The New York Rangers clinch a playoff spot after defeating the Ottawa Senators 5-1. They are now tied with the Carolina Hurricanes with 100 points in the Metropolitan Division. Here is a breakdown of the game.
Dominant First Period
The Rangers were all over the Senators, although the score doesn’t show this. However, the Rangers had 12 shots on goal (SOG) to the Senators three.
The Senators did score first on a snap shot by Austin Watson (7). After a beautiful pass by Mark Kastelic (2), Watson shot it right as the puck came to him. Igor Shesterkin really didn’t have much of a chance as this was a great play and shot. Parker Kelly (3) also assisted on the play.
The Rangers tied it up later in the period right off the faceoff on a slap shot by Artemi Panarin (21). They initially lost the faceoff, but Andrew Copp’s defense caused Erik Brannstrom to cough up the puck. Panarin finds the puck and shoots it to score, trickling in behind Anton Forsberg. This was an unassisted goal.
At the end of the period, the Rangers were not only outshooting the Senators offensively, they were playing great defense as well. The Rangers had 11 blocked shots to the Senators two.
Goals, Goals and More Goals
Copp (17) scored on a wrist shot to make it 2-1 Rangers. Panarin (66) does it again as he makes an unbelievable pass to Copp, who shoots it right over Forsberg and in. K’Andre Miller (11) also assisted on the play.
Chris Kreider added to the Rangers lead for his 48th goal of the season. Kreider scored on a slap shot on a pass from Ryan Lindgren (10). Mika Zibanejad (47) also assisted on the play.
Ryan Strome (17) made it 4-1 on a wrist shot after a fantastic feed from Panarin (67), who has three points in this game. The goal was scored after a great backwards pass by Adam Fox to Lindgren in their own zone. Lindgren got the puck out and passed it to Panarin and the rest is history.
The Rangers dominated the second period as well with 13 SOG to the Senators six. The total was 25-9 Rangers, but will the Rangers keep their level of play up going into the third? Yes and no.
Senators Upping Their Game
The Senators did their best to get some offense going. They had more SOG in the third period than they did the first two periods combined, but it wasn’t enough as Rangers added to their lead.
Kreider (49) scored another goal to give the Rangers a 5-1 lead late in the period on a snap shot. Frank Vatrano (12) made a nice pass to Kreider, who ripped it to score. Justin Braun (12) also assisted on the play.
The Rangers end up winning by the final score of 5-1 to clinch a playoff berth. They are currently tied in points at 100 with the Hurricanes.
The three stars of the game from first to third were Panarin, Kreider and Lindgren.
Upcoming Schedule
The Rangers will be at home against the Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 12th. The Hurricanes will be playing their next game vs the Anaheim Ducks Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET for a chance to get their two-point lead back. The Rangers are hoping that doesn’t happen.
This will be their fourth matchup this season, the Rangers taking two of the previous three games, 2-0, 3-6 and 2-0. Will the Rangers continue winning, bringing their streak to four straight? Is it possible for the Rangers to take over first in the Metro, when everyone has been putting them against the Pittsburgh Penguins? Or will the Hurricanes put a dent in the Rangers hopes? Check out the Rangers vs Hurricanes game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET to see who wins this division battle.
Featured Image Courtesy of by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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