The New York Rangers acted quicker than many may have expected to get Vladimir Tarasenko from the St. Louis Blues but he is already making an impact.

Just minutes into the 31-year-old’s debut on Broadway, the Russian native tallied his first goal with his new team.

While Tarasenko will need some time to adapt to a new system, it certainly helps playing with other star players in Mika Zibanejad and fellow countryman Artemi Panarin.

The trade that sent the Rangers Tarasenko in exchange for multiple draft picks also included a much-needed third-pairing defenseman in Niko Mikkola.

The good news with acting so quickly is not only because gives the new players a longer time to adapt before games really start to matter in the postseason, but it also alows the organization to see if there’s any other glaring holes in the roster before the trade deadline.

And that’s what general Chris Drury will be evaluating now until March 3.

The trade has resulted in head coach Gerard Gallant shuffling around his lines.

This includes moving Barclay Goodrow down to the 4th line and giving winger Vitali Kravtsov another shot to play inside the top six.

Drury in particular was asked if he would make an acquisition that would bolster the 4th line, which has struggled this year.

“We’re certainly still looking at ways to improve the group… I can see your point about that area and it’ll be one we look at for sure, as well as a few others and see what we can do between now and the deadline,” he said.

If Goodrow works out as the 4th line center then the Rangers could make a move to acquire a 4th line winger.

If that’s the case, the move that might make the most sense is bringing back Tyler Motte, who fit in well with the team during its playoff run last year.

However, the Ranger’s salary cap situation made it difficult to bring him back.

While he signed with the Ottawa Senators for one year at $1.35 million, the team will likely be shopping him at the trade deadline.

The cost? It would probably take a mid-to-late-round draft pick. In fact, the Rangers were able to snag Motte at last year’s deadline for a 4th round pick.

The Rangers are projected to have around $1.6 million in cap space at the deadline, according to CapFriendly.

But the hard part for the Rangers is over, now it’s about filling in small holes to boost the team’s chances at winning.

The Rangers rank third in the Metropolitan division currently and it would take a monumental collapse to miss the playoffs.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored two third-period goals to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Monday’s 2017 NHL Winter Classic.

Blues Top Blackhawks 4-1 In 2017 NHL Winter Classic

The game, which was marked by rainy weather, was held at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Blackhawks have now lost five of their last six games, and their record in outdoor games has dropped to 1-4-0.

Just 1:02 into the contest, a shot from the point by Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny bounced about 10 feet in front of Blues goalie Jake Allen, took a strange hop and found a way past Allen for an early Chicago lead.

It was Kempny’s second goal in back-to-back games. It was also one of the fastest goals in Winter Classic history, per NHL Public Relations:

Then the Blues tied it 1-1 with 12:15 remaining in the second period. Patrik Berglund took a great pass from Jay Bouwmeester, who was behind the net at the time. After receiving the puck in front of Corey Crawford’s goal, Berglund beat him with a one-time shot.

Tarasenko had two major opportunities to put his team ahead within the first six minutes of the third period before his two-goal outburst. First, he found himself on a breakaway, but Crawford blocked his quick wrister. Crawford finished with 31 saves.

Moments later, Tarasenko fired a tough-angled shot from the left of Crawford’s net that ricocheted off the post and veered clear from danger.

He finally beat Crawford with 7:55 left in the game off an odd-man rush. After taking a pass to the right of Crawford’s goal, Tarasenko skated to another difficult angle while on the backhand, thus making it almost impossible to get a shot off.

Instead, the 25-year-old Russian right winger attempted to center it toward the front of Crawford, although it bounced off Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson’s skate and into the back of the net.

Just 1:53 later, Tarasenko beat Crawford again, though without any luck.  The youngster fired a wrist-shot under Crawford’s arm and tucked his shot just inside the right post.

Everyone at Busch Stadium and elsewhere was amazed with Tarasenko. Even Hjalmarsson praised the Russian for his skill: “He’s one of the few guys in the league who has a shot that’s more than above average,” he said of Tarasenko.

In an attempt to make a comeback, the Blackhawks pulled Crawford for an extra skater with 3:10 remaining. However, it was Alex Steen who ultimately sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 1:14 to go.

Entering Monday, the Blues trailed the Blackhawks by eight points with two games at hand in the Western Conference Central Division. The win brought them within six points despite having played two fewer games. It will keep St. Louis in the thick of the hunt for a top spot in the West.

ST. LOUIS, MO – JANUARY 2: Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes a save against Paul Stastny #26 of the St. Louis Blues during the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Busch Stadium on January 2, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Vladimir Tarasenko proved to be too dominant a force against the Chicago Blackhawks yet again.

Vladimir Tarasenko Leads Blues To 5-2 Win Over Blackhawks In Opener

Tarasenko scored two goals and had one assist in leading the St. Louis Blues to a 5-2 road victory over the Blackhawks in each team’s season opener on Wednesday night.

Including the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tarasenko had 10 goals the past two seasons against Chicago. Paul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk each had a goal and two assists for St. Louis.

“He’s proven to be a big-time player, and obviously these games mean so much to us,” Shattenkirk said of Tarasenko. “He’s a guy who’s so dangerous. We seem to just find him a little more often than usual against these guys and he makes them pay the price.”

The Blues eliminated the Blackhawks in seven games in the first round of the playoffs in April. Jake Allen made 17 saves for the Blues in his first game since he was given the lead goalkeeping job with Brian Elliott’s June trade to Calgary.

St. Louis went 3 for 5 on the power play.

Richard Panik and rookie Ryan Hartman scored for the Blackhawks.

Four Chicago penalties in the second period led to three St. Louis power-play goals. Shattenkirk tied it 1-1 at 4:52, Tarasenko made it 2-2 at 19:28, and Stastny made it 3-2 55 seconds into the third period.

Tarasenko scored his second goal into an empty net at 18:54, and Scottie Upshall netted the final goal of the game, which the Blackhawks scored into their own net at 19:41.

”The guys that have been around did a number today,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. ”The guys that have been here before and know what it’s like to play in this building, know what it’s like to play against Chicago, they played really well today.”

Shattenkirk’s goal came after Blackhawks defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was sent to the penalty box. Chicago centers Jonathan Toews and Artem Anisimov were then called for minor penalties 37 seconds apart late in the second to create the first 5-on-3, which Tarasenko ended with his goal.

Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith was called for high-sticking during that play to create a second 5-on-3. Stastny’s goal came with Keith in the box.

“It makes it a lot harder in a hockey game,” said Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, who made 29 saves. “[Penalties] gave them momentum. We were in a good spot there before a couple of power plays in the second. They got two quick ones and that was pretty much the game.”

Crawford was sharp beginning the second period to help keep a 1-0 lead. He made three saves in a three-second span almost a minute into the period, denying St. Louis a goal following a turnover by Panik in the defensive zone. All three saves were off shots from close range, including the first two by David Perron.

Right winger Nail Yakupov played 10 1/2 minutes for the Blues. He was acquired in a trade with Edmonton on Friday.

Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson served the final game of a three-game suspension for an illegal hit during the preseason against Blues forward Ty Rattie.

The Blues will next host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, while the Blackhawks will visit Nashville on Friday and then host the Predators on Saturday night.

SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 21: Vladimir Tarasenko #91 of the St. Louis Blues in action in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Jose Sharks during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion on May 21, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)