The Rangers are two games into these Stanley Cup playoffs and it’s quite clear what their superpower is, why they were Presidents’ Trophy winners and are a favorite to drink from the cherished chalice for the first time in 30 years.
Depth is the Rangers’ superpower.
Depth is the reason that, after Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the Capitals in Game 2 of the playoffs at the Garden, they take a 2-0 series lead to Washington on Friday night.
Depth is the reason the Rangers have looked like the superior team in this series.
In the two games, eight different Rangers have scored their eight goals.
Jason Szenes for New York Post
On Sunday night, it was their fourth line, highlighted by rookie Matt Rempe, who hasn’t even played 20 NHL games yet, that was the star of the show.
On Tuesday night, take your pick.
Vincent Trocheck with the Rangers’ first goal of the game, a critical first-period answer after Washington came out swarming in desperation and took a 1-0 lead?
Mika Zibanejad, who was all over the ice all night, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the first period on an assist from Trocheck?
Midseason-acquisition Jack Roslovic, who broke a 2-2 tie with a missile over the left shoulder of Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren in the second period?
Or defenseman K’Andre Miller, who scored what ended up being the game-winner with a short-handed goal late in the second period to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead.
Add those stars of the night to Matt Rempe, Artemi Panarin, Jimmy Vesey and Chris Kreider — the four goal-scorers in Game 1, and what you have spells: a C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E T-E-A-M.
“I can go through the whole lineup and … yeah, it’s a challenge,’’ Washington coach Spencer Carbery said after the game. “They add some players at the deadline. Roslovic makes a difference tonight, right? That’s a high, high-end, elite play that you have to tip your cap to.
“They’re a deep team. There’s a reason why they won the Presidents’ Trophy. So, we know that. They’ve got good players.’’
The Rangers come at you in waves.
Sure, Panarin led the team with a career year that included 49 goals and 120 points. But the Rangers’ offense isn’t about only Panarin. He has one of the Rangers’ eight goals.
In fact, on this night, the artistically skilled Panarin was more of a factor with his physicality, mixing it up several times with some Capitals tough guys, like T.J. Oshie.
That was hardly lost on the “Breadman’s’’ teammates.
Jason Szenes for New York Post
Trocheck specifically called out Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere (28 goals this season) for their physicality on Tuesday night as a difference-maker against the desperate Caps.
“Whenever you get guys like that that are more skilled players that are not necessarily expected to go out there and be physical, who are just expected to produce offensively, and when you get guys like that playing physical, it really shows the rest of the team if these guys are doing it then we all need to be doing it,’’ Trocheck said. “That was great leadership by those two.’’
The Capitals, in contrast to the Rangers, are not deep at all. They rely too heavily on their aging star Alex Ovechkin, who led the team with 31 goals in the regular season.
And the Rangers have rendered him invisible through two games. Ovechkin had no shots in Game 1 and was held to just one shot on Tuesday night.
“We have a really deep team — four good lines, six good Ds and good goalie,’’ Ryan Lindgren said.
“Depth is huge in the playoffs,’’ Trocheck said. “You need everyone to contribute. There’s not going to be one or two lines contributing every night, so you need everyone. And so far in the playoffs, through two games, we’ve had contributions up and down the lineup.’’
Zibanejad said the depth “has been there all year, and when you come down to these types of games you talk about needing everyone. And I feel like everyone’s stepping up, playing their roles and contributing in a lot of ways.’’
It’s been too much for the Caps to handle in these first two games and, in the end, it’ll continue to be, because depth is the Rangers’ superpower.
“All year it’s been that way,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “It’s good to have that depth.’’
