Tuesday night’s game between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens was full of huge ramifications for the Blueshirts’ playoff hopes. A loss and their season could be mortally wounded. A win and their playoffs hopes remained alive.
Thankfully for them, it was the latter as they went on to defeat the Canadiens 3–1.
Fourth in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Florida Panthers for the eighth and final playoff spot, the Rangers played with gusto and attacked the Canadiens the entire game.
Rangers head coach John Tortarella knew what was at stake. He told www.newyorkrangers.com, “It’s not rocket science here—it’s not three games, it’s one game. Everybody knows where we’re at, what the situation is, we don’t have to talk about that anymore. It’s about finding a way to win one hockey game.”
The Rangers didn’t have an easy opponent in the Canadiens who won five of their last seven games. But Montreal didn’t enter the game without their own worries as the team was without their best player, Andre Markov, and defenseman, and former Ranger, Mathieu Schneider. Both players were injured in a 6–2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night. Markov was especially missed.
Coming out hard in the first period, the Rangers scored the first goal of the game as Chris Drury fired a shot past Carey Price off a takeaway from defenseman Mike Komisarek.
However, minutes later the Canadiens struck back as defenseman Mathieu Dandenault backhanded the puck off the left post and ricocheted it passed Henrik Lundqvist, tying the game 1–1.
In the second period, the Rangers scored early off a sloppy play by Carey Price who was checked by Sean Avery behind his own net while trying to clear a puck.
Price badly misplayed it and wound up tapping it past his own net where he was hoping defenseman Josh Gorges would play it. Instead he wound up giving it away to Nik Antropov who dove at the puck and poked it in for the score, putting the Blueshirts up by 1.
The home crowd got another treat as Markus Naslund fed a beautiful pass to Chris Drury who tipped it past Price’s left side. That goal was his second of the game and extended the Rangers lead 3–1.
Going into the third period, the Rangers kept attacking and also played solid defense. Neither team scored any goals in the third period and the game ended in a 3–1 Rangers victory.
Things don’t get any easier for the Blueshirts, who host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and end the regular season against the same Flyers on Sunday in Philly.
But their playoff hopes do look a bit brighter courtesy of the Flyers, who defeated the Florida Panthers 2–1 on Tuesday night and gave the Rangers a two-point lead over the Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Thankfully for them, it was the latter as they went on to defeat the Canadiens 3–1.
Fourth in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Florida Panthers for the eighth and final playoff spot, the Rangers played with gusto and attacked the Canadiens the entire game.
Rangers head coach John Tortarella knew what was at stake. He told www.newyorkrangers.com, “It’s not rocket science here—it’s not three games, it’s one game. Everybody knows where we’re at, what the situation is, we don’t have to talk about that anymore. It’s about finding a way to win one hockey game.”
The Rangers didn’t have an easy opponent in the Canadiens who won five of their last seven games. But Montreal didn’t enter the game without their own worries as the team was without their best player, Andre Markov, and defenseman, and former Ranger, Mathieu Schneider. Both players were injured in a 6–2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night. Markov was especially missed.
Coming out hard in the first period, the Rangers scored the first goal of the game as Chris Drury fired a shot past Carey Price off a takeaway from defenseman Mike Komisarek.
However, minutes later the Canadiens struck back as defenseman Mathieu Dandenault backhanded the puck off the left post and ricocheted it passed Henrik Lundqvist, tying the game 1–1.
In the second period, the Rangers scored early off a sloppy play by Carey Price who was checked by Sean Avery behind his own net while trying to clear a puck.
Price badly misplayed it and wound up tapping it past his own net where he was hoping defenseman Josh Gorges would play it. Instead he wound up giving it away to Nik Antropov who dove at the puck and poked it in for the score, putting the Blueshirts up by 1.
The home crowd got another treat as Markus Naslund fed a beautiful pass to Chris Drury who tipped it past Price’s left side. That goal was his second of the game and extended the Rangers lead 3–1.
Going into the third period, the Rangers kept attacking and also played solid defense. Neither team scored any goals in the third period and the game ended in a 3–1 Rangers victory.
Things don’t get any easier for the Blueshirts, who host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and end the regular season against the same Flyers on Sunday in Philly.
But their playoff hopes do look a bit brighter courtesy of the Flyers, who defeated the Florida Panthers 2–1 on Tuesday night and gave the Rangers a two-point lead over the Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Friends Read Free