Rangers much-needed blowout win over lowly Blackhawks comes with some significance
CHICAGO — It’s counterproductive to put stock in a win over the last-place team in the NHL, but there’s significance to a much-needed blowout victory.The Rangers’ 6-2 win over the lowly Blackhawks on Sunday evening at United Center was exactly that.Facing 26 shots (14 in the third), and only seven high-danger chances (per Natural Stat Trick), the Blueshirts had a relatively straightforward path to victory and didn’t experience much pushback to get there.As a result, the win counted as their largest since their 4-0 victory in Detroit on Nov.9, over eight weeks ago.It all came together despite the Rangers playing without Chris Kreider, who the team classified as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.Goalie Louis Domingue also made his season debut in the win, stopping 25 of the 27 shots he faced in the Rangers’ second game of a back-to-back slate that began Saturday in Washington.Chicago has been a bottom-dwelling team for a while, but the Rangers have had a tough time this season regardless of what team is on the other end of the ice.
A month ago, the Blackhawks ventured to Madison Square Garden and beat the Rangers, 2-1.After posting a few solid efforts with just one win to show for it, however, the Rangers took advantage of all the Blackhawks gave them and ran up the score.Having not been able to do that to any team since early November, it was a welcome development regardless of what team it came against.After Vincent Trocheck took a tripping penalty just over a minute into the game, the Rangers were shaky to start.It didn’t take long for the Blackhawks to raid the Rangers’ zone, in which the visitors just chased the puck.
Mika Zibanejad lost a race to the puck that led to Connor Bedard finding Tyler Bertuzzi backdoor for the 1-0 lead at the 5:37 mark of the opening frame.The Rangers managed to stabilize after that and take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.Skating in his first game since Dec.23, and filling in for Kreider, Jonny Brodzinski ...