The New York Rangers are coming off a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. The Rangers have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL for most of the season so far. They take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Here is a Rangers vs Blue Jackets pregame analysis.
Chris Kreider did it again as the Rangers went on a three-minute major power play. With less than two seconds left, Kreider scored on a tip-in. This goalwas his 30th of the season and his 15th PPG. Adam Fox’s patience led to this play as he waited at the right moment, even with the time ticking down, to send an awesome pass to Kreider. Fox (39) and Artemi Panarin (33) got the assists, while Kreider took hold of the league lead in both goals and PPG.
Image Courtesy of thedailygoalhorn.com from Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The second period for the Rangers was better, but not on the scoreboard. The Rangers did have more shots on goal than their measly three in the first, but nothing came of it. The Kings scored two goals, one of them a PPG, making it 2-1 Kings after two periods.
All hope seemed to be lost for the Rangers as the Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick was living up to his name. He was stopping everything and probably bringing back some bad Stanley Cup memories for the Rangers and their fans. Quick did the same thing to the Rangers as he did in the 2014 Stanley Cup.
Barclay Goodrow (8) tied the game up at 2-2 at 14:15 in the third period, which was the score at the end of regulation. The whole entire overtime period was four-on-four play because it started with a Rangers power play. After the power play, it went to four-on-four and there were no whistles, so play continued like this.
Since nobody scored in OT, a shootout took place in which the Rangers won it in the sixth round. Adam Fox had make a quick little move, tricking Quick and scoring. This ended the game and made it a Rangers 3-2 win.
The Blue Jackets took on the Ottawa Senators on Sunday and lost 2-1. At 7:59 in the first, Artem Zub (4) scored on a snap shot making it 1-0. Zub managed to score with a bunch of traffic in front, shooting from the blue line. Assisting on the play was Adam Gaudette (3) and Tyler Ennis (12).
With only 34 seconds left in the first, Sean Kuraly (6) tied it on a tip-in. After a cross-ice pass from Zach Werenski (16) to Jakub Voracek (26), Vorecek passes the puck immediately to Kuraly, who redirects it passed goalie Anton Forsberg.
There was just under four minutes left in the second period when Tim Stutzle (7) made it 2-1 Senators. Stutzle enters the offensive zone, breaks through the Blue Jackets defense and fights through pressure, scoring off his backhand. Alex Formenton (10) assists on the goal.
The Rangers are in front of the Metropolitan Division, while the Blue Jackets are looking for a playoff spot. Both teams have something to fight for as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals are right on their tail.
The last time these two teams faced each other, the Rangers won 5-3. Panarin and Kreider each scored twice as the Rangers net three goals in 1:03 span in the second period. The Blue Jackets don’t want another repeat as they try to fight for a playoff spot. They are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games, which doesn’t help their case at all. They need to find a way to win to keep up with teams such as the Rangers, Caps, Canes and Penguins.
Will the Rangers continue epic season with another win? Or will the Blue Jackets dominate the Rangers? Don’t miss the game as the Blue Jackets host the Rangers at 7 p.m. ET Thursday night.
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