The Rangers fabulous February ended on a high note with a 4-1 win last night at MSG over Columbus.
The New York Rangers march through March begins Saturday night in Toronto where they'll play a top-heavy offensive team with an eh defense and a corps of Number Two goalies.
No question, but the Blueshirts fabulous February ended on a high note with a 4-1 -- really 2-1 with a pair of open-netters -- win last night at MSG over Columbus, the worst team in the East.
But a win is a WIN, especially since Peter Laviolette's lads have reached the 40-victory mark faster than any team in the league. They're flying high and I've got a feelin' they're not falling.
Or, as they say on King Street in Toronto, "Not too bad, EH!"
"Our plan," Lavvy explained, "was to have a better month in February and we did. Now we take on March."
All signs are ga-ga and hip-hip-hooray.
Igor Shesterkin is playing so confidently that even when he makes a mistake -- as he did on the lone Blue Jackets goal -- he can laugh it off; as he did.
"I was very good in the net," joked Comrade Iggy, "but very bad behind the net."
No big deal; he only made it interesting in the third period when Shesty proved his worth. Empty netters by Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin made a close game look like a blowout; which it was not.
The Breadman delivered an earlier red light and a power play goal by the ever-improving Adam Fox rounded out the scoring.
Indubitably mulling the possibility of baking a few Bialis, Panarin reminded all the esteemed media historians that this was not only a two-point victory but a moral one as well.
"After they beat us in Columbus," Panarin noted, "we had a debt to pay back and we did."
Yay Artemi for your high I.Q., as in Intensity Quotient.
Kudos also to the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow Adam Edstrom plus the superduper Man-Mountain, Matt Rempe. (More on Peace In Our Time Rempe in another story).
The Fourth Liners tenacious forecheck spread over two periods should underline The Maven's advice to GM Chris Drury -- do not disrupt team chemistry -- DON'T MAKE A TRADE!
Not to be overlooked was Old Reliable Kreider's delicious pass to Fox, who tallied the game-winner on the power play.
The game was pockmarked with a few skirmishes -- alias fights -- not worth mentioning since the pre-game temperature pointed to a Black-eyed Rempe main event with Mathieu Olivier, the man responsible for Rempe's shiner.
(More on the-fight-that-became-a-non-fight in the next story.)
With their one-game winning streak, the Blueshirts now can take aim at another ten-straight run proving that one can make hay in March.
"We don't get any trophies now," concluded captain Jacob (Jake The Rake) Trouba. "It feels good." Then a pause: "But who really cares?"