Rangers clinch the Presidents Trophy with a win over the Senators
By Conor Power
Your New York Rangers are the Metropolitan Division winners, the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Presidents Trophy winners. No matter what happens, they will have home ice throughout the postseason. They finally got it over the line despite some late-season wobbles. The Rangers did it in game 82 of the regular season, so now we wait to see who the first opponent in this postseason run will be for the Blueshirts.
Game 82 started well for the Blueshirts when the Rangers created an odd-man rush after a neutral zone turnover. Chris Kreider carried the puck into the offensive zone before handing it over to Jack Roslovic. With all the time in the world, Roslovic gets the puck past Joonas Korpisalo, and the Rangers take a 1-0 lead in a critical game in the hunt for the Metro division title. One goal could be enough, but the insurance markers would be essential.
In the second, the Rangers extended the lead shorthanded when Adam Fox led the breakout up the ice. Fox carried the puck into the Ottawa zone before handing it off to Kreider and driving to the net. Kreider got the pass onto Fox's blade, and the New York native didn't disappoint. It was a beautiful deflection to get the puck behind Korpisalo, and the Rangers were in the driver's seat.
New York would make it three in the third. Ryan Lindgren threw the puck on from the point, and Artemi Panarin cruised through the slot to deflect it home for goal number 49 of the year. Everything would get wrapped up with the breadman taking over this game: the Metropolitan, the Eastern Conference, and the Presidents Trophy. New York had to hold on for the final 10 minutes, and they would be the team to beat in the playoffs.
An insurance marker would come from the second line when Artemi Panarin led the offense up the ice. A pass into the slot was tapped over to Alexis Lafreniere at the back post. Lafreniere couldn't miss, Panarin had point number 120 on the year, and the Rangers were winning everything. Sheesterkin held on for the shutout, and the Rangers won. Rangers are the giant of the league going into the postseason.