In a push to make the playoffs, the New York Rangers had a tough matchup against one of the best teams in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning previously came off an unfortunate shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres, with Andrei Vasilevskiy sitting out and Jonas Johansson taking his place.
Likewise, the loss only propelled the team to put on the best show with their star talent showing up as always. In the first period, the team went ballistic by scoring three goals in over a minute.
Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring on the power play from his offside from an initiative pass by Brayden Point. Seconds later, Yanni Gourde tucked in Gage Goncalves’ wrister from the blueline past Igor Shesterkin to make 2-0.
But as mentioned before, the scoring wasn’t done yet, as the Lightning received another PP opportunity and put in the work. Jake Guentzel cross-ice fed Brayden Point for him to tip it in past Shesterkin and give his team a three-nothing lead in the first.
However, the scoring for the Bolts concluded for most of the remainder of the game. In the middle frame, Mika Zibanejad broke ice and lit the lamp with a goal for the Rangers.
But that goal was the only one they could score for the rest of the game. Despite having a lot of offensive control, the Lightning’s defensive effort, mainly by Vasilevskiy, killed opportunities for the Rangers.
It’s a cliché statement, but Vasilevskiy’s performance between the pipes was rock-solid and impressive. Without his start, the score would have been much different.
Heading into the third, the Bolts solidified the win with a pair of goals before the final buzzer. At the 15-minute mark, Point grabbed another PP goal and recorded 41 goals to his season record.
Then, with minutes winding down, the Rangers tried the empty net scheme, but immediately regretted it when Brandon Hagel capitalized on it and gave his Lightning team a 5-1 victory.
The fans at Madison Square Garden booed and expressed their displeasure at a struggling New York Rangers team that is currently hunting for a Wild Card playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Lightning, who recently clinched a spot, continue to lead in second place in the Atlantic Division, below the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Three Stars
- Vasilevskiy (38 saves)
- Point (2 PP goals, 1 assist)
- Kucherov (1 PP goal, 2 assists)
Nikita Kucherov continues to be the player who consistently records points and meets the MVP status. From two assists last night against the Rangers, Kucherov became the fourth player in NHL history to record 80 assists in four consecutive seasons.
And, of course, that record has amazing company by hall-of-fame players such as Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Paul Coffey.
Looking Ahead
The Lightning will return home this Wednesday, April 7, to host their division rivals, the Maple Leafs, at Amalie Arena. Expect a tough and entertaining matchup between those two teams.
ITR 39: Conference Finals – Inside The Rink
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