Lundqvist and Rangers Blank The Predators 3-0
"Hen-rik!" "Hen-rik!" the Blueshirts Faithful chanted over and over again Monday night at Madison Square Garden because time and again Henrik Lundqvist was there to perform all sorts of magic in leading the Rangers to a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators.
Though thoroughly outplayed during segments of the game, the Rangers were able to play a version of rope-a-dope as Lundqvist made save after clutch save against a frustrated Predators team that had been shut out in its previous two contests. Lundqvist finished with 31 saves and earned his second shutout of the season and 57th of his career.
Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and Kevin Hayes scored the goals for New York, which won for the 11th time in its last 12 matches and is now tied once again for first overall in the NHL with Dallas and Montreal at 34 points. It was also the ninth straight home-ice win at MSG for the Blueshirts.
For the Rangers it was a sluggish, penalty-filled first period, or the exact opposite kind of start they were seeking in their return home. Nashville outshot New York 14-3 in the opening period and out-attempted the Rangers by a whopping 35-12 margin. Yet the the first period ended scoreless thanks to some solid penalty killing by the Rangers, 11 blocked shots by New York--including four by Marc Staal, and some outstanding work by Lundqvist in goal.
The parade to the penalty box--one game after New York was shorthanded six times in Saturday's wild 5-4 overtime victory in Florida--began with a Dan Girardi interference minor at 11:07, continued shortly after that successful kill as Keith Yandle was whistled for a holding penalty at 13:31, and culminated when Derek Stepan was assessed a four-minute double-minor for high sticking at 16:39.
Lundqvist was at his best during that four-minute kill, battling through traffic to make four key saves. He received some big-time help when Girardi raced across the slot to cut off an open scoring chance for Nashville and a minute later when Kevin Klein crushed Colin Wilson to the ice, stole the puck at the Rangers goal line, and whipped the puck the length of the ice.
The second period started similarly to the first, but Nash took matters into his own hands nearing the five-minute mark. Nash collected the puck in his own end and jetted up left wing to start a 3-on-2 rush. Yandle skated down the middle towards the net, but Nash instead zipped a shot past Pekka Rinne to give New York a 1-0 lead at 4:32.
The goal, Nash's sixth of the season and fourth in the past two games, was unassisted, and came at a time in the game when the Rangers were being outshot 16-4.
Shortly after Nash's score Lundqvist made an acrobatic sprawling pad save to rob Nashville's Gabriel Bourque on the door step and preserve the one-goal lead. There would be plenty more theatrics and clutch saves from Lundqvist before the second period came to a close, with New York leading 1-0, though being outshot 25-7 and out-attempted by an incredible sum of 62-21.
Adding to Nashville's growing frustration in its extended scoreless streak was a sequence at 12:32 of the second when Lundqvist missed on a poke check of James Neal, sliding way out of his net as a result. With only Klein between him and the open Rangers net, Nashville's Filip Forsberg sailed a shot high and wide of the cage.
The Rangers finally picked up their game offensively in the third, due in part to receiving their first power play of the night just 36 seconds into the period. Though they didn;t score on the man advantage New York recorded four shots on goal, and two minutes after the power play ended Stepan doubled the Rangers' lead.
Hayes, bumped up from the third line to play right wing with Stepan and Chris Kreider, swung a pass on left wing to Staal, and the Rangers defenseman sent a quick slick pass into the low slot where a wide-open Stepan buried his sixth goal at 4:23 giving the Blueshirts a 2-0 lead.
Six minutes later Hayes was credited with a power play goal to up the lead to 3-0. After a face off win Hayes wristed a shot from right wing that hit a Predator in front and deflected past Rinne at 10:38. Like Nash and Stepan, Hayes scored hiss sixth goal of the season.
In the midst of a nine-games-in-15-days stretch the Rangers return to action Wednesday night at The Garden when they host the Atlantic Division leaders, the Montreal Canadiens, in a pre-Thanksgiving battle.
Jim Cerny
BlueshirtsUnited.com
FINAL BOX SCORE: NY RANGERS 3 NASHVILLE PREDATORS 0
Scoring Summary
1st Period
NONE
2nd Period
04:32 NYR Rick Nash (6) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE 1 - 0 NYR
3rd Period
04:23 NYR Derek Stepan (6) Wrist shot - ASST: Marc Staal (7), Kevin Hayes (8) 2 - 0 NYR
10:38 NYR PPG - Kevin Hayes (6) Wrist shot - ASST: Keith Yandle (10), Oscar Lindberg (7) 3 - 0 NYR
Penalty Summary
1st Period
11:07 NYR Dan Girardi Interference - 2 min against James Neal
13:31 NYR Keith Yandle Holding - 2 min against Gabriel Bourque
16:39 NYR Derek Stepan Hi stick - double minor - 4 min against Craig Smith
2nd Period
15:32 NYR Rick Nash Tripping - 2 min against Austin Watson
3rd Period
00:36 NSH Craig Smith Tripping - 2 min against Derek Stepan
08:53 NSH Gabriel Bourque Tripping - 2 min against Jarret Stoll
10:45 NSH James Neal Roughing - 2 min against Dominic Moore
17:31 NYR J.T. Miller Roughing - 2 min against Roman Josi
17:31 NSH Roman Josi Roughing - 2 min against Oscar Lindberg
18:13 NSH James Neal Slashing - 2 min against Keith Yandle
18:13 NSH Mike Ribeiro Misconduct (10 min) - 10 min against Derick Brassard
Shots By Period
Period NSH NYR
1st 14 3
2nd 11 4
3rd 6 12
Total 31 19
Team Stats
Category NSH NYR
Power Plays 0/5 1/4
Hits 24 25
Faceoff Wins 25 28
Giveaways 7 6
Takeaways 8 10
Blocked Shots 14 26
Penalty Minutes 20 12
NY RANGERS 3 STARS OF THE GAME:
1. HENRIK LUNDQVIST NYR
2. KEVIN HAYES NYR
3. RICK NASH NYR
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