Recap: Rangers Snap Home Skid With Offensive Outburst, Defeat Predators 6-3

The New York Rangers are back at home taking on the Nashville Predators. They were still looking for their first win on home ice this season, and the struggling Predators were ironically easy prey.

Tonight there were a few key lineup changes. First, Vincent Trocheck is making his much needed return to the roster and will immediately improve the team's center depth. Second, after being called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack, Gabe Perreault is making his season debut. Sullivan inserted Perreault right onto the top line, looking to take advantage of the young winger's offensive ability.

First Period

The period started off with the teams trading shots and chances, and before the first goal the most exciting bit was Trocheck and McCarron going at it after their faceoff. The camera panned over to Trocheck leaning over the boards on the bench giving McCarron and the rest of the Predators' bench an earful.

Just over halfway through the period, the Rangers struck first. Zibanejad slid the puck over to Adam Fox at the Rangers' blue line, he then skated hard through the neutral zone toward the Predators' net and received the perfect pass from Fox. He split the defenseman, deked to the right and lifted the puck over Juuse Saros.

This goal temporarily gave the Blueshirts life, the next few shifts saw them buzzing, and I dare say they even looked dangerous and appeared to be a team that could score a goal or two. It didn't take long for that feeling to deflate, as Braden Schneider was whistled for tripping Filip Forsberg. The Rangers did an okay job killing the penalty for the first minute, but on a rush where the Predators were able to set up in the offensive zone, they cycled the puck and Skjei teed up for a big shot at the top of the circle. Shesterkin got his glove on it but a big rebound popped out and Matthew Wood was able to get his stick on it before Gavrikov and the puck took a weird bounce over a sprawling Shesterkin to tie the game.

The Rangers proved their mettle tonight, a former version of this team would have crumpled after running into some adversity, but they kept pressing. Just a couple minutes later, Lafrenière and Panarin did some excellent work on the right boards in the Predators' zone. Fox pinched into the zone and dished it to Trocheck, he turned it and passed it to Gavrikov who wristed the puck past Saros to retake the lead going into the first intermission.

Second Period

Less than a minute into the second period, Forsberg was called for hooking down J.T. Miller, the Rangers' power play was going to get its first shot of the game. Turns out, the Rangers wouldn't even need a full minute for their power play to strike. Gabe Perreault carried the puck into the zone, paused, and then passed the puck to Lafrenière who wasted no time in skating toward the net with the puck. He feigned going to the right and slid the puck right between Saros' legs, giving Perreault his first career NHL point.

The momentum was fully tilted in the Rangers' favor after their third goal, but the Predators had one great opportunity to get back into the game. They had a three on one where Matthew Wood tried to outwait Gavrikov and put a pass across the ice to the open man, but Gavrikov had other plans. He laid out and played the pass perfectly, breaking up the play. Shortly after this the Rangers would score another goal to really take the reins of the game, but had Gavrikov's defensive heroics not come in clutch here, we could have been looking at a very different game late in the second period.

The Rangers were rolling now, and the goals kept coming. They had several dominant shifts, and around the twelve minute mark the Panarin line had their best shift of the game so far. Lafrenière scooped the puck up behind the net and skated around the perimeter of the zone, stick handling, and looking for an outlet. Panarin hovering around the opposite point stepped into a lane, and ripped a one timer Lafrenière put in front of him into the back of the net. The Rangers' presence and shift looked like a power play, and the Predators were helpless.

In the waning seconds of the period, Noah Laba pressured the Predator's defender in the Rangers' zone. Lafrenière was able to scoop up the puck and they broke out of the zone, he slid the puck over to Laba and crashed the net taking a Predators' defenseman with him. Laba sent the puck slightly behind Will Cuylle who was able to corral it and snap it past Saros to increase their lead to four goals. Kenny Albert's quote at the end of the second really said it all "six goals in their first seven home games, the Rangers have five tonight in their first forty minutes."

Third Period

The Predators made a goalie change to start the third period, Justus Annunen would replace Saros in net. The Predators looked a lot sharper to begin the third, after several minutes of sustained pressure, there was a brief moment where it seemed the Blueshirts' four goal lead was vulnerable. About seven minutes into the period, Schneider went to retrieve the puck behind Shesterkin and was crosschecked by Wiesblatt. The Rangers would get the first power play of the period. Nothing would come of it this time, but the momentum evened out until Trocheck would go off the ice for holding the stick giving the Predators their own power play opportunity.

The Predators cycled the puck around the net while getting several dangerous opportunities. Jonathan Marchessault would eventually throw the puck at the net, it popped up into the air and Michael Bunting would bat the puck out of mid air into the net. This was quickly reviewed for highsticking and the goal was called back after the referees got a closer look at the play.

Less than a minute later, Will Borgen was called for slashing and the Predators would have a five on three for close to a minute. The Rangers killed off the first penalty but when Trocheck came out of the box he was quickly assessed another penalty, this time for hooking, putting the Predators right back on the two man advantage.

Despite some point blank chances, Shesterkin stood tall and the Rangers were able to kill off another penalty, erasing the two man advantage. However, after a failed clearing attempt by J.T. Miller, the Predators maintained possession in the zone, they cycled the puck around and Wood rocketed a shot that clipped Cuylle and went right past Igor for Nashville's second power play goal of the game.

After Nashville threatened to climb back into the game, the Rangers got a lucky bounce. A misplay by the Predators behind their net and the puck landed on Panarin's stick, he banked the puck off Annunen from behind the net, for his second goal of the game.

With a minute left in the game, Lafrenière and Forsberg were battling behind the net. A stick came up and took Lafrenière out, and the puck was passed to Wood out in front who scored his third goal of the game. A weird non call and end to the game, but despite being outshot by the Predators, they had dominant shifts from each line throughout the night and powered their way past the Predators, for their first win on home ice.