BOSTON — This represented the best of the best for the Rangers. The Rangers not only refused to back down, but with a resounding and stifling 5-2 victory here on Thursday, they rose once again to the middle of a multi-team donnybrook vying for the Presidents Trophy. Bruins ranked 1st overall.
After this game, the difference between the Blueshirts and the B’s was once again reduced to one point, with the visiting team leading the final two periods with an astonishing 27-7 lead, with Artemi Panarin leading the way in total goals. Increased to 41. He completed a hat trick that included the second of New York’s two empty netters.
The Rangers continued to struggle without Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren, giving them essentially nothing.
Jonathan Quick closed the door with a couple of wins and a 24-save performance, earning his 391st career win, tying Ryan Miller for the winningest American-born goaltender in NHL history.
“We talked about the magnitude of this game and I thought we played well,” said Mika Zibanejad, whose club maintained a two-point division lead over Carolina. “I liked the way we made decisions, organized ourselves and fought.”
This was their introduction to the playoffs.
The Rangers avoided odd-man rushes because they were disciplined in the neutral zone and on both lines. They got the puck deep, worked under the hash marks, and gained territorial advantage one shift at a time.
For much of the game, the entire second and third periods after a somewhat dangerous first period, the Rangers, not the Bruins, looked like the heavier team.
“It was good. It was really good,” head coach Peter Laviolette said from behind the bench after his 1,500th NHL game. “In the first game, they got some chances off the power play and had some 5-on-5 chances, but in the second and third they continued to target the puck with an offensive game, making smart moves. I thought we definitely took our chances in the game.”
Laviolette mixed lines throughout the second, using Panarin in three different units while sitting Chris Kreider for much of the second.
Trailing 1-0, Panarin got out of Jeremy Swayman’s five-hole hole to tie the score at 7:58 of the second, and at 19:25 his pass to Alex Wennberg was diving. Jake DeBrusk scored a goal to make it 2-1. .
“I don’t want to say too much about the playoffs, but this is certainly the way to play,” said Panarin, who clocked 21 minutes, 25 seconds. “Every shift we focus on not cheating and playing an honest game.
“That’s how you play. I think this year started out like that and then kind of fell off a little bit, and I don’t know why, but now I’m back to where I’m supposed to be.”
The pairing of Quandre Miller and Braden Schneider once again stood out.
In fact, this tandem is so dynamic and responsible that coach Laviolette will automatically replace Schneider if the captain is able to return from the last seven games with a lower-body injury. He may be faced with a decision on whether to hire Trouba.
Adam Fox scored the winning goal at 3-2 with a top corner from the right circle at the 3:57 mark of the third game, 40 seconds after Team B tied the score on a rebound jam. He played with particular superiority. icy.
Zach Jones was exceptionally impressive on defense with consistent support from the forwards.
The Rangers have an 11-8-1 record against the rest of the NHL’s top 10.
They will play the Panthers on Saturday at the Garden, who sit third overall with two points and two games in hand.
They go west to play Colorado at the end of the week after the Flyers come to town. The schedule was a challenge.
Laviolette accepts the challenge.
“[The Bruins] It’s a good hockey team. There’s a reason they’re sitting at the top of the league,” the coach said. “Our players were ready to play tonight.
“I think it’s good to keep playing games like this. Playing in Winnipeg [Tuesday]I didn’t like the result, but I was happy with how we played, our players played pretty hard.
“We’ll see what happens after that, but this is perfect for us. These are the games that can help us.”
In the playoffs, Laviolette couldn’t finish the rest of the sentence.
In the playoffs, if the Rangers can repeat this 16 times, they might be able to get something.
