After an extended scoring drought, the Rangers’ offense was revitalized in back-to-back games by posting a combined seven goals — two more than they managed in their previous four contests combined.
Rick Nash’s return certainly played a significant role in the four goals the Blueshirts notched in Thursday’s 4-1 victory over the Lightning, and the power play has begun to show signs of life.
The formation of the grinding, blue-collar Ryan Callahan-Derek Stepan-Taylor Pyatt line shouldn’t be underscored, either. Of the seven goals in the past two games, the newly formed troika accounted for three — one from each member of the new unit — and it consistently has maintained pressure in the opposition’s zone with an aggressive forecheck, an affinity to win battles all over the ice and an ability to cycle the puck.
“Building chemistry with a line is kind of a weird thing to do,” Stepan said, “but when it clicks, it seems to click pretty well and you seem to be able to find each other on the ice. That’s something we’ve found in this short period of time together here.”
Stepan credited Callahan and Pyatt for putting pressure on opposing defensemen, which has led to chances, either in winning one-on-one battles or forcing giveaways.
Callahan, the Rangers captain and their heartbeat, has spearheaded this trio not only with his gritty play, but also his underrated playmaking skills. He perfectly set up Stepan for a goal in Thursday’s win, deftly setting him up with an across-the-goalmouth feed for his fourth goal of the season, the kind of play coach John Tortorella says goes unnoticed because of Callahan’s grinder reputation.
Stepan, a third-year pro, has begun to find himself as a puck-possessing center after a slow start. Recently, Tortorella said he has been the team’s top pivot, quick to the puck and prudent with his decision making. In fact, he was playing well alongside Nash and Carl Hagelin before Nash missed four games due to an unspecified injury.
Then there is Pyatt, who does the grunt work, setting himself in front of the net and battling defensemen for redirections or rebounds. He is a big body who often leaves battles with possession of the puck and has scored four goals with two assists.
“We just compliment each other pretty well,” Pyatt said. “Derek is a smart centerman, gets on the puck. Ryan Callahan just does everything. Great on the forecheck, blocks shots, he’s physical, he wins a lot of one-on-one battles. For me, it’s just winning battles along the boards, getting around the net. We’ve been able to play pretty well together.”
It isn’t a flashy group, but so far it has been productive at a time when the Rangers (9-8-2), who play host to the Sabres tonight at the Garden, desperately were in search of positives.
“They’ve played well and we’re going to stick with them,” Tortorella said. “They’ve done a lot of good things offensively. They’ve done a lot of good things defensively also. All three have played well individually of late.”
Furthermore, the line represents what made the Rangers so solid last year: grit, toughness, two-way responsibility and, most of all, effectiveness.
“We’re not trying to do anything too special,” Stepan said. “We’re trying to keep our game pretty simple, cycle the puck down low and find a way to get pucks on net.”