The New York Rangers have struggled through the early weeks of the Mike Sullivan Era.
No one said turning around the 3-5-2 Blueshirts would be a quick or easy task. Sullivan will be given the necessary time to put his imprint on this team and get them to play his way.
There’s going to be growing pains, but there’s also going to be opportunities. One youngster who has grabbed his chance with both hands is 22-year-old rookie center Noah Laba.
If Sullivan could bottle up the energy, competitiveness and assertiveness that Laba brings across 200 feet of ice and spread it across his roster, the Rangers would be one of the toughest teams to play against in the entire National Hockey League.
Though the Rangers lost 5-1 to the Calgary Flames, Laba’s confidence and offense-driving stood out. He demanded the puck on his stick throughout the contest.
If Laba continues to provide reliability and grows into a core player, no one will remember that the Rangers dropped an October game to the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome.
It would be impossible to put a positive spin on the Blueshirts losing heavily to the lottery-bound Flames, who entered the night without a win since their season opener. There’s going to be brighter days ahead for the Blueshirts – and Laba is going to play a big role in his franchise’s turnaround.
Laba Scores First Career NHL Goal
Near the midway point of the first period, Laba collected the puck along the wall before cutting toward the slot. He beat Calgary goaltender Dustin Wolf with a snap shot at 9:31 into regulation.
It was the rookie center’s first career NHL goal. The goal was assisted by Will Cuylle and Vladislav Gavrikov. He scored one goal, registered two shots, recorded two hits, made two takeaways and blocked one shot in the defeat.
Laba was asked about the thrill of scoring his first career NHL goal by MSG Network reporter John Giannone during the first intermission.
“(It was) a little bit of shock,” Laba said. “I didn’t know whether to celebrate or kinda what to do. I was a little bit in shock, but obviously a dream come true and a special moment. Just a face-off play, we knew being down two (goals), we just had to play north. Cuylle made a really good play to me, kinda slipped through his feet there to get it to me. Kinda walked down and saw Conor (Sheary) on the back side. He slid and I was able to put it in.”
Rangers’ head equipment manager Acacio Marques grabbed a marker to tag the puck as Laba’s first career goal.
Not long into the second period, Laba created a turnover before turning on the jets and nearly beating Wolf on a backhander.
In the third period, his speed and strength forced the Flames into taking a penalty. Moments later, the Rangers would surrender a shorthanded goal. It was that kind of night for the bungling Blueshirts.
Laba has impressed early in his young career with his strong skating ability, defensive awareness and hard-nosed play.
Through his first 10 career NHL games, the Northville, Michigan native has recorded one goal and two assists. He was clearly the Rangers’ most effective player on Sunday.
When watching Laba, you get the sense that he’s going to be a Ranger for a very long time and eventually have a letter sewn above his heart.