Will Borgen's welcome fresh start is already paying off, with the defenseman also credited with playing a key role in the Rangers' turnaround of the season in the eyes of head coach Peter Laviolette. There is.
After the Blueshirts beat the Senators 5-0 on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to nine games, Laviolette said Borgen, acquired in the Dec. 18 deal that sent Capo Kakko to the Kraken, was a “big deal.'' “It became a reason,” he said. Why have things gotten a little quiet? ”
He's settled into the Rangers' second defensive duo alongside Quandre Miller, tasked with shutting down opposing top lines.
His physical play has been on display many times, including in the opening shift against Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk.
Now that Bogen has adjusted to the Rangers' system, he's settled into a familiar place.
“I don't know if that's true,” Borgen said when asked after the team's option skate on Wednesday if his role with the Rangers is different from his time with the Kraken. “I think my role over the last few years in Seattle has been to play defense against other teams’ top lines, and I feel like I’ve done that here as well.”
Borgen is the second defenseman the Rangers have added during the season, joining Urho Vaakanainen in early December when the Blueshirts traded Jacob Trueba to the Ducks.
The Kraken plucked Borgen from the Sabers during the expansion draft and tasted the playoffs over three seasons in Seattle, with his second season being the defining one, he said. His career translated into the NHL.
Ultimately, the Rangers will need to make a decision about Bogen, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and his position on the future blueline mix.
But Laviolette's line showed just how much Bogen means to the Rangers right now.
“I think they're good two-way defense,” Laviolette said of Borgen and Vaakanainen. I think they're big, strong and physical. I think it will close soon. I think they have a good stick. ”
The Rangers will enter Thursday with a chance to snap a 10-game winning streak for the first time since Jan. 27-February 27. Last season it was 24.
Asked if he ever doubted whether the Blueshirts could turn their season around after a tough December, defenseman Ryan Lindgren said: I think as a group we knew we were better and if we could play like that we would get out of there. But…it was tough for us for a while. ”
Alexis Lafreniere has scored in back-to-back games and has four goals in the Rangers' last eight games after ending a 13-goal drought against the Stars on Jan. 7.
When 6-foot-6 Adam Edstrom assisted on a goal on Tuesday, Matt Lempe (6-foot-8 1/2, but registered NHL height is 6-foot-9) scored on Tuesday, and the two 's fourth-row winger tied the record for most goals. According to the NHL, this is the first assist combination in league history.
Last February, Edstrom scored a goal against the Blue Jackets and Rempe recorded his first assist.
