The New York Rangers‘ strong comeback continued with a dominant 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. With this victory over a team ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, the Rangers shut down the Senators and extended their impressive run.
This latest win marks their ninth consecutive game with at least one point, underscoring their ongoing rise in the second half of the season. Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette praised his team’s defensive play, which has been a key factor in their turnaround. After the game, he highlighted their solid defensive effort, especially in the first period.
“We were sharp defensively right from the start, which helped us get an early lead,” Laviolette said. “Even when things weren’t going our way, we stayed focused and maintained strong defense.”
A standout factor in the Rangers’ success is the stellar play of goaltender Igor Shesterkin. The goalie made 20 saves to earn his second consecutive shutout, and has now gone 164:03 without allowing a goal, just two minutes shy of his career-high shutout streak.
While Shesterkin has been flawless in his last two starts, his recent improvement has been building for some time. After a slow start to the season following a big contract extension, Shesterkin had been giving up more goals than usual. However, his last 10 to 15 games have seen a marked improvement, with fewer rough outings and more consistent, high-quality performances.
The Rangers’ current nine-game point streak has been crucial in reviving their playoff hopes. After a difficult stretch in which they lost 15 of 19 games before the new year, the team has started to close the gap and position themselves closer to a playoff spot.
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