The New York Rangers left Long Island with a critical two points after a decisive 5-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
Based on the score you would think the Rangers dominated the whole way through, but that actually happens not to be true.
Despite holding a 3-1 lead after the first period, the Rangers were badly outshot and spent the majority of the opening 20 minutes in their own zone.
Believe it or not, it was Jonny Brodzinski who led the charge for the Blueshirts. The scrappy forward scored two goals, which marked his first multi-goal game in his NHL career.
Brodzinski’s presence should not be overlooked as he always plays hard at both ends of the ice and is loved among all his teammates in the locker room.
“I’m really happy for him, he deserves it,” Brennan Othmann said of Brodzinski. “He’s a really good player and he’s finally getting an opportunity to play at the NHL level. I think he’s an honest player and you know what to expect of him everyday and every night.
“He works hard and he has a really good release. I’m happy to see he’s getting some success and getting some recognition.”
In the second period, the Rangers built on their lead with goals from J.T. Miller and Matt Rempe, allowing them to settle in a lot more and demoralize the Islanders.
Surprisingly, the Blueshirts’ fourth line of Brodzinski, Rempe and Othmann made up for three of the team’s five goals.
Brodzinski admitted it felt like a blast from the past during their days playing in the American Hockey League together.
“It was a ton of fun,” Brodzinski said of his line’s offensive production. “It almost felt like back in Hartford a little bit, especially with Otter and Remps on my wing. It was just a ton of fun, especially since we played in the O-zone the entire night. It was great.”
Othmann made his season debut for the Rangers after he was called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack on Monday.
He recorded 12:02 minutes and was a +3 while on the ice. The 22-year-old forward felt calm on the ice and overall was confident in his performance.
“I think I was a lot less nervous this time around,” Othmann said. “It’s only one game, but I think throughout the day and during warmups I was a lot less nervous and a lot more comfortable. Once you get your first couple shifts in the O-zone and you’re not scrambling in the D-zone, it gives you a lot more confidence.”
Unfortunately for the Rangers, K’Andre Miller suffered a lower-body injury and Adam Fox suffered an upper-body injury with both exiting the game early. Peter Laviolette confirmed that they are being evaluated.
Everyone seemed to execute at a high level through this victory and the magnitude of the night’s results was echoed by Laviolette following the game.
“I thought it was a really complete game from everyone,” Laviolette emphasized. “All the lines chipped in. I thought they played a really good game, the defensemen. Shesty made big saves when we needed him to. It was a big game. It meant a lot in the standings.”
The Rangers will be back in action on Friday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
