The Rangers were able to rally around each other with the loss of Jacob Trouba to defeat the Penguins 4-2.
Through all of the drama, the New York Rangers still found a way to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday night.
It was a hectic day for the New York Rangers as Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks and Igor Shesterkin reportedly signed an eight-year $92 million contract extension to stay in New York.
It was a day filled with emotion for the Rangers, but they still had a game to play.
The Rangers lost six of their past seven games going into the night, so this team was in dire need of a victory.
Something felt different about the Rangers. It was clear when watching that New York played with more confidence, unlike what we’ve seen from them recently.
Artemi Panarin stole the show, ending the contest with two goals and one assist while the puck just seemed to be glued to his stick all night long.
Meanwhile Reilly Smith had a dominant performance against his former team. After getting scratched last week, Smith played with an intensity that really helped elevate his line.
The Rangers had a few days off prior to this game and it really helped the team regroup and find their identity again.
It almost felt as if the Rangers were more relaxed on the ice even with all of the outside noise that currently clouds over the franchise.
This was a win that the Rangers desperately needed both in order to get back on track and start to move on from all of these trade rumors.
"It was a very important win for us, for sure. It was a really tough day,” Shesterkin said. “We just need to build our game, be together and play every game step by step."
Trouba was a big loss in terms of his leadership, but the significance of the trade helped the Rangers rally together.
"There's a little bit more sense of togetherness,” Vincent Trocheck said. When something like this happens, you bind together, and you've got to get through these type of things together. So, definitely, before this game and through this morning, and throughout the day, we're all trying to make sure that we're staying tight."
The Rangers will be back in action on Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Kraken.