NEW YORK – The sting of losing Mikko Rantanen will wear off a lot quicker if the new guys can keep doing what they did on Sunday afternoon for the Avalanche.

In their crazy 5-4 win over the New York Rangers, the new guys stepped up. Jack Drury got the scoring started for both sides, deflecting a Keaton Middleton point shot past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin. Not to be outdone, Martin Necas played a big role in Colorado’s next two goals, including a behind-the back drop pass to Cale Makar for his first of the evening, and came close a few times to his first goal in the burgundy and blue.

The two are making a very good impression on their new teammates, especially Necas.

“Amazing player, better than I even thought,” Nathan MacKinnon said of his new Czech winger.

His coach has been very happy with what he’s seen from the 26-year-old, especially when you consider what he’s had to go through the last 48 hours.

“I thought he was great,” Jared Bednar said of Necas on Sunday. “I thought (Necas) could have had three goals himself. Hit two posts, did a lot of good things, set up Cale on the one. He was a really good player for us tonight.”

For MacKinnon, it’s not just about adjusting to a brand-new player on his line. It’s about adjusting to one that plays the game a little differently than Rantanen.

Necas is all about speed and that’s been on display through his first two games. While Rantanen isn’t a bad skater, he can’t move like Necas. The biggest difference is the way both shoot.

Rantanen was a lefty playing on the right wing, while Necas is a righty playing that same wing. That eliminates the ability for MacKinnon to find his right winger for a one-timer.

That might take some getting used to.

“He’s a completely different player,” MacKinnon said of Necas. “Definitely an adjustment. It is weird, for sure. I’ve mostly played with two lefties my whole career, so it’ll take some time getting used to, but I thought these two games, we played really well.”

While Necas is the most important piece of the deal when you look at it from the perspective of the Avalanche, Drury is no slouch either. The 24-year-old scored a goal, saw time on the penalty kill, and was thrown out on the ice for several key defensive-zone face-offs.

In a perfect world, Parker Kelly is the fourth line center. They’re looking for Drury to slot in right above him.

“I think (Drury) is, hopefully, that 3C that we’ve been trying to look for,” Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland said after the trade. “Jack’s a gritty, competitive guy that I think our coaches will use on the penalty kill. We think there’s another bump in his game offensively as well. And it’s no secret that we’ve not been the best face-off team the last number of years, and that’s an area he’ll help us.”

While Drury has struggled in the face-off circle during his first two games, he won 58% of the over 400 draws he took with the Hurricanes. No other Avalanche center is winning even 48% of their draws at the moment. Late in games, Drury’s face-off prowess could come in handy.

It might take a little time getting used to the new-look Avalanche, even for the players.

“Our team is different now. It’s a different make-up and it’s just a different look,” MacKinnon said.

And different isn’t always bad.

Avalanche 5, Rangers 4

What happened: An absolutely chaotic game ended with Cale Makar coming out of the box and feeding Artturi Lehkonen for the game-winner with just 15 seconds left.

What went right: Jared Bednar said he wanted his top line to shoot a little bit more after the Boston game and he got just that. They had some truly dominant shifts, but their best moments might have come on a shift where they didn’t score.

On Colorado’s second powerplay of the afternoon, Martin Necas hit the post twice and the Avalanche kept the puck in the offensive zone for two minutes. They’ve got to keep that momentum going.

“We got to keep building off it,” Makar said. “Obviously, we have it. We’re going to find it. Tonight, it was fun. We were generating opportunities and that’s what you’ve got to do.”

What went wrong: Colorado looked tired in the final 30 minutes, but a lot of the Rangers goals just came off mistakes from the Avalanche, particularly in the neutral zone.

“We did some dumb stuff, and it cost us, so we got to clean up a few things,” Bednar said.

Avalanche goal scorers: Drury (4), Makar (17,18), Parssinen (4), Lehkonen (21).

Rangers goal scorers: Carrick (5), Trocheck (15), Borgen (3), Panarin (21).

Between the pipes: The Avalanche didn’t have their legs the final 25 minutes or so, and that’s when Mackenzie Blackwood was at his best. He finished with 33 saves on 37 shots.

What’s next: Colorado closes out their road trip in Long Island against the Islanders on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.