New York Rangers: Six goal night against the Sabres

The New York Rangers scored six goals, including two in eight seconds, to earn a victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

The New York Rangers came into this game against the Buffalo Sabres hoping to rebound from a 4-3 loss in Winnipeg. Despite being outshot by the Sabres, the Rangers were able to score six goals and emerge victorious.

The Rangers did not start the game well.  Just 55 seconds in, Adam McQuaid took an interference penalty, but they were able to kill it off.

A few minutes later, on a delayed penalty call against the Sabres, Boo Nieves was able to find the back of the net and give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

Jesper Fast would add to the lead later on in the period.

Buffalo would immediately respond in the second period. Ranger killer Jeff Skinner cut the lead in half just 53 seconds in (ironic, since that is also his jersey number) with his 35th goal of the season.

Jimmy Vesey added another goal for the Rangers on a great pass from Pavel Buchnevich.

However,  Skinner wasn’t done trying to will his team back into the game. On a Sabres powerplay he would score his 36th of the season and second of the game.

Alexandar Georgiev and the Rangers managed to fend off the Sabres offense except for Skinner, who often found himself completely open and alone to get the puck into the back of the net.

The Rangers did not leave the second period unscathed. Brady Skjei suffered a lower-body injury and did not return to the game.

The third period is when the Rangers sealed the Sabres’ fate. Things heated up  at the 7:51 mark when Kyle Okposo checked Mats Zuccarello hard into the boards from behind. Mika Zibanejad challenged Okposo, but Tony DeAngelo took over and knocked Okposo down with a right to the jaw.  Okposo was bloodied and left the game for good.   From then on, the Rangers dominated offensively despite being at a disadvantage in shots.

Secondary scoring was the key for the Rangers tonight, as the top line of Kreider, Zibanejad and Zuccarello were mostly shut down, other than one assist for Zuccarello.

The highlight of the third was the Rangers scoring two goals in eight seconds. At  15:59 Pavel Buchnevich scored after a dominant shift in the Sabres zone on a brilliant faked shot and pass from Kevin Hayes.  Off the ensuing faceoff, Sabres’ goaltender Linus Ullmark mishandled the puck behind the goal and Vladislav Namestnikov capitalized, scoring into the empty net.

Namestnikov added an empty net goal to make it 6-2. The Sabres looked like they were outplaying the Rangers at times, but the Rangers were able to power through and convert on their offensive chances in order to pull out a win.

The Rangers continue their road trip on Sunday with an afternoon nationally televised game in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.

Stars of the game

Vladislav Namestnikov

Namestnikov is undeniably the first star of the night.

His two goals and three points overall led the Rangers tonight and he was one of the top forwards for the Rangers in ice time. He even earned some penalty kill minutes as well.

Namestnikov was struggling as of late, but tonight he looked more like the player that fans expected when he was acquired from Tampa Bay last season. If he continues to perform like this, we could see him move up in the lineup pretty quickly.

Pavel Buchnevich

Much of the same remarks about Namestnikov could be made about Buchnevich tonight.

The two have each had their fair share of struggles so far, but Buchnevich stepped up when it mattered tonight. His pass to Jimmy Vesey on the game-tying goal was especially highlight reel worthy. Not to mention his only shot on goal tonight went in.

For the Rangers, it was important for secondary scoring to step up and produce as the Sabres defense would focus on the top line and is not particularly deep. Buchnevich and his line with Kevin Hayes and Jimmy Vesey clearly got that message and followed through.

Tony DeAngelo

I’m going to be honest, I never thought I would be writing about Tony DeAngelo as a star of a game.

However, DeAngelo was a plus four on the night along with Kevin Shattenkirk and he helped fill the void after Brady Skjei left with an injury. He also earned an assist on the night.

His fight with Kyle Okposo worth mentioning as well. Standing up for a veteran teammate like that indicates his dedication and passion for the team, and it helps give teammates a boost when the opponent is trying to take the lead away. Whether you like fighting or not, I believe that was a major moment for DeAngelo this season.