with Laviolette opting to keep Rempe − a 6-foot-8 rookie who has quickly become an MSG favorite − in the lineup over Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström, with the latter reassigned to AHL Hartford on Friday.
That looked like a wise decision, as the 21-year-old made his presence felt on almost every shift. He, Goodrow and Vesey hounded the Blues every time they touched the puck, with Rempe causing visible hesitation from St. Louis defensemen when they had to retrieve pucks behind their own net. He finished with a team-high three hits, a blocked shot and five shot attempts, all while logging a career-high 11:08 time on ice.