Johnson, Lightning stun Rangers at MSG

Tampa Bay Lightning 6 New York Rangers 3

FIRST PERIOD: Maybe it was the sentimental tribute to Martin St. Louis before puck drop or the realization they needed to respond but the Rangers opened up the game with poise. There was a concerted effort to move the puck quickly out of their own zone and execute calculated break-outs. For a good portion of the period, there was a sense of urgency and sustained pressure from the blue shirts. Suddenly, at 6:32, the dynamic line of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov sucked the life out of the Garden. Johnson(7) deposited the loose puck off a skate, assisted by Palat (11) and Victor Hedman (5). The Rangers started to waiver from their gameplan, committing weak giveaways along the boards and allowing long stretch passes up the middle – Lundqvist was forced to make a big save on Kucherov after a beautiful rink wide pass from Hedman. Sometimes, in this sport, you just need someone to step up a make a play. Carl Hagelin(5) did just that, corralling the puck off the boards, ducking behind the net, and then feeding the Boston College product Kevin Hayes(3) for the equalizing goal. Once again, the Garden came alive as the Rangers rallied off Hayes’ goal to establish a presence in Tampa Bay’s end. At 16:02, yet another stretch pass came from Hedman (6) and Brett Connolly(3) received the puck, evaded a checking Marc Staal, and beat a screened Lundqvist to take the lead. Goalie Ben Bishop was credited for his 2nd assist of the year on the goal. Steven Stamkos was called for tripping with 2:17 to go in the period, but the Rangers couldn’t convert despite a couple quality chances from Stepan, Brassard, and Staal.

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SECOND PERIOD

: At just 2:42,

initiated the scoring play by tapping the puck over to

(10) who fed

(12) as a 3 on 2 rush developed. Brassard pulled off a gorgeous fake slap shot to free up space, and then whipped a pass towards

, who tapped in his 2nd goal of the year.

interfered with Killorn at 14:06, only to be negated by Kucherov, who tripped up an accelerating

at 6:50. Nash was robbed of his 17th goal of the year when Bishop used his whole 6’7 frame to stop Nash with the pad. Brassard was then hooked at 8:45 by

. It was at this time Rangers fans might have questioned reality. The blue shirts whipped the puck around, pulling the defense out of position on numerous occasions. Brassard flicked a backhander over to Stepan (11), who put it on a tee for Ryan McDonagh(6). McDonagh unloaded, only to meet Bishop’s pad but St. Louis was right there to tuck in the rebound, his 10th of the season. The Rangers now have 4 consecutive games with a goal on the man advantage. Kevin Hayes was called for hooking at 8:42, and then McDonagh was whistled for hooking at 11:57, giving the Lightning a 5 on 3 advantage for a minute and twenty seconds.

led a successful yet gutsy Rangers penalty kill, with the Garden faithful roaring in approval. However, the tired Rangers in need of a line change were soon capitalized on. Matthew Carle(2) rocketed a slapshot just over Lundqvist’s shoulder to tie the game, assisted by Johnson (18) and

(16). A moment to remember was with 10 seconds left, where Lundqvist stoned Paquette on an abbreviated breakaway to keep the game knotted at 3-3.

THIRD PERIOD

: Rangers fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief at 18:31, as Connolly’s “goal” was immediately called back for a blatant high stick. However, Rangers fans weren’t able to breathe easy for long. The beginning of the end came at 5:06 when Martin St. Louis was sent to the box after a questionable slashing call by the referee. Ironically enough, Connolly (4) scored on the power play, assisted by Stamkos (14) and Hedman(7). Johnson(8) lit the lamp minutes later, at 6:58, from Kucherov (12) and

(3). For the rest of the period, the Lightning dictated play in the Rangers’ zone. The Rangers were able to compete with the Lightning for two periods, which is an improvement of sorts. Hagelin’s boarding penalty at 15:33 impeded with any possible chance at a Rangers comeback. Filppula was called for hooking at 18:13 but the Rangers were unable to generate anything, even with their net empty. Palat(6) scored an empty net goal at 19:33 to put the nail in the coffin.

The Lightning have swept the season series vs. the Rangers, emphatically. Shots favored the Rangers 35-21, faceoffs favored the Lightning 37-30, and Bishop got his 15th win with 32 saves. The Rangers next game is scheduled for Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings, winners of 4 straight, at Joe Louis Arena.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME

1. Brett Connolly

2. Tyler Johnson

3. Victor Hedman