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

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