Rangers win 4-3 in OT to advance to the 2nd Round

Controversies

The game was not without controversy.  Danton Heinen scored a power play goal in the first period to tie the game.  The puck had gotten past Igor Shesterkin and a diving Adam Fox appeared to sweep it out of the net.

Some of the Penguins were celebrating the goal, but the teams played on until the situation room stopped play and informed the officials that the puck had crossed the net.

Jake Guentzel’s goal at 10:18 of the second period gave the Penguin a 2-1 lead and the Rangers felt it had been scored with a high stick.  Guentzel had kicked the puck into the air and batted it down into the net.

The officials ruled it a good goal after video review though Coach Gerard Gallant said he thought it was a high stick.

That same power play was the result of Kaapo Kakko shooting the puck over the glass. Some replays showed that it had deflected off the glass, but it wasn’t reviewable and it cost the Rangers.

The last controversy was over the tying goal scored by Mika Zibanejad.  Earlier in the shift, Alexis Lafrenière and Marcus Pettersson were battling behind the Pittsburgh net.   Pettersson had his helmet knocked off and instead of putting it back on, he started complaining to the refs and then had to go to the bench. It gave the Rangers more players on the ice briefly and Mika Zibanejad was able to tie the score.

Mike Sullivan didn’t mince words after the game, saying “He has to come off, by rule. I think it stinks. He has to come off. His helmet got pulled off intentionally but that’s the rule.”

He’s wrong.  Pettersson could have picked up the helmet and put it back on, he didn’t have to leave the ice. Here’s the rule: A player on the ice whose helmet comes off during play shall be assessed a minor penalty if he does not exit the playing surface, or retrieve and replace his helmet properly on his head (with or without his chin strap fastened), within a reasonable period of time.

After the game, Sidney Crosby blamed the goal on a “bad rule.”  Perhaps if Pettersson had put his helmet back on instead of waving his arms and complaining to the referees before going to the bench, the Penguins wouldn’t have anything to complain about.

Here’s the play:

Also, look at the goal being scored.  Do the math.  There are five Penguins skaters on the ice.

One thing that was not controversial was the holding penalty on Brock McGinn on K’Andre Miller’s breakaway attempt.  It was definitely a penalty and it cost the Penguins the series.

Team comeback

After the game, Mika Zibanejad referred to the slogan “No Quit in New York” when talking about the comeback.  During the regular season the Rangers came back to win after trailing in 27 games. That was second only to the Panthers who did it 29 times.  In the playoffs, it’s the same story. Both the Rangers and Panthers lead all teams, coming back after trailing three times already.

The resilience of this young Rangers team is astounding.  It’s almost as if they need to trail in order to win and this series was nothing but a succession of bounce back performances.

They recovered from the double gut punch in Game One of the apparent go ahead goal disallowed, followed by the triple overtime loss and came back to win the second game 5-2.   Then came the ultimate comeback that culminated in the seventh game.

May 15, 2022; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers players celebrate as they leave the ice after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime of game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Unsung heroes

The Rangers’ obvious heroes included Mike Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, the clutch goal scorers. Chris Kreider scored his team leading fifth goal.  Igor Shesterkin stood on his head and kept the Rangers in the game.  But there were other heroes.

Tyler Motte was a whirling dervish on defense, a key penalty killer and was moved to the top line late in the game in an effort to shake up the offense.  He had a shorthanded breakaway, but was stymied by Jarry.   Motte’s return to the lineup for the last two games was one of the key reasons for the Rangers overcoming the 3-1 deficit.

K’Andre Miller scored his first playoff goal, a lucky goal that deflected off two Penguins.  His steal and breakaway led to the game winning power play.  The 22-year old was second in ice time only to Adam Fox, playing 27:52.  Miller grew up a lot in this series.

Andrew Copp chipped in with two assists and finished the series with seven points. His addition to the team cannot be measured.

Perhaps the biggest unsung hero and very possibly the MVP of this series for the Rangers was Ryan Lindgren.  It’s no coincidence that the Rangers were overwhelmed by the Penguins in the two games in Pittsburgh, games that Lindgren missed. His return to the lineup coincided with the miracle comeback.  In this game he played 24:32 with three blocked shots, two hits and one takeaway.

Let’s not forget to recognize Gerard Gallant.  He blew up his forward lines late in the game and it resulted in the tying goal.  He relied heavily on his top two defense pairs, negating the Penguins focus on the Schneider/Braun tandem. He wisely used his timeout as the last power play began, setting up the play and reminding Panarin that he had to take the shot when he had it.

While Gallant gives all of the credit to his players when they manufacture these comebacks, but there is no doubt that it’s his even keel personality behind the bench that contributes to the team’s steadfast belief that they can always come back.

Next up

The Rangers get two days off to prepare for Round Two,  when they will take on the Carolina Hurricanes.  That one promises to be a huge challenge for these young Rangers, as they were dominated in the regular season by the top team in the Metropolitan Division.  But hey, anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The NHL released the schedule for Round Two.

Wed, May 18 , 7 pm – At Carolina (ESPN)
Fri, May 20, 8 pm – At Carolina (ESPN)
Sun, May 22, 3:30pm – At Rangers (ESPN)
Tues, May 24, 7 pm – At Rangers (ESPN)
Thurs, May 26 At Carolina*  (tba)
Sat, May 28 At Rangers* (tba)
Mon, May 30 At Carolina* (tba)
*if necessary