If the Rangers play the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, they’ll want to use their Friday night game at the Garden as a plan to win.
The Rangers were a strong player after shooting the puck and never gave up, scoring three quick goals in the first period that allowed them to keep the Penguins at a safe distance all night before they walked away with a convincing 5-1 victory.
There are two more regular season meetings between the clubs on the horizon – and possibly a whole postseason streak. Only one point now separates the second-place Penguins and the third-place Rangers, who have two more wins and a game to spare, in the Capital Division standings.
“These games are important because if you look at the standings, we are now fighting for second place,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said before the victory. “Caroline has a small jump, but things can change in a hurry. We play two of the next three games in Pittsburgh and then play a week and a half later. So we play them three times in two weeks.”
It was the final result for the Rangers, who suffered an embarrassment across the Hudson River on Tuesday in a 7-4 loss to the Devils. The Rangers therefore responded with one of their best wins of the season by playing a decisive game that caused ” The Penguins at times looked like they were in slow motion.
Chris Kreider (20) celebrates his goal with Mika Zibanejad. Robert Sabo
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The Penguins didn’t have Evgeni Malkin, who was sidelined for a non-COVID illness, though the star center probably wouldn’t have made much difference to the Rangers’ skating.
“Part of that was [New] A jersey game, but also an important game against these guys,” said Mika Zibanejad, who provided three assists and passed the 500 career mark. “We knew we were better than that. We are better than this. We obviously want to play well and show the best game every night, but that’s not going to happen.
“I think the way we reacted tonight was a good sign.”
In the first period, the Rangers took just over four minutes to take a 3-0 lead.
Alexis Lafrenière and Philip Chitil managed to go two on one. This saw Lafrenière, selected first overall in 2020, extend his hitting streak to five games with a goal at 2:07 of the first. Just under two minutes later, Chris Kreider scored a breakaway goal from the bench to double the Rangers’ lead.
The updated top lineup of Kreider, Zibanejad and Frank Vatrano continued to exert pressure. Zibanejad fed Vatrano on the doorstep at 4:16 a.m., prompting Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan to use his timeout to try and calm his team.
The Rangers put down the attack of the penguins. Robert Sabo
Pittsburgh narrowly missed the board in Game 1 when the loss of Jacob Truba allowed the Penguins’ Danton Heinen and Evan Rodriguez to flick the puck over the goal line. However, the arbitrators immediately canceled it. The game was eventually reviewed, but Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s pads were found to have been pressed and the no-ice announcement was upheld.
Shesterkin had one of the lightest loads of the season as he saved 20 of the 21 shots he faced to help the Rangers improve to 41-19-5. The Penguins’ lone goal came in the sixth minute of the final period by powerplay center Jeff Carter, but Andrew Kopp’s first goal as a Ranger capped the score near the end of regulation time.
After Kreider made it 4–0 with his third shorthanded goal of the season, Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was sent off for just the second time this season. Casey DeSmit came in as a replacement for Jarry, but the stunt double collided with the Penguins’ Brian Dumoulin and headed to the locker room after the 4:19 taping. As a result, Jarry was forced to return.
“When we play the best hockey, it’s because we’re determined,” Kreider said. “We move our feet, take up time and space, and make life difficult for the other team. I think that’s the most important thing for this group.”