In this latest edition of New York Rangers News & Rumors, Rangers winger Blake Wheeler finally broke the ice and posted his first point of the season against the Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, although the Rangers’ blew a three-goal lead and lost in the shootout to the Wild, the blame is not on Jonathan Quick. In other news, Erik Gustafsson is continuing to be a solid addition to the Rangers’ lineup. Let’s discuss all of this and more in today’s (Nov. 5) Rangers News & Rumors column.
Wheeler Records First Point of Season
It is not a secret that Wheeler’s tenure with the Rangers has been off to a brutal start. Heading into the Rangers’ contest against the Wild, the 2004 first-round pick had zero points in 10 games played. However, the veteran winger finally broke the ice against the Wild, as he recorded the primary assist on Gustafsson’s first-period goal. Although a one-assist night may not be the biggest news ever, it is just great to see Wheeler finally get on the scoresheet.
Wheeler has been showing signs of progress over the last few games, so it was only a matter of time before he would get a point. Besides getting a helper on Gustafsson’s tally, the Minnesota native was simply more noticeable in this one. He worked hard on the forecheck and created chances because of it.
Now that Wheeler has gotten his first point of the season, the Blueshirts will be hoping that he can contribute more frequently from here. When noting that the 37-year-old had 16 goals and 55 points in 72 games just last season with the Winnipeg Jets, there’s reason to believe that he can turn his season around.
Quick’s Strong Performance Despite Loss
While some may immediately point the finger at Quick for the Rangers blowing their multi-goal lead against the Wild, he is not to blame. Even though they had a 3-0 lead during their contest against the Wild, the Rangers were quite sloppy as the game rolled on. The Wild dominated the flow of play and created an array of high-danger chances throughout the game. Quick ended the night with 36 saves on 40 shots. The Rangers, on the other hand, had a measly 18 shots on the night.
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Quick did his best to keep the Rangers’ lead intact, and the Rangers did not provide him much support in the slightest. When looking at the significant difference in shots, one could argue that he’s the only reason that they managed to secure a single point from this contest. The final score could have been far worse for the Rangers if Quick had not made several key saves.
With this loss, Quick now has a 2-0-1 record, a .948 save percentage, and a 1.42 goals-against average in four appearances. Although the sample size is small so far this season, it is fair to say that he has done well, and he continued that trend against the Wild.
Gustafsson Continuing to Produce
While the Rangers’ effort against the Wild was far from great, it is fair to state that Gustafsson had a solid showing. The 31-year-old defenseman had a goal, an assist, and a plus-1 rating on the night. With this, he now has three goals, six points, and a plus-6 rating in 11 games played thus far.
The Rangers brought Gustafsson in to provide more offense from the point, and so far, he has done that with the Original Six club. Unfortunately, his two-point night was not enough for the Rangers to secure a win against the Wild, but it is hard not to be happy with what we saw from him, at least offensively.
Gustafsson will now look to continue his decent start to the season from here. When noting that he is only signed to a one-year, $825,000 deal, he certainly is living up to his expectations.
Rangers Demote 3 Players
The Rangers have made some substractions to their NHL roster. Goaltender Louis Domingue, defenseman Connor Mackey, and forward Jonny Brodzinski have all been sent back down the American Hockey League (AHL) to rejoin the Hartford Wolf Pack.
This trio was called up for the Rangers’ contest against the Wild, but only Brodzinski dressed and centered the third line. Domingue and Mackey, on the other hand, were called up for insurance.