After dropping their season opener at home, the New York Rangers have won back-to-back games and are starting to resemble the team head coach Mike Sullivan hoped they would be when he took over this offseason.
Following the Rangers' 6-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sullivan strongly praised New York defenseman Adam Fox, whose three-point showing was crucial to the victory.
“I think Foxy is having a real strong start for us. He’s playing in so many key situations, all situations, on the penalty kill, the power play, five-on-five. What I like about his game right now is just his physicality down low,” Sullivan told Mollie Walker of the New York Post. “He’s defending. He’s defending hard. I think his offense speaks for itself, he sees the game really well. He has the ability to slow the game down offensively, and a lot of players don’t do that in today’s game. He has that knack. I’ve been really impressed with his commitment to play defense.”
Last season was a struggle at times for Fox. The former Norris Trophy winner only tallied 61 points with 10 goals across 74 games, and did not have the kind of offensive impact he’s had in past campaigns.
The 27-year-old already has three goals over the first three contests of this season, and was sure to mention that the team had some extra incentive to win against Sullivan’s former club after losing to them just days earlier.
“For sure. We let him down definitely that first game,” Fox said. “It's obviously emotional for him to be back at a place he's been for so long and had so much success. We didn't give him the best start, but I thought we responded really well and definitely happy to get the win for him.”
Following their 2-0 road trip, the Rangers will return to Madison Square Garden for a showdown with the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.
