The Rangers learned the hard way on Thursday that you need to play 60 minutes of your best hockey to contain the Avalanche.
New York has been one of the better defensive clubs through the first quarter of the season. Even if Mike Sullivan’s club is struggling to score, they don’t usually let in goals at the other end. For a little more than a period, they suffocated the Avs’ offense. When Colorado got going in the second, Igor Shesterkin stood tall.
But then the third period came around. Shesterkin couldn’t stop every puck. The Avalanche were skating circles around the Rangers. The top line, primarily, could not be contained.
Not Nathan MacKinnon, not Cale Makar, and not Martin Necas. The trio combined for nine points, and the Rangers conceded six goals.
“It’s definitely the best team we’ve played all year,” Sullivan said.
How are the Avs doing it? These games aren’t coming to them right away. But they’re eventually getting there. Is head coach Jared Bednar changing things on the fly?
It doesn’t sound like that’s been the cure. Bednar said it’s the leadership that’s been the difference. Hockey is a game of skill and will. This team has had the skill in each of the past three seasons, but now they’re finding ways to will themselves to success.
It all starts with the captain, and having him back in the room, on the ice, and on the bench.
READ MORE: The Aftermath: Top Line Handles Rangers, Avalanche Win 7th Straight
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