After the New York Rangers’ loss Monday to league-worst Chicago, Peter Laviolette criticized his team’s effort in the second and third periods. The game before, a 7-5 loss Sunday to Seattle, New York might have had a higher effort level, but it still allowed five consecutive goals in the final two periods to a Kraken team that averages fewer than three goals per game.
Once again, the Rangers had a less-than-pretty third period Wednesday in Buffalo. But unlike the past two games, they found a way to withstand a late Sabres push, in no small part because of Igor Shesterkin’s 29 saves in net. The Rangers won 3-2 behind a goal and two assists from Adam Fox.
Here are three takeaways from the game, plus some quick notes.
Zibanejad more aggressive
Mika Zibanejad’s night did not start as he would have liked. He tripped Jordan Greenway 20 seconds into the game. But the Rangers’ penalty kill got out of the jam, and Zibanejad proceeded to open the game’s scoring.
On the Rangers’ first power play, drawn by fourth-liner Adam Edström, Fox managed to keep a failed Owen Power clearing attempt in the zone. He fed Artemi Panarin, who moved toward the net before finding Zibanejad in the offensive zone faceoff circle. Zibanejad beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a blocker-side wrister. It was the 300th goal of his career, and it came at a much-needed time for the struggling Zibanejad, who entered the game with only one power-play goal on the year.
Mika Zibanejad nets his 300th career goal to open the scoring for the @NYRangers! 🗽#NHLStats: https://t.co/EDwRzYr90d
📺: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T pic.twitter.com/QRD2zSt1jq
— NHL (@NHL) December 12, 2024
Zibanejad was aggressive in Buffalo and looked more confident putting the puck on net, finishing the game with five shots, tying a season high. He also nearly created a goal midway through the second. He seized a Power turnover behind the net and set up a dangerous look for linemate Chris Kreider.
Buffalo managed to generate chances against the Kreider-Zibanejad-Reilly Smith line, but the group kept the puck out of the net, thanks in part to Shesterkin. Smith also chipped in the Rangers’ only five-on-five goal of the night, though Zibanejad was not on the ice at the time.
Fourth line draws penalties
The Rangers’ fourth liners don’t jump out on the score sheet, but they made an impact on the game. Each member of the line (Edström-Sam Carrick–Brett Berard) drew a penalty: usually a testament to skating and puck possession.
Edström drew an interference penalty cutting through the neutral zone before Zibanejad’s goal. Five minutes later, Carrick drove to the net, and Ryan Johnson tripped him trying to prevent a goal. Rookie Berard, whose forechecking led to a flurry of chances late in the second period, also got hooked in the third. (To no fault of Berard, that penalty might not have been ideal for the Rangers: New York allowed the Sabres to generate perhaps the three most dangerous chances on the power play, including a Connor Clifton shot off the post.)
Carrick also picked up an assist on the Smith goal. He protected a puck from Bowen Byram and carried it into the offensive zone while his wingers changed for Kreider and Smith. Carrick then passed to Fox, who threw a puck off the end boards. Smith managed to knock it past Luukkonen.
Miller leaves game
K’Andre Miller left the game with an upper-body injury after playing 13:42. Miller is among the Rangers who have underperformed this season, but he made a few nice plays early in the Sabres game, stealing a puck from Byram to create a partial breakaway, then knocking possession away from Nicolas Aubé-Kubel shortly after.
Regardless of whether Miller is struggling, the Rangers will have a difficult time filling his minutes should he miss time. With Jacob Trouba traded to Anaheim, Victor Mancini is already in the lineup. Potential fill-in options for Miller include Matthew Robertson, Connor Mackey, Chad Ruhwedel and Casey Fitzgerald.
Quick notes
- Fox has 25 points on the year, but his empty-net goal late in the Buffalo game was his first goal of the season.
- Vincent Trocheck nearly had a Gordie Howe hat trick. He fought Aubé-Kubel after the Buffalo forward reverse hit him, then assisted Fox’s empty-net goal. The veteran center was on the ice with the net empty again after Fox’s goal, but neither he nor the rest of the Rangers were able to score again with Luukkonen on the bench.
- At five-on-five, the Sabres led the third period 25-8 in shot attempts and 11-3 in shots, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s not an ideal finish for the Rangers.
- Tage Thompson’s goal in the final minute, which cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-2, was the first six-on-five goal New York has allowed this season.
(Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig / Imagn Images)
