Rangers can make themselves hard to ignore

A year ago the 1-3-1 sprung to life in the victorious season opener in Buffalo that served to set a template for Peter Laviolette’s first season behind the bench en route to the Presidents’ Trophy. 

This one, a year later in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, was a tour de force in a 6-0 demolition of the Penguins in which Igor Shesterkin settled the team early with multiple brilliant saves before the Rangers went rolling thunder with all four lines chipping in with at least a goal. 

And this can serve as the template for 2024-25, a season in which Laviolette has vowed to get more players involved in the game in more situations. So there was Will Cuylle dipping his toes into penalty-kill waters. There was Kaapo Kakko on the second power-play unit and so, too, was K’Andre Miller. 

Alexis Lafreniere popped, scoring a gorgeous goal just the way he did in last year’s opener that presaged No. 13’s breakout season. Filip Chytil, dancing and engaging all night, ripped one under the bar in the first period for his first regular season goal since March 28, 2023. 

Chris Kreider scored twice that included his league-leading 10th shorthanded goal since the start of 2021-22 and by the way, the decision to use No. 20 on the penalty kill is the gift that former head coach Gerard Gallant bequeathed to his successor. If Kreider is not on Team USA for Four Nations, the U.S. House should convene hearings. 

Vincent Trocheck battled and scored. Cuylle had a strong night as did Kakko, stoned twice by netminder Tristan Jarry. Artemi Panarin made a brilliant defensive play high in the zone to spring Lafreniere. The newly designed Braden Schneider-Jacob Trouba pair was outstanding. 

Of course it is a bit different with a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes, but ice-time allotment was egalitarian with the forwards packed in between the 9:52 for Jonny Brodzinski and the 17:59 for Trocheck. Victor Mancini got 17:27 of ice time in his NHL debut and surely did not look out of place. 

I didn’t particularly like the Rangers’ final week of camp. I thought it stalled. The unique scenario with the Devils did not help. But Laviolette’s message never wavered. The coach talked daily about the importance of every session. He talked — and I have referred to this before on multiple occasions — about the importance of rookie games. He references this more than any coach in my experience. 

From Laviolette’s lips to the opening night lineup card in which Mancini was on D and Brodzinski and Adam Edstrom flanked fourth-line center Sam Carrick while Matt Rempe sat in the stands as a healthy scratch. Do you know why? Because Brodzinski and Edstrom both outplayed Rempe by a pretty fair margin during camp. 

Indeed, Laviolette has never even hinted at it — Maybe he’s not quite Yankees manager Aaron Boone but calling out guys is not this head coach’s style — but I don’t think the Rangers were enthralled with Rempe’s camp. 

“This isn’t about scratching someone,” Laviolette said following the morning skate when it became apparent that Rempe was going to be, uh, scratched. “This is about, sometimes it’s going to be about opponents, sometimes it’s going to be about play. 

“I think Jonny had a really good camp. He brings speed, points, he plays different positions. I think Edstrom speaks for himself. He’s in the same boat as Mancini. He did everything right. He was big, he was physical, he was fast. 

“Really hard to ignore.” 

From Laviolette’s lips to the scoreboard when Carrick went to the front after he and Brodzinski combined to win a puck battle in the left corner and touch-deflected Trouba’s drive from the right point for the club’s first goal of the season at 2:24. Good work in the trenches. 

Listen, the Penguins might be a punching bag so there is no reason to get carried away by the most decisive opening night victory in franchise history and the first shutout victory since The Gumper blanked the Blackhawks in Chicago on Oct. 12, 1956. 

But if this serves as a template just as last year in Buffalo, this could be the start of something big.