The Rangers lost to the Buffalo in the shootout.
NHL. Regular season
Rangers – Buffalo – 2:3 B (0:1, 2:0, 0:1, 0:0, 0:1)
Naked: Peterka – 12 (Quinn, Jost), 14:24 – 0:1. Panarin – 27 (bol., Zibanejad, Kane), 21:01 – 1:1. Panarin – 28 (Tarasenko), 31:12 – 2:1. Mittelstadt – 13 (Tak), 48:13 – 2:2.
Winning bullet: Mittelstadt.
Goalkeepers: Shesterkin – Levy.
Penalty: 4 — 4.
Throws: 28 (4+13+11+0) — 38 (14+12+7+5).
Our: Panarin (19.14/2/0), Tarasenko (16.39/1/-1) – Lyubushkin (7.47/0/0).
11 April. NY. Madison Square Garden. 18006 spectators.
The Rangers are going into the playoffs as the favorites in the Eastern Conference. A reliable goaltender, two outstanding offensive threes, progressive youngsters, versatile defenders – the New Yorkers’ line-up is conducive to a campaign for the Stanley Cup. General manager Chris Drury’s operational deals during the regular season only strengthened the belief in repeating or improving last year’s result. The invitations of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko diversified the attack of the Rangers. The New Yorkers’ offense is rightly called one of the strongest in the league. Not in every match, the guys from Broadway delight with scoring extravaganza, but their games are almost never boring.
Mathematically, the Rangers might aim to win the Capital Division. To do this, you need to beat Toronto and wait for the misfires of competitors. If a miracle does not happen, in the first round of the playoffs, the New Yorkers will have a series with New Jersey. Team Gerard Gallan rolled into today’s match for a long time. The first period rightly left for the guests. The Sabers more than tripled the New Yorkers and converted one of their chances. John-Jason Peterka and Jack Quinn mocked the Rangers defense.
New Yorkers were obviously operating in a power-saving mode. There is no point in playing for all the money when the team has guaranteed a high place in the conference and is preparing for the playoffs. There is still time for coaches to experiment in order to decide on combinations for the first series.
Against Buffalo, Gallan tied Artemy Panarin and Vladimir Tarasenko in the second three along with Vince Trochek. According to the chances created in the 5×5 format, the bunch of MFM-2011 heroes became the best in the team. Panarin’s goal, which scored a double in the second period, might have remained victorious if not for the error of Miller’s defender in the third period.
The teams gave an unexpectedly disciplined match. Earned three removals for two in 60 minutes. They came in the first period – however, the Teige Thompson penalty divided the break. The Rangers started the second 20-minute period in the majority, which Panarin uncomplicatedly realized. According to this component, New Yorkers are not even included in the top five teams in the league. Their 23.7 percent isn’t as intimidating as Edmonton (32.5), Toronto (26.1) or Tampa (25.9).
However, Gallan can count on different options in the 5×4 format. The selection of diverse strikers gives the coach space for creativity and the search for new ideas. In the meantime, the Rangers are taking the path of least resistance and relying on proven combinations.
In the middle of the third period, the Rangers created problems for themselves. The New Yorkers controlled the situation and almost did not allow the Buffalo to run the show in the Shesterkin zone. In 10 minutes, only two shots flew to Igor’s goal. That’s just one of them turned into a second missed puck. For an absurd import, defender K’Andre Miller is obliged to put down in front of the goalkeeper, who was thrown to the mercy of the Buffalo forwards. Shesterkin coped with the first throw, but did not react to finishing off Casey Mittelstadt.
The fourth Buffalo-Rangers game in a row dragged on to overtime. I feel that in the KHL, some haters would instantly reproach the coaches for sharing points and deliberately playing for a draw at the end of the regular season. These statements have nothing to do with common sense.
New Yorkers coped with the difficulties created throughout the match – the situation in overtime did not change. The Sabers got the majority when the hosts made a mistake on the shift and jumped four of them onto the ice. Gallan’s team held out in the minority, including at the cost of a blocked shot by leading defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who was hit in the head by the puck. The American immediately left for the locker room, holding his face with a glove.
Shesterkin and Levi made the bulk of the shootouts unerringly, but the 21-year-old Buffalo goaltender, who recently made his NHL debut, played more reliably in extra shots. Power and Mittelstadt realized their attempts, to which the Rangers answered only with an accurate shot by Tarasenko. The Sabres remain in the playoff race, and the New Yorkers are almost certain to lose their chance of winning the Capital Division.
