In two games since returning from injury, Vincent Trocheck is making an impact, and the New York Rangers are scoring at a high rate.
The Rangers will attempt to keep the goals coming and earn a third straight victory Saturday night when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Trocheck is playing his third game since missing the previous 14 with an upper-body injury and has contributed to four of New York’s 13 goals in wins over the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning.
During Monday’s 6-3 win over Nashville that snapped the Rangers’ seven-game home winless skid, Trocheck set up Vladislav Gavrikov’s tiebreaking goal late in the first period and Alexis Lafreniere’s first goal in the second period.
In Wednesday’s 7-3 win at Tampa Bay, the Rangers held a 4-3 lead through the opening period before Trocheck scored the next two goals.
Artemi Panarin collected four assists, giving him nine of his 16 points during the past four games.
Trocheck’s and Panarin’s contributions helped the Rangers improve to 8-1-1 on the road. Since a 5-1 loss at Calgary three weeks ago, the Rangers have 20 goals in five straight road wins, though coach Mike Sullivan and Trocheck did not seem to think they were at their best Wednesday.
“The irony of it is I feel like the games where we didn’t score, the effort and execution on both sides of the puck was really high,” Sullivan said. “… (Wednesday) I don’t think we were at our best. We were opportunistic. We had some pretty good looks and we scored on them.”
“It’s always good to see the puck going into the net,” Trocheck said. “But you look at this one for a day, go over the things we did wrong, try to correct them and focus on Columbus.”
Columbus is 6-3-1 in its past 10 games with eight of those decided by one goal, including the past four.
On Thursday, the Blue Jackets held on for a 5-4 home win over the Edmonton Oilers. Mathieu Olivier scored twice in a three-point night, Charlie Coyle scored and set up Oliver’s goals and Kirill Marchenko collected an assist to extend his points streak to 10 games (three goals, nine assists).
Olivier, Coyle and Cole Sillinger combined for seven points against Edmonton. Adam Fantilli, who had a hat trick last season in New York, also scored for the third straight game after getting two goals in his first 14 games.
Columbus scored five goals in regulation for the fourth time this season and netted three straight after Edmonton tied the game with two goals in a span of 1:40 during the second period.
“I think our mindset was just that we’re never safe, so we have to keep going,” Olivier said. “We have to keep pressuring. Obviously they’re the best of the best players over there, so they’re going to put some heat on you, so I’m glad to find a way to get it done tonight.”
The Blue Jackets held on after blowing a two-goal lead in Edmonton in the final seven minutes of the third period on Monday and falling in overtime. Columbus has allowed 25 goals in the third period this season.
“We know these points are going to make a difference at the end of the year,” Fantilli said. “They did for us last year, so just any time we can get a point, a win, it’s huge for us.”
