The New York Rangers extended their win streak to six games by scoring six goals in their third straight game. And Vladimir Tarasenko's helped out with that.
Another day, another six-spot.
On Wednesday, the New York Rangers extended their current winning streak to six games when they opened a three-game spin through Western Canada with a 6-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
With a 13-2-2 record and an .824 points percentage since January 1, the Rangers are the hottest team in the NHL so far in 2023. Now with 72 points, they're sitting comfortably in third place in the Metropolitan Division — 10 points clear of the Washington Capitals in the second wild-card spot and just three points behind the second-place New Jersey Devils.
Even with the win, the Blueshirts showed some rust in their first game in four days. The Rangers won just 37 percent of their faceoffs, and even though they were dinged for just four giveaways as a team, the 28th-overall Canucks were credited with 12 takeaways, compared to just five for the visitors.
"Tonight wasn't perfect by any stretch," said left wing Jimmy Vesey, who picked up his 22nd point of the year with an assist on the first of two goals on the night from Artemi Panarin. "But we've had a few days off here and some travel. We'll take the two points and regroup for the last two games here (on the road trip)."
Right now, the Rangers have the firepower to score their way out of any situation. They've tallied at least four goals in all six games on their winning streak — the first time that has happened since 2016. And when Mika Zibanejad hit the empty net with 1:34 left on the clock at Rogers Arena on Wednesday, it marked the first time since 1989 the Rangers had hit six goals in three consecutive games.
Those three games, of course, coincide with the arrival of Vladimir Tarasenko, who was traded from the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 9. The 31-year-old chipped in one assist on Wednesday and saw his ice time spike by nearly four minutes from his first two games in a New York uniform.
He may only have two points in those three games, but he's showing great chemistry with new linemates Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.
In the last three games:
Chris Kreider (1-3-4) - Mika Zibanejad (4-1-5) - Vladimir Tarasenko (1-1-2)
Artemi Panarin (6-3-9) - Vincent Trocheck (1-3-4) - Jimmy Vesey (0-3-3)
Tarasenko's arrival appears to have given Gerard Gallant the pieces he needs to create a top six that can match up against any foe in the playoffs.
And that firepower is especially important while Igor Shesterkin isn't playing at his best.
The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner has regressed to merely 'excellent' this season after last year's out-of-this-world campaign. But Wednesday marked the fourth start in a row where Shesterkin has given up three goals or more — highly uncharacteristic by his standards.
"We had the all-star break and a lot of time off," said Gallant postgame, as Shesterkin's four starts have come over a three-week span going back to Jan. 25.
"Goalies like to stay in their rhythm. But it wasn't only him. He wouldn't be happy with his game, but the whole team wasn't as sharp as we usually are."
And while the Canucks are having a tough time keeping the puck out of their own net, they can score — and have done it even more since Rick Tocchet arrived on the scene. In nine games with Tocchet at the helm, Vancouver is averaging 3.44 goals per game and producing a solid 20.7 percent with the man advantage. And just like in last week's 4-3 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Vancouver hung around and made a game of it.
"We keep talking about doing the right things," Zibanejad said. "We know we can score. We've just got to make sure we make the right decisions, that we don't try to sacrifice the defensive part or put ourselves in a bad spot that way. I thought we thought we did a good job tonight and got the two points."
The Canucks are also averaging 4.56 goals against under Tocchet. And with starter Thatcher Demko still not quite ready to return from the lower-body injury that has kept him out since Dec. 1, Tocchet elected to give 21-year-old Arturs Silovs his first career NHL start on Wednesday night. After giving up three goals on 10 shots in the first period, Silovs finished with five goals against on 27 shots — from some of the most lethal snipers in the league.
Hudson River Playoffs?
New York's playoff seeding is not looking quite as carved-in-stone as the Toronto-Tampa Bay matchup that appears virtually locked in the Atlantic Division. But the Metropolitan standings are trending toward the first Rangers-Devils playoff series since 2012 — a pairing that would offer a wealth of intrigue and storylines.
As good as the Rangers' results have been in 2023, the Devils have kept pace — 12-2-3 for 27 points and a .794 points percentage since Jan. 1, second-best in the league. They're also 2-0-1 since Jack Hughes went out with an upper-body injury last week — and Hughes practiced in a non-contact jersey on Wednesday and is said to be pushing to get back into the lineup as soon as possible.
The Rangers' cap situation likely limits more big moves before the trade deadline, much to the chagrin of Patrick Kane. But the Devils are believed to be big-game hunting and seem like a logical potential landing place for the top offensive forward on most trade-bait boards, Timo Meier.
New Jersey continues a four-game road trip in St. Louis on Thursday, while the Rangers are now headed for Alberta. They'll face the Edmonton Oilers on Friday before what promises to be a spicy rematch with the Calgary Flames on Saturday.