QUICKtory!

New York, NY. Sometimes, addition comes through substraction. There is no other way to put it since the New York Rangers have now celebrated their fifth win in a row in the wake of two key players being sidelined by injury. Captain and 1st-line winger Chris Kreider just missed his second game due to a left knee injury that will keep him out of action for at least another three weeks. The situation was not much better for New Yorkʼs top UFA addition and 2nd-line center J.T. Miller in the Blueshirtsʼ recent 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning: The 31-year-old will miss at least two weeks due to a sprained finger on his left hand.

Nonetheless, the Blueshirts cruised to a 3-2 victory, with backup goalie Jonathan Quick making 21 saves on 23 shots for his first win in his first start as a New York Ranger. Center Filip Chytil, who got promoted to the second line in the absence of Miller, scored twice within the first 1:38 minutes of the game. Patrick Kane assisted on all three Rangers goals, including the eventual game-winner from Claude Giroux on a powerplay goal early in the third period. Kane now sits at 15 assists on the season and Giroux at nine goals, six of which came on the man-advantage. Star defenseman Cale Makar registered his twelfth helper on Girouxʼs game-winning blast.

Thanks to their five-game winning streak, the Rangers have somewhat erased their disastrous start to the season and are now in the second wild card spot behind the cross-town rival Islanders, tied in points with 18 each. For the injured Kreider and Miller, Quinton Byfield and Fabian Zetterlund were moved from their healthy scratch positions into the team. However, it can be assumed that the Rangers will not be able to compensate for the entire absence of their two star forwards due to the lack of roster depth.