The New York Rangers have officially found their mojo back, if they haven’t already.
A few weeks ago the Rangers wouldn’t have won this game. However, on Saturday night, New York prevailed with a 1-0 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Igor Shesterkin was the driving force of the night, so he recorded a shutout, but the result doesn’t do justice to the Rangers’ style of play.
The Blueshirts had periods where they created a lot of quality scoring opportunities and endured heavy pressure in the offensive zone.
Defensively, the Rangers played a balanced and balanced game and didn’t give Columbus much space.
It was a back and forth affair as the two teams battled into overtime and then penalties.
Vincent Trocheck scored a goal in the shootout and Shesterkin made three crucial saves in the Rangers’ win.
Something is changing in New York. The Rangers are running at full speed and have regained their confidence.
“Confidence is coming back or is back,” said Vincent Trocheck. “We just play better hockey everywhere. Whenever you play a smarter and better brand of hockey, you just feel more confident in your game.”
How did confidence emerge in the Rangers dressing room?
First of all, the new additions Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen have helped to solidify the defense, even if it took some time and the team is structured differently.
The simple answer is for Rangers to win again and boost confidence.
“You have to do the right things to win and at the end of the day it is the win that builds confidence,” said Peter Laviolette. I think it’s slowly getting better because we’re getting wins into the game.”
These wins also change the overall energy and vibe around the Blueshirts. The Rangers are rejuvenated and suddenly find themselves back in the playoff hunt.
“When you ask a team when they win games, I think the atmosphere is just a lot better, the energy is a lot better,” Adam Fox said. “It was easy for us to pull through when things were going badly and we were falling behind in the standings, but we know the team we have here. We know what we are capable of.”
The Rangers will be back in action on Sunday night against the Montreal Canadiens.