Raanta and Rangers Fall To Kings, 5-4, In Overtime
Friday night at Madison Square
Garden the Rangers came within seconds of securing their fifth straight
victory, but instead allowed a late game-tying goal and then lost to the
Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in overtime.
New York nearly won this wildly entertaining contest in overtime on two separate occasions, but Derick Brassard and Keith Yandle both were denied on excellent chances. Kings forward Tanner Pearson ultimately scored the game-winner at 3:10 of overtime on a short-side snap shot from right wing.
Awarded their first power play of the night when Kings defenseman Alec Martinez was whistled for a delay of game penalty at 13:30 of the third period, the Rangers responded with only their third power play goal in the last 19 games. Kevin Hayes drove to the net and Mats Zuccarello fed him perfectly for the score at 15:14 as the Blueshirts grabbed a 4-3 lead--one that looked like it would stand up to the finish for the Rangers who had won four games in a row coming in.
Hayes, who had a goal and an assist Friday, now has goals in back to back games. Zuccarello also scored a goal and recorded an assist Friday, as did Derek Stepan.
However the Kings scored a flukey goal with 29.7 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. After a Rangers icing, the Kings won the offensive zone face off and Anze Kopitar wristed a shot towards the goal which hit Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein in the chest and bounced over the goal line--Kopitar tying the game with his third goal of the night and 16th of the season.
When the 2015-16 schedule came out it was probably assumed by most that Friday's contest would be a match up of two of the league's elite goaltenders--New York's Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick of the Kings. However Alain Vigneault chose to rest Lundqvist, who had started 20 of the previous 21 Rangers contests, and Quick was out after suffering a recent lower body injury.
So it was Antti Raanta in goal for the Rangers, making his first start since January 17, and third-stringer Peter Budaj tending goal for L.A. after backup Jhonas Enroth had started in Thursday's loss to the Islanders just 24 hours prior. Raanta made 29 saves for New York, while Budaj, who was recalled from the minor leagues just this week, finished with 24 stops, including three in overtime.
The Rangers spotted the Kings a 2-0 lead just 11:26 into play, but came back to secure a 3-2 advantage of their own by the midpoint of the second period. However Kopitar's second goal of the night pulled the Kings even and sent the two teams into the second intermission tied 2-2.
A strong forecheck by the third line turned the tide for the Rangers after Los Angeles had roared out to its early lead. Oscar Lindberg won a puck battle along the right wing wall and skimmed the puck around behind the net to Hayes, who was tied up in a one on one battle of his own. Hayes chipped the puck into the slot where Viktor Stalberg beat the Kings defense to the loose disc, and he whisked his eighth goal past Budaj at the 13 minute mark of the first period, trimming the Kings lead to 2-1.
Stepan scored an unassisted goal at 7:44 of the second period to tie the game, 2-2. From the bottom of the left circle Stepan outworked three Kings, and he skated into the low slot before his wrist shot slipped through Budaj's pads, his 10th goal evening things up.
With momentum clearly on their side, the Rangers grabbed their first lead of the night shortly thereafter on Zuccarello's team-leading 19th goal. Zuccarello, who now has equaled his career-high in goals, sent a backhand shot off Budaj with the puck fluttering high in the air before landing behind the Kings goalie and rolling over the goal line at 9:21. Stepan and Chris Kreider assisted on the go-ahead goal.
After expertly killing off a Dominic Moore penalty right after Zuccarello's goal the Rangers seemed to have grasped this game by the throat. However a turnover in the Rangers end of the ice led directly to Kopitar's 15th goal that tied the score at the 15:46 mark of period number two.
J.T. Miller gave the puck up along the left wing wall on a hit by Kings captain Dustin Brown just as he was trying to clear the zone. Milan Lucic collected the puck and quickly zipped a cross ice pass to the wide-open Kopitar stationed by the left post. Kopitar had an easy tap on the play.
It was Kopitar who had opened the scoring Friday night, beating Raanta just 33 seconds into the contest with an open left-wing snap shot past the screened Blueshirts netminder. Former Ranger Marian Gaborik made it 2-0 by scoring a power play goal at 11:26 of the first, though he suffered an apparent knee injury on an unfortunate collision with Moore later in the period and did not return for the rest of the night.
The Rangers had their own injury scare late in the second period when Dan Girardi blocked a heavy Jordan Nolan slap shot and remained down on the ice for quite a bit before slowly skating to the bench. In typical Girardi fashion he played the rest of the game and did not miss a shift.
Next up the Rangers will host the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday night at The Garden.
FINAL STATS:
NYR 4 LAK 5 F/OT
SOG: NYR 28 LAK 34
Scoring Summary
1st Period
00:33 LAK Anze Kopitar (14) Snap shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (23), Milan Lucic (21) 1 - 0 LAK
11:26 LAK PPG - Marian Gaborik (12) Snap shot - ASST: Alec Martinez (13) 2 - 0 LAK
13:00 NYR Viktor Stalberg (8) Snap shot - ASST: Kevin Hayes (16), Oscar Lindberg (11) 2 - 1 LAK
2nd Period
07:44 NYR Derek Stepan (10) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE 2 - 2 Tie
09:21 NYR Mats Zuccarello (19) Deflected shot - ASST: Chris Kreider (15), Derek Stepan (15) 3 - 2 NYR
15:46 LAK Anze Kopitar (15) Tip-in - ASST: Milan Lucic (22), Dustin Brown (14) 3 - 3 Tie
3rd Period
15:14 NYR PPG - Kevin Hayes (9) Snap shot - ASST: Mats Zuccarello (22), Keith Yandle (26) 4 - 3 NYR
19:30 LAK Anze Kopitar (16) Deflected shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (24), Jeff Carter (25) 4 - 4 Tie
OT Period
03:10 LAK Tanner Pearson (7) Snap shot - ASST: Alec Martinez (14), Tyler Toffoli (19) 5 - 4 LAK
New York nearly won this wildly entertaining contest in overtime on two separate occasions, but Derick Brassard and Keith Yandle both were denied on excellent chances. Kings forward Tanner Pearson ultimately scored the game-winner at 3:10 of overtime on a short-side snap shot from right wing.
Awarded their first power play of the night when Kings defenseman Alec Martinez was whistled for a delay of game penalty at 13:30 of the third period, the Rangers responded with only their third power play goal in the last 19 games. Kevin Hayes drove to the net and Mats Zuccarello fed him perfectly for the score at 15:14 as the Blueshirts grabbed a 4-3 lead--one that looked like it would stand up to the finish for the Rangers who had won four games in a row coming in.
Hayes, who had a goal and an assist Friday, now has goals in back to back games. Zuccarello also scored a goal and recorded an assist Friday, as did Derek Stepan.
However the Kings scored a flukey goal with 29.7 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. After a Rangers icing, the Kings won the offensive zone face off and Anze Kopitar wristed a shot towards the goal which hit Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein in the chest and bounced over the goal line--Kopitar tying the game with his third goal of the night and 16th of the season.
When the 2015-16 schedule came out it was probably assumed by most that Friday's contest would be a match up of two of the league's elite goaltenders--New York's Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick of the Kings. However Alain Vigneault chose to rest Lundqvist, who had started 20 of the previous 21 Rangers contests, and Quick was out after suffering a recent lower body injury.
So it was Antti Raanta in goal for the Rangers, making his first start since January 17, and third-stringer Peter Budaj tending goal for L.A. after backup Jhonas Enroth had started in Thursday's loss to the Islanders just 24 hours prior. Raanta made 29 saves for New York, while Budaj, who was recalled from the minor leagues just this week, finished with 24 stops, including three in overtime.
The Rangers spotted the Kings a 2-0 lead just 11:26 into play, but came back to secure a 3-2 advantage of their own by the midpoint of the second period. However Kopitar's second goal of the night pulled the Kings even and sent the two teams into the second intermission tied 2-2.
A strong forecheck by the third line turned the tide for the Rangers after Los Angeles had roared out to its early lead. Oscar Lindberg won a puck battle along the right wing wall and skimmed the puck around behind the net to Hayes, who was tied up in a one on one battle of his own. Hayes chipped the puck into the slot where Viktor Stalberg beat the Kings defense to the loose disc, and he whisked his eighth goal past Budaj at the 13 minute mark of the first period, trimming the Kings lead to 2-1.
Stepan scored an unassisted goal at 7:44 of the second period to tie the game, 2-2. From the bottom of the left circle Stepan outworked three Kings, and he skated into the low slot before his wrist shot slipped through Budaj's pads, his 10th goal evening things up.
With momentum clearly on their side, the Rangers grabbed their first lead of the night shortly thereafter on Zuccarello's team-leading 19th goal. Zuccarello, who now has equaled his career-high in goals, sent a backhand shot off Budaj with the puck fluttering high in the air before landing behind the Kings goalie and rolling over the goal line at 9:21. Stepan and Chris Kreider assisted on the go-ahead goal.
After expertly killing off a Dominic Moore penalty right after Zuccarello's goal the Rangers seemed to have grasped this game by the throat. However a turnover in the Rangers end of the ice led directly to Kopitar's 15th goal that tied the score at the 15:46 mark of period number two.
J.T. Miller gave the puck up along the left wing wall on a hit by Kings captain Dustin Brown just as he was trying to clear the zone. Milan Lucic collected the puck and quickly zipped a cross ice pass to the wide-open Kopitar stationed by the left post. Kopitar had an easy tap on the play.
It was Kopitar who had opened the scoring Friday night, beating Raanta just 33 seconds into the contest with an open left-wing snap shot past the screened Blueshirts netminder. Former Ranger Marian Gaborik made it 2-0 by scoring a power play goal at 11:26 of the first, though he suffered an apparent knee injury on an unfortunate collision with Moore later in the period and did not return for the rest of the night.
The Rangers had their own injury scare late in the second period when Dan Girardi blocked a heavy Jordan Nolan slap shot and remained down on the ice for quite a bit before slowly skating to the bench. In typical Girardi fashion he played the rest of the game and did not miss a shift.
Next up the Rangers will host the Philadelphia Flyers Sunday night at The Garden.
FINAL STATS:
SOG: NYR 28 LAK 34
Scoring Summary
1st Period
00:33 LAK Anze Kopitar (14) Snap shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (23), Milan Lucic (21) 1 - 0 LAK
11:26 LAK PPG - Marian Gaborik (12) Snap shot - ASST: Alec Martinez (13) 2 - 0 LAK
13:00 NYR Viktor Stalberg (8) Snap shot - ASST: Kevin Hayes (16), Oscar Lindberg (11) 2 - 1 LAK
2nd Period
07:44 NYR Derek Stepan (10) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE 2 - 2 Tie
09:21 NYR Mats Zuccarello (19) Deflected shot - ASST: Chris Kreider (15), Derek Stepan (15) 3 - 2 NYR
15:46 LAK Anze Kopitar (15) Tip-in - ASST: Milan Lucic (22), Dustin Brown (14) 3 - 3 Tie
3rd Period
15:14 NYR PPG - Kevin Hayes (9) Snap shot - ASST: Mats Zuccarello (22), Keith Yandle (26) 4 - 3 NYR
19:30 LAK Anze Kopitar (16) Deflected shot - ASST: Drew Doughty (24), Jeff Carter (25) 4 - 4 Tie
OT Period
03:10 LAK Tanner Pearson (7) Snap shot - ASST: Alec Martinez (14), Tyler Toffoli (19) 5 - 4 LAK
Penalty Summary
1st Period
10:13 NYR Marc Staal Delaying Game-Puck over glass - 2 min against Milan Lucic
2nd Period
10:12 NYR Dominic Moore Hooking - 2 min against Anze Kopitar
3rd Period
13:30 LAK Alec Martinez Delaying Game-Puck over glass - 2 min against Chris Kreider
OT Period
NONE
Team Stats
Category LAK NYR
Power Plays 1/2 1/1
Hits 37 33
Faceoff Wins 32 26
Giveaways 12 5
Takeaways 10 10
Blocked Shots 10 23
Penalty Minutes 2 4
Three Stars of the Game
1st
Anze Kopitar
C
G: 3 Shots: 4
A: 0 Hits: 5
PTS: 3 PIM: 0
+/-: 3 TOI: 23:23
Los Angeles Kings
2nd
Drew Doughty
D
G: 0 Shots: 4
A: 2 Hits: 2
PTS: 2 PIM: 0
+/-: 0 TOI: 30:01
Los Angeles Kings
3rd
Mats Zuccarello
RW
G: 1 Shots: 2
A: 1 Hits: 3
PTS: 2 PIM: 0
+/-: 1 TOI: 19:26
New York Rangers
NEXT GAME:
Sunday February 14th 7:30 PM New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers
1st Period
10:13 NYR Marc Staal Delaying Game-Puck over glass - 2 min against Milan Lucic
2nd Period
10:12 NYR Dominic Moore Hooking - 2 min against Anze Kopitar
3rd Period
13:30 LAK Alec Martinez Delaying Game-Puck over glass - 2 min against Chris Kreider
OT Period
NONE
Team Stats
Category LAK NYR
Power Plays 1/2 1/1
Hits 37 33
Faceoff Wins 32 26
Giveaways 12 5
Takeaways 10 10
Blocked Shots 10 23
Penalty Minutes 2 4
Three Stars of the Game
1st
Anze Kopitar
C
G: 3 Shots: 4
A: 0 Hits: 5
PTS: 3 PIM: 0
+/-: 3 TOI: 23:23
Los Angeles Kings
2nd
Drew Doughty
D
G: 0 Shots: 4
A: 2 Hits: 2
PTS: 2 PIM: 0
+/-: 0 TOI: 30:01
Los Angeles Kings
3rd
Mats Zuccarello
RW
G: 1 Shots: 2
A: 1 Hits: 3
PTS: 2 PIM: 0
+/-: 1 TOI: 19:26
New York Rangers
NEXT GAME:
Sunday February 14th 7:30 PM New York Rangers vs Philadelphia Flyers
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