The Rangers decided to fight fire with fire.
And that’s where rookie forward Matt Lempe comes into his own.
The Panthers, one of the most physical teams in the league, dominated the Rangers early in Saturday night’s game, leading 2-0 early in the second period.
According to StatMuse, the Panthers are averaging 27.4 hits per game, the most in the NHL.
After defenseman Adam Fox’s power-play goal cut the Rangers’ lead to 2-1 in the second period, head coach Peter Laviolette said Rempe, along with forward Jimmy Vesey and center Barclay Goodrow, He chose to play in the fourth row. The team’s momentum increases and the game becomes even more exciting.
They answered the bell and performed some of their biggest hits that wowed the Madison Square Garden crowd.
Shortly after, the second line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere replaced the fourth line, before Panarin tied it and the Rangers finally won a thrilling 4-on-3 shootout. He achieved victory.
“I thought it was a big turning point in the game,” Laviolette said of the fourth line’s performance. “We didn’t produce a ton in the first period. We took away the power play in the second. [period], score a goal. The control line was out, Vesey and Rempe, they put it behind them, they got some hits, they got some shots on net, and then before you know it, Trocheck’s line is back, great goal, Great play, and that evened things out. There was a lot of energy on our bench and a lot of energy in the building. We just got better and better from there. ”
This fourth line gave the Rangers a 28-24 advantage in hits and bullied the bullies.
Rempe led the way with five hits, while Goodrow chipped in with four hits.
Rempe’s 7 minutes and 31 seconds on the ice was the third-best of the season.
Rangers finally got some much-needed rest.
The Rangers, who played nine games in 15 days after Saturday night’s win, do not play again until Tuesday.
That led Laviolette to give his players Sunday off and practice on Monday, something unusual in recent weeks.
The Rangers went 7-2-0 during that grueling stretch, but the break is definitely welcome.
“We have some tough games ahead of us,” Laviolette said. “The good thing is we get a day off and then we have a practice day. We haven’t seen that in a long time. [Saturday’s] The game was [end of a] It was a long game played in a short number of days, but the players responded throughout.really deserves a break [Sunday]”
