By Brian Abate
Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo celebrate a Rangers' goal against Buffalo
NEW YORK-- The Rangers lost five games in a row before bouncing back to beat the Buffalo Sabres at home on Thursday.
But this isn’t a disaster, and it should not be a surprise. They were one of the youngest teams in the league last year and added rookies Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox, and Libor Hajek this season.
It will take time for all of the young players to gel with big offseason acquisitions Artemi Panarin and Jacob Trouba. So far head coach David Quinn has repeatedly changed the lines and defense pairings.
“I do think some of [the younger players] are lacking confidence,” Quinn said after an overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes. “But as I’ve said repeatedly, confidence comes from hard work and doing something right.”
Hard work, better forechecking, and new line combinations, along with a big saves did the trick for the Rangers in a 6-2 win over Buffalo.
It was an encouraging sign but expectations for the team need to be realistic. Despite the win, there were still defensive lapses, including a bad giveaway by Kakko that led to a Sabres’ goal.
“I’m playing bad hockey,” said Kakko during the team’s losing streak.
While he gave a harsh assessment of himself, growing pains should be expected with an 18-year-old, even one as talented as Kakko. Coming over from Finland, he’s now playing in smaller rinks against the top players in the world, and it will take time for him to get used to it.
The young core of the Rangers has been exciting and has given the team a glimpse of the future. Adam Fox tallied his first point, Brett Howden had a goal and an assist against Buffalo, and Tony DeAngelo scored three goals and added an assist in his last two games.
The future looks bright but going from one of the worst teams in the league to the playoffs is a tall task. In the meantime, enjoy watching the development of the team’s young players and know there will be more on the way, as the Rangers have one of the best farm systems in the league.
“There are a lot of young guys on this team, guys who are definitely trying to prove themselves and prove that we could do something this year,” said Fox.
If they can’t do it this year, there is still a lot to look forward to.
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