Dose: Rangers keep rolling
Here’s hoping the world sorts itself out after a truly horrific weekend. Or, at least, sorts itself out relative to how sorted-out things were before, say, Friday. Which isn’t saying much but … you know what I mean, right? Maybe.
/Hard-hitting political analysis
Let’s get those two caps-a-rollin.
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RANGERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3
-- Jonathan Bernier allowing a center-ice goal has to be the universe's way of saying, "Hey Buds, you should probably give James Reimer a real chance to sink or swim."
OK, so that's very much a matter of taking advantage of the situation for narrative purposes ... which is SO FUN right?
More black-and-white: Bernier is 0-7-1, which seems almost kind of unthinkable.
-- Mats Zuccarello, guy who got his skull fractured during the 2015 postseason, now has a point per game. With a goal and two assists, including the game-winner, he now has 18 points in 18 games. He has seven points in his last four games.
Pretty amazing stuff.
-- Matt Hunwick and Morgan Rielly both suffered -3 ratings in this one.
On the flipside, Byron Froese generated two assists and a +2 rating.
-- Antti Raanta improved to 4-0-0 on the season, with this being his "worst" start in that he allowed three goals. His save percentage is fantastic at .955.
-- Ryan McDonagh scored a goal and an assist, while his +3 rating also stood out. It leaves him at +13 overall.
Plus/minus is a dumb stat, but hey, it's less dopey when you can benefit.
-- The Rangers have now won nine games in a row, improving their standings total to 30 points, the best in the NHL. Their +25 goal differential is also the best in the league.
If there's one area where their good work might be inflated, it's in their schedule. The Rangers have only played seven of 18 games on the road.
Other top teams have had more even differentials, so maybe that will show itself soon.
BLACKHAWKS 4, FLAMES 1
-- Patrick Kane now has a seven-game streak in which he has at least a goal. Going further, Kane is on a 13-game point streak, generating 10 goals and 12 assists during that span. He's now alone atop the NHL with 28 points, two more than anyone else.
-- Duncan Keith has matching one-assist, +2 games (at least from those standpoints) since returning, and he's still logging plenty of ice time. Interestingly, he didn't register a single SOG in this game.
-- Marian Hossa grabbed the GWG and managed an assist. He hasn't pulled off very much - seven points in 15 GP - but I'd expect that to climb, as his shooting percentage is at just 4.4 percent.
-- Artemi Panarin also has 18 points in as many games this season. Pretty remarkable that a relative unknown can manage this, even if some attribute much of his production to Kane. Panarin's shown enough guile and skill that he deserves at least some credit for it.
-- Scott Darling hasn't gotten many reps, with just two appearances in November. Nonetheless, he's now at 2-2-0 with a .902 save percentage.
