The New York Rangers’ newfound identity instilled by Mike Sullivan was on full display on Saturday night in their 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Going into this matchup, the Rangers were coming off of a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning where their offense was clicking on all cylinders, but it wasn’t the most complete defensive performance.
On Saturday night, the Rangers displayed arguably their most impressive defensive performance of the season.
The Rangers played a well-structured defensive game, as they were disciplined in their own zone and did not allow an abundance of high-quality scoring chances.
The Rangers’ one goal in regulation came in the second period on the power play with Adam Fox saving the puck from exiting the zone four times, and Mika Zibanejad capitalizing on his own rebound.
Over the course of the contest, the tone between these two Metropolitan Division foes became physical and scrappy.
In the second period, Sam Carrick fought Mathieu Olivier, one of the fiercest enforcers in the NHL. Carrick held his own, which may have come as a surprise to some people, but not to his teammates.
Carrick has taken on the enforcer role for the Rangers this season, and his impact does not go unnoticed.
“Sam is as tough as nails,” Sullivan said. “He’s a good fighter, he’s brave, he’s a tough kid. He plays the game hard and he plays an honest game. That's a thankless job, but I know he commands so much respect from his teammates, his coaching staff. All of us that are part of this group have a ton of respect for Sam with the courage that he brings and how he sticks up for his teammates.”
It was a tightly contested game throughout, so it was only fitting that the night took us into a shootout.
J.T. Miller delivered the game-winning goal in the shootout, marking a gutsy victory on the road.
Now, how exactly did the Rangers play to their identity?
Since Mike Sullivan’s arrival, we’ve seen a shift in philosophy. Sullivan wants the Blueshirts to be a stingy defensive team that prides themselves on playing to a structure and being physical.
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That’s exactly what we saw from the Rangers in Columbus. The Rangers found a way to win in a way that was driven by their defensive play.
“I just think it's evidence that we can win in different ways,” Sullivan said. “I think a sign of a good team is when they have a comfort level playing in a one-goal game and a low-scoring game, and I believe that we're developing that comfort level playing in a close, one-goal, low-scoring game.
“I think that's a sign of a good team, when you can play in your end zone and defend, and you don't have to hit the panic button, you just have a certain level of confidence that everybody's going to do their job. I think we're developing that with the group.”
The Rangers will be back in action on Sunday night against the Detroit Red Wings.