It is a truth universally acknowledged that a New York Rangers player in possession of the puck must be in want of a goal. Any type will do, whether it be a power-play goal, 5v5 goal, or a victorious one in overtime. This past week the Rangers have gone 3-1, which is not bad considering they played the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes back to back.
Having been relatively quiet on the trade deadline scene, fans are still convinced that something big might happen. Maybe. When you look at the trades so far, there have been a few high asking prices. So it seems that the Rangers are happy with where the team is and are in no hurry.
Be sure to keep up with all of our NHL coverage.
Notable News
This past week, general manager Chris Drury announced that the team acquired forward Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Then a few days later, Drury announced that the team agreed to terms with college free agent defenseman Brandon Scanlin.
New York Rangers vs. Anaheim Ducks
March 15, 2022
Madison Square Garden
W 4-3
1st Period
04:29-Jonny Brodzinski, Filip Chytil & Braden Schneider
14:05-Max Comtois, Troy Terry & Adam Henrique
2nd Period
03:06-Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox & Artemi Panarin
04:53-Cam Fowler & Adam Henrique
3rd Period
10:35-Derek Grant & Danny O’Regan
13:40-Chris Kreider, Adam Fox & Artemi Panarin
Overtime
00:55-Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin & Mika Zibanejad
Coming off a road trip, the Rangers appeared to be a little slow on the ice, which allowed the Ducks to stay in the game. Brodzinski scored first for New York, his first goal of the season. There was a lot of back-and-forth between the teams in this period and throughout the game. Also, in the second, the Rangers continued to have trouble keeping a lead.
Once the third period came, the Rangers found their groove and were dominant for most of the period. Despite letting the Ducks score to give them the lead over the Rangers, they did what they do best…make a comeback. Almost three minutes after Anaheim scored their goal, Kreider and the boys put one in the net. Another power-play goal for Kreider.
Overtime came, and 55 seconds in, Panarin and Fox had a two on one, and Panarin passed the puck to Fox instead of taking the shot. Obviously, it was the correct decision since Fox put it in the net and gave the Rangers the win.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
March 17, 2022
Madison Square Garden
L 2-1
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
00:49-Anders Lee, Mathew Barzal & Noah Dobson
13:38-Chris Kreider, Alexis Lafreniere & Jacob Trouba
3rd Period
17:16-Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock & Adam Pelech
The Rangers tried in the first period; however, Ilya Sorokin made some outstanding saves for the Islanders, which helped keep the first period scoreless. However, it was not for lack of trying on the Rangers’ part. No pucks could find their way into the net. The second period gave a goal to both teams, of course, who could stop Kreider from scoring a power-play goal. It would be his 40th goal, the most he’s ever gotten in a season.
There was a kerfuffle between Ryan Reaves and Zdeno Chara in the third period, but it looked like they did not mean it. Late in the third, Ryan Lindgren took an elbow to the face, but there was no whistle or penalty. Instead, it allowed Palmeri to have the time to put the puck in the net to give the Islanders the win.
New York Rangers @ Tampa Bay Lightning
March 19, 2022
Amalie Arena
W 2-1
1st Period
16:41-Brayden Point, Alex Killorn & Victor Hedman
2nd Period
09:25-Jacob Trouba, Dryden Hunt & Alexis Lafreniere
3rd Period
19:44-Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin & Adam Fox
The Rangers came into the game having a 2-0 record this season against the Lightning. The goal by the Point was not without some controversy. It appeared as if Igor Shesterkin made the save and had the puck covered. The issue was that there was no whistle, and Point was able to keep at the puck until he finally knocked it in the net. The second period was just as hard-fought as the first. Both goalies, Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy, were at their best. However, Trouba was able to put the puck in the net off a rebound.
The third period was even more of a defensive batter than the previous two. Between good defense and the outstanding play of the goalies, it was looking as if overtime was a possibility. Erik Cernak got a two-minute penalty for high sticking, giving New York a power play. Even that was not going well for the Rangers, but with 16 seconds left, Zibanejad was able to put it in the net off a pass by Panarin.
It was one of the better games the Rangers have played, and sweeping the Lightning might give the boys in blue more confidence and swagger. They will need it for the playoffs.
New York Rangers @ Carolina Hurricanes
March 20, 2022
PNC Arena
W 2-0
1st Period
No Scoring
2nd Period
15:39-Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba & Alexis Lafreniere
3rd Period
19:18-Frank Vatrano & Mika Zibanejad
Fresh off a win against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Rangers didn’t look fresh against the Hurricanes. New York let Carolina outshoot them 44-18, and it seemed most of the game was in the Rangers’ end. But, unfortunately, they could not keep it out of there, or when they did get the puck out of their defensive zone, Carolina put it right back in.
A little over midway into the second, the Rangers got a goal that was not allowed because the whistle was blown too early. It was clear Anderson did have the puck covered, and it was still in play; however, the refs blew the whistle pretty much as the puck was put in the net. Never fear Rangers fans. Karma does have a sense of humor at times because a few minutes later, Kreider was able to do what he does best. Tip-in goals. This one just happened to bounce the right way for them and put the Rangers up 1-0.
The third period was more of the same, with the Rangers not being able to get the puck out of their own end. As fate would have it, Zibanejad flipped the puck out of the defensive zone and into open ice. Vatrano was able to get to it first and put it in the empty net for his first goal as a Ranger. Alexandar Georgiev got his first shutout of the season, and the Rangers ended the Hurricanes’ 14-game home point streak,
What We Learned This Week
Georgiev channeled his inner Henrik Lundqvist and showed everyone, even Rangers fans, that he is still a good goalie. In addition, we learned that no matter how not so great the Rangers play, there is always a chance to win…unless the refs screw you over. This is a far cry from how fans were feeling last season. They say there is no quit in New York, and this past week was the embodiment of that.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @primetimesportstalk
Follow Liz Pendergraft on Twitter @lizzibear824
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
