Rangers third line already in lockstep with opener a promising glimpse
All four of the Rangers lines had a hand in their season-opening rout of the Penguins, but it was the third unit that played like a fist.Missing Filip Chytil for 82 of 98 total games last season made the Czech center’s presence on the ice Wednesday night all the more noticeable.The way he weaves through defenders, pushes the puck up the ice and creates scoring opportunities, it simply lengthens the Rangers’ lineup.Leading all lines with 12:25 of ice time, Chytil, Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko outshot the Penguins 13-6 while on the ice together, in addition to owning a 16-6 advantage in scoring chances and an 8-3 edge in high-danger opportunities, according to Natural Stat Trick.They created off the rush and generated rebounds.
As a unit, their 1.05 expected goals rate led the team, and individually they all ranked in the top three in the same category.“We had a lot of chances, not just chances, but a lot of big chances,” Chytil said after the 6-0 victory, which marked the sixth time in franchise history — and the first since 1956 — that the Rangers recorded a shutout in their season-opening game.“Of course, that was a good start, but there’s a lot of things we have to work on [that] I’m not happy about.We just have to work on it, and we play another game on Saturday.
Have a good practice on Friday and be ready for next game and be better.”A full 82 games of Chytil is at the tip-top of the Rangers’ regular-season wish list.The 25-year-old went down in the 10th game of last season with what is suspected to be the fourth concussion of his eight-year NHL career.It was clear the Rangers didn’t think they could go the distance in the playoffs without Chytil, which is why No.
72 was inserted into the lineup the moment he was ready despite the fact that the club was undefeated through its first six games of the playoffs.The itch that Chytil had to get back to playing the game he loves was palpable in training camp.“I thought [Chytil] was good, the...