New York Rangers’ top five games of the 2016-17 Season
The New York Rangers had a successful season, finishing as the first wild card. Throughout the season, many exciting games were played.
While the New York Rangers failed to dispatch the Ottawa Senators in the second round of the NHL playoffs, that does not mean their season was a total bust. Throughout the season, New York played exciting games.
Sure, the Rangers were constantly battling with lesser teams, but the games were jam-packed with action. Early in the season, New York scored five goals seemingly every night. However, Henrik Lundqvist struggled, leaving the games close and high scoring.
Although playoff games hold more importance than regular season contests, this look at the top games of the 2016-17 season will judge games based on excitement level. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the best of the best.
5. Rangers 2, Maple Leafs 1 (SO)
It was a February affair between the upstart Toronto Maple Leafs and the “been there before” New York Rangers. Throughout the game, the Maple Leafs and Rangers traded prime scoring opportunities. Auston Matthews put on a show for Toronto, but only Connor Brown could find the back of the net.
Meanwhile, New York found solving Frederik Andersen to be an impossible task. Despite peppering him with shots from all angles, they could not find a way to send a puck home until late in the third period. J.T. Miller tied the game at one goal a piece.
In overtime, the two teams traded scoring chances until the buzzer sounded. The work by the goalies was so impressive that they gave each other stick taps, despite the final result not being decided yet. Game recognized game.
Finally in the shootout, Mika Zibanejad sent the Rangers out of the Air Canada Centre with a victory. It would not be the last time Zibanejad came up clutch.
4. Rangers 1, Blackhawks 0 (OT)
There are 1-0 games that serve as snoozefests, then there are 1-0 games that work as thrilling affairs. For example, the Rangers defeated the Islanders 1-0 back in 2013 in one of the most exciting games of that season.
When New York met up with the Chicago Blackhawks, it was a battle of two of the best teams in the NHL. Antti Raanta took the net against his former team, standing tall throughout the evening. He made two particularly huge saves on Richard Panik and Patrick Kane.
Neither team found a way to score in regulation, so the game moved into overtime. Once there, New York capitalized on a brilliant change, springing Nick Holden with a lane to the net. Holden snapped one in, ending the night with a huge Rangers victory
3. Rangers 1, Lightning 0
Stop us if you heard this one before, but the Rangers won a thriller 1-0 in overtime. Antti Raanta was in the net, and Mika Zibanejad scored the big winner. Okay, we swear we did not simply combine the first two games on the list.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were battling for their playoff lives, while the Rangers were trying to get back into their winning ways. Antti Raanta went up against Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the two goalies were brick walls between the pipes. Neither team wanted to budge in a physical, intense game.
Overtime brought plenty of chances as per usual, but the ending was the most thrilling. After Ondrej Palat nearly scored, Mika Zibanejad ended up with a breakaway the other way. Zibanejad made no mistake about it, giving the Rangers another 1-0 overtime victory.
2. Rangers 5, Blue Jackets 4
For a game to make this list without going into overtime, a lot needed to have happened. In New York’s 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 7, a lot did happen.
The Rangers fell behind early, thanks to two strikes by the Blue Jackets in the first five minutes. New York returned the favor late in the third, but Columbus scored again right after. The two teams swapped goals in the second period, giving Columbus a 4-2 lead going into the third period.
Adam Clendening scored a goal just over a minute into the third period to give the Rangers life. It was Clendening’s first goal as a Ranger. Later in the third it was Clendening creating magic again, setting up Michael Grabner for his second goal of the game. Tie game. Too bad that Clendening fella stayed behind in Columbus forever. (We kid)
With less than a minute remaining, Columbus nearly re-took the lead. However they failed, and suddenly Michael Grabner was sprung on a breakaway. With two goals to his name already, Grabner deked out everyone in the building and pocketed the puck in the back of the net. Comeback win, hat trick for Grabner, Rangers win. What. A. Game.
1. Rangers 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
New York may not have advanced as far as we would have liked, but they did provide us with a signature playoff moment in the first round. With the series tied at two games a piece, Game Five felt like a “winner wins the series” type of game.
The Rangers fell behind after one period of play, but American
hero
defenseman Brady Skjei tied the game at two late in the second period. While the teams swapped chances in the third, neither could score, setting up a thrilling overtime to find out who would end up with the edge in the series.
Next: Why the Rangers will win the 2018 Stanley Cup Final
Late into overtime, embedded Ranger Alexei Emelin tipped a Chris Kreider shot, changing its direction. The puck ended up on Mika Zibanejad’s stick, leaving him with a wide open net to shoot at. Zibanejad buried it, sending New York back home with a 3-2 series lead. The game and moment of the playoffs for sure.