Rangers’ strong play continues against Wild as winning streak hits season-high four games
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Rangers’ strong play continues against Wild as winning streak hits season-high four games
An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Vincent Trocheck celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period of the Rangers' 4-2 road win over the Wild on March 14, 2026, Image 2 shows Adam Edstrom (left) and Michael McCarron collide during the Rangers' win over the Wild, Image 3 shows A diving Igor Shesterkin makes one of his 45 saves during the Rangers' win over the Wild
Mollie Walker·NY Post Sports
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3 min read
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — For a majority of this season, it felt like not a single bounce went the Rangers' way.
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Since the Olympic break, however, puck luck has been on their side.
Good teams make their own luck, and the way the Blueshirts have been playing lately — most recently in a 4-2 win over the Wild Saturday night — indicates as much.
The Rangers may have had some roster turnover since the start of the season, but they are competing like a much different team than the one that took the ice through the first four months of the season.
They are in sync and pushing forward as a five-man unit.
They are defending the dangerous areas of the ice much more productively.
Vincent Trocheck celebrates after scoring a goal in the second period of the Rangers' 4-2 road win over the Wild on March 14, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
The general dynamic and chemistry are leaps and bounds from what they were just last month.
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It has them riding their first four-game winning streak of the season.
"For a lot of the first half of the year, we couldn't see the puck go in the net, right?" said captainJ.T. Miller, who returned to the lineup after a five-game absence due to an upper-body injury. "I think, right now, we're executing on a lot of the plays. Obviously, we got some guys stepping up and playing really well also. Just high execution. Finally getting those pucks to go in that net that we were missing in the first half of the year.
"This is a good feeling around here right now. You know, it's been a hard year. But feels good to win some games and try to string some together here."
The Rangers pieced together a strong first half of the game, but an abundance of penalties made life difficult after that.
A diving Igor Shesterkin makes one of his 45 saves during the Rangers' win over the Wild. Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
Still, the penalty kill fended off six of the Wild's seven power plays, including a four-minute high-sticking penalty that carried over from the end of the second period into the third.
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Limited to just one shot on goal in the third period, the Rangers hung on as Minnesota ultimately dumped a staggering 48 shots on Rangers goalieIgor Shesterkinthroughout the night.
Adam Edstrom (left) and Michael McCarron collide during the Rangers' win over the Wild. Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
WhenJoel Eriksson Ekswiped Shesterkin in the crease, however, the Rangers on the ice went absolutely berserk in defense of their star goaltender.
"Not anyone in the league is allowed to touch him," saidVladislav Gavrikov, who led the Rangers with his first career three-point game (one goal, two assists).
Added head coach Mike Sullivan: "I thought it was appropriate. Igor is in the blue paint. They buzz through the blue paint, it's interference. I thought our guys did a great job."
Parssinen got a run of five contests in his first recall since suffering a hand injury earlier this season in Hartford, but he wasn't able to make much of an impact as he was limited to zero points and three shots on goal.
