SAINT PAUL, Minn. — They are Sybilesque, that’s what these multi-personality Rangers are — one way wearing Blue and another clad in White.
“I think when we’re home and something goes wrong, we kind of look at ourselves as victims, but when we’re on the road we have a different mentality where we just dig in,” Chris Kreider said after the Whiteshirts’ 3-2 victory over the Wild on Saturday. “We’re east-west at home and we’re north-south on the road. There’s more attention to detail on the road.
“Obviously it’s not ideal and we have to straighten it out at the Garden, but at the same time we’re proud of the way we play on the road.”
The victory that marked the Rangers’ seventh win in their past eight and league-leading 26th — 26-9! — on the road wasn’t at all pretty but it sure was gritty, as Clyde Frazier might put it. The Rangers doubled down on their battle level all over the ice and gutted it out, maintaining their one-goal lead when Jesper Fast dropped to the ice to block Matt Dumba’s shot from the low right circle with 9.1 seconds remaining and the Wild having the extra attacker.
“I don’t even know who it was [who blocked it], but there were so many guys in front,” said Antti Raanta, who was blameless on the two scored from the doorstep without opposition. “But that’s what we need to win hockey games.”
The Rangers, and notably Rick Nash, were strong without the puck. If the New Yorkers were guilty of too many turnovers by trying to force things at times as per their DNA, they were in turn able to break up numerous Wild odd-man rushes.
“Our compete and our one-on-ones were much better,” said Nash, who has gone nine straight without scoring but appears on the verge of busting out. “I thought we were still a little bit too cute at times on some of our odd-man rushes instead of playing it off the [goaltender’s] pads, but for the most part we simplified and played the kind of game we need.
“We have to get over it, but it seems like we just have clearer minds when we’re on the road. At home, we try to impress with our skill and speed. On the road, we just take a business approach of coming in and leaving with two points.”
The Wild took a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the first when Eric Staal scored from in front two seconds after the Rangers had killed the first of a pair of too many men on the ice penalties. It would have been ironic, as the song goes, had a Rangers team that has lost its fair share over the last few weeks (5-5-1) because too few men showed up to play the full 60 had lost this one because too many of them were on.
But no, even though the Wild did score a power play goal early in the third to move within 3-2 on the second bench minor. Because the Rangers elevated their game over the second half of the first period, tying it when homeboy Brady Skjei drove a long one along the ice past Devan Dubnyk at 18:01 of the second.
The surge continued in the second when Oscar Lindberg, who went directly to the net after coming on for Derek Stepan on a change, converted J.T. Miller’s centering feed for a 2-1 lead at 7:46 of the second. And then Jimmy Vesey, who played an assertive game, scored on a rebound off a Pavel Buchnevich right wing drive that was first tipped by Lindberg.
The new fourth line, created when Buchnevich was reinserted in favor of Tanner Glass after being scratched Friday, played well and responsibly throughout with coach Alain Vigneault sticking with a four-line rotation until the final 3:30.
“I thought we had a good game together,” said Vesey, who broke a 14-game scoreless streak. “Obviously it feels good to score, but I think except for the last game [Friday against Florida at the Garden] I’ve been skating well. I have a different role on this line, but I’m just trying my best to learn and do what I can to help us win.”
So back home the Rangers went immediately following the match. But fear not, the next one is on the road in New Jersey on Tuesday before they have to play at the Garden the next night against the Islanders.