The post-trade-deadline Rangers started off on the right foot as the club cracked the final 20 games of the regular season.
They looked fast and shifty in a swift 4-0 win over the Blues on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, where newly acquired forwards Jack Roslovic and Alex Wennberg played an integral role in the team’s strong transition game in their Rangers debuts.
It was Game 1 of Peter Laviolette’s assessment period to solidify the Blueshirts’ playoff lineup.
And the Rangers head coach liked what he saw from his starting point.
“We moved it quick,” Laviolette said. “Quick to close, defensively. Moved the puck quick to get it out. Made good decisions through the neutral zone. Put a lot of pucks on net tonight that led to chances that led to opportunities, goals. I thought the guys were sharp.”
St. Louis gave the home team lots of time and space in a game where the Rangers power play accounted for three of their four goals thanks to Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko.
The Rangers’ new-look fourth line of Jimmy Vesey, Barclay Goodrow and Matt Rempe generated the other, as well as many other impactful contributions throughout the night.
And goalie Igor Shesterkin continued his dominant stretch with 26 saves in his second shutout of the season.
Consistently flying through the neutral zone as the Blues struggled to present any sort of defensive challenge, the Rangers seemed to have the puck more often than not.
“I think the speed in here — I can already tell Day 1 and even playing against them — quick team,” Roslovic said. “We got some guys that lay the body, but to be able to transition quick and get in the O-zone, it’s pressure.”
This all while adjusting to the absence of their captain, Jacob Trouba, who will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury.
That, of course, forced Laviolette to switch up his defensive pairs and insert Zac Jones back into the lineup.
Braden Schneider filled in for Trouba on the right side of K’Andre Miller, and the two young blueliners were sharp while primarily facing the Blues’ top line of Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou.
“This is a great opportunity for Schneider to step up and play some minutes and take on a big responsibility,” Laviolette said. “I think that pair was really good.”
The Rangers nearly made it a 3-0 game early in the middle frame when Rempe helped force a turnover in the defensive zone before blasting a one-timer set up by Goodrow at the other end.
Refs reviewed the play and ultimately decided that the puck, which bounced off both posts, never fully crossed the goal line.
Goal or not, Rempe’s addition to the lineup continues to pay dividends for the Rangers.
There’s a new tenacious energy to the fourth unit, and it’s not just from the way fans react to everything Rempe does when he’s on the ice.
The Garden crowd in particular, however, cannot get enough of the 6-foot-8 ½ forward.
“I think it was just forechecking,” said Jimmy Vesey, who gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead on a partial breakaway at the end of the opening frame. “I thought Remps played great. He was in on the forecheck all night and taking the body, turning pucks over. It’s nice to get the goal off kind of a neutral zone [play], but I thought our line could’ve had a bunch of goals.”
