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New York Rangers: Five Takeaways From Round One Victory Over Montreal Canadiens

By Kenneth Teape

Apr 22, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) celebrates with Rangers left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in game six of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) celebrates with Rangers left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in game six of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Rangers: Five Takeaways From Round One Victory Over Montreal Canadiens
Apr 20, 2017; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Rangers forward Mika Zibanejad (93) reacts with teammates Mats Zuccarello (36) and Kevin Hayes (13) after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime in game five of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /

Balanced Attack Offensively

During the regular season, the Rangers were one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL. They averaged 3.1 goals per game, which was fourth-best in the league. They received contributions from virtually everyone, as Mats Zuccarello had the highest point total with only 59 in the regular season.

Chris Kreider led the way with 28 goals, as 10 players scored double-digit goals for the Rangers in the regular season. That balanced scoring would continue in the playoffs despite the team averaging only 2.3 goals per game.

The Rangers had five players with multiple goals in the series against the Canadiens, with Zuccarello leading the way with three. Mika Zibanejad led the way with four points, scoring one goal with three assists. All but two players, Pavel Buchnevich and Marc Staal, registered at least one point in the series.

That makes the Rangers extremely dangerous to defend. They are not reliant on one player to provide all the scoring for the team; they can get it from multiple spots on the ice. Whoever the Rangers face in the second round will have their hands full trying to stop this multi-faceted attack.

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