3 takeaways from the New York Rangers 3-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Feb 08, 2024 04:17 GMT

The New York Rangers struggled in January and limped into the NHL All-Star Break with a 5-7-2 record in early 2024. Since returning to action on Monday, New York is 2-0-0 with wins over the Colorado Avalanche and now the Tampa Bay Lightning after a 3-1 victory on Wednesday night.

A few days ago, the Rangers were ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes by just two points in the Metropolitan Divison, but after back-to-back wins, they extended their lead to six. New York is now on a three-game win streak, so here's a closer look at a few takeaways from their most recent triumph over a conference rival.

---

3 takeaways from New York Rangers' 3-1 win against Tampa Bay Lightning

#1. Rangers finally get scoring from bottom six

All season long, New York has relied on the scoring of Artemi Panarin and their top guys, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad, to carry them to victories. Statistically, their top star is leading the team in scoring by 20 points, and Adam Fox, with 37 points, is their fifth-best scorer.

New York Rangers celebrate a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jimmy Vesey scored twice on Wednesday night, and Jonny Brodzinski chipped in a goal. The pair guided the Rangers to a 3-1 victory over the Lightning to remain undefeated in their third jersey gear this season. Panarin didn't have a point, while Chris Kreider and Trocheck only had assists, allowing New York to pick up a win without their stars providing all the offense.

Unsurprisingly, the Rangers are set to become buyers at the NHL Trade Deadline and need to get more from the bottom six forwards if they plan on going on a deep playoff run. Although tonight was refreshing for the fans to see those player contributing, it is far from normal and the area the team must improve to reach their postseason goals.

#2. Jonathan Quick is the unsung hero of this year's team

Igor Shesterkin is a Vezina Trophy winner and considered one of the best goalies in the league under 30. After several successful campaigns, he's struggled this year and has watched backup Jonathan Quick be a star every time he gets a start.

Jonathan Quick, New York Rangers

Upon returning from the All-Star Game, Shesterkin has yet to start a game and has watched Quick win both of his starts, earning first-star honors on Monday when he made 32 saves and had an assist on the overtime winner. Against the Lightning, the 38-year-old made 18 saves to be named third star of the game, with the Rangers picking up a 3-1 win, improving his record to 12-4-0.

Quick was a New York fan as a kid and is now living out a dream by guarding the net at Madison Square Garden, helping the Rangers towards another championship when so many people thought he had nothing left to give.

#3. The Tampa Bay Lightning can't create space in wild-card race

The Lightning may employ the league's leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov, who had an assist in the 3-1 loss, but they can't catch a break and open up a gap in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. While Andrei Vasilevskiy was rehabbing from surgery, the Lightning struggled with a 9-6-5 record, improving to 18-12-0 with him back between the pipes.

Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning

On Wednesday, Vasilevskiy may have given up two goals (New York scored an empty netter), while Tampa Bay lost for only the second time in 10 games. However, despite the recent success, they are still clinging to the top spot wild-card spot, one point ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and only five ahead of the New York Islanders.

Unfortunately, these single losses here and there are valuable points they leave on the table that could heavily impact their final spot in the standings and whether they qualify for the playoffs or not. Now, they are only one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for a top spot in the Atlantic Division, but if they are going to be contenders, they can't afford to get beat by an opponent's bottom six guys on a nightly basis.