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Recap: Rangers Coast After 6-Goal First, 7-0

They don’t get much easier than that.

The Rangers hosted the Milwaukee Admirals Nashville Predators Sunday night. After a blowout sale at the deadline and injuries to their remaining stars, the Predators had their work cut out for them.

First Period

Filip Chytil got the Rangers started with an early goal on a wonderful individual effort. He swiftly carried the puck from the defensive to the offensive zone before dancing around Dante Fabbro and beating Kevin Lankinen up high. With that goal, Chytil secured his first career 20-goal season and broke an 18-game goal-drought.

Mika Zibanejad, on the other hand, knows no drought—he knows only the deluge, and he scored his 37th to put the Rangers up two.

Tyler Motte got in on the fun too, finished off a cross-ice one-timer from Jacob Trouba. Trouba continues to put up points—he’s only been held off the scoresheet three times this month.

But why stop there? After assisting on two of the previous goals, Miller added his seventh goal of the season. Skating four-on-four, Artemiy Panarin won a board battle in his own zone and made the outlet past to Vincent Trocheck. He and Miller sped up ice to create a two-on-one and connected on the Royal Road.

Lankinen exited, Saros entered, and Nashville took penalty. Panarin sniped.

But there was still another half of the period to play, giving Miller plenty of time to add his second goal and fourth point of the period. Saros will want that one back, but he can’t have it. Miller became the first Rangers defender in history to score four points in a single period.

Things calmed down from there, the Rangers just content to pass the puck around the hapless Predators. All told, the Rangers scored five goals in the first 10:01 of the period, the latter coming in a 2:39 span. The six goals came on just eight SOG, it and was the first time the Rangers scored six in the first period since 1999.

Rest of the Game:

All that was left to do was eat time, avoid injury, and try to get K’Andre the hatty. The succeed on the former two, though sadly K’Andre was left hanging on two. Kreider scored in the second to extend his goal-streak to three, so that’s nice.

. . .

The Rangers demonstrated a lesson that oh-so-many teachers have tried to impart on their students: if you get your work done early, you don’t have to rush later on. All the lines scored, Halak earned his first shutout of the season en route to snapping his personal losing streak, and Gallant could keep ice-time down. Nashville is a team the Rangers should beat, especially with Forsberg, Josi, and McDonagh out, but to this level of domination bodes well.

After outscoring their opponents 13-0 this weekend, the Rangers will have a tougher challenge against the Metro-leading Hurricanes on Tuesday. Fortunately, they may have Ryan Lindgren back.

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