3 Takeaways From Rangers’ First Week of Games

The New York Rangers played four games to open up their first week of the season, going 3-1-0. After a tough first game, the team won the next three and heads into their next game looking to make it four straight. In this piece, we will go over three key takeaways from the Rangers’ first four games of the season.

Igor Shesterkin Looks Amazing Already

When you talk about the top goalies in the NHL, the first name that should come to mind is Igor Shesterkin. He played amazingly in his three starts this week, and although he lost the first game, he was the main reason the Rangers had any chance of winning against the Boston Bruins. It was the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning where he truly stood out, as he outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. It was also in that game that he scored the first-ever goalie goal in franchise history, and he got Madison Square Garden on its feet.

Bottom-Six Forwards Look More Effective

One of the main issues for the Rangers last season was the lack of production and effectiveness of their bottom-six forward group. So far this season, the bottom six has looked more productive and impactful than the top six at times. Eeli Tolvanen leads the team with three goals, and he, alongside others like Will Cuylle, Noah Laba, Tye Kartye, and Joe Veleno, all have looked good to start the season. All of these players also play on the penalty kill, which takes those minutes away from Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, who can focus on being more of a threat offensively.

If the Rangers have any chance of being a competitive team this season, they are going to need contributions from their bottom-six forwards. They have gotten it so far through these four games, and these players have played with speed and grit as well as contributing offensively. Combining that with their ability to play on both the power play and penalty kill, the Rangers’ bottom-six could become one of the more underrated parts of the team as the season goes along.

Getting Off to a Good Start at Home

The Rangers were abysmal last season on home ice, especially at the start of the season. They were shut out in their first three games at MSG and did not win their first home game until mid-November. They needed to get off to a good start at home this season, and they did that by beating the Lightning. Getting big goals from their top players and even a goal from Shesterkin helped start the season on the right foot.

They continued that good play, as they went on to beat the Utah Mammoth. The Rangers want to make MSG a harder place to play for opposing teams, and if they can keep up that kind of play all season long, they will accomplish that mission.