For any team in the National Hockey League, the New York Rangers represent one of the biggest challenges this season. Facing them in their castle, during a second match in as many evenings and at the end of a trying week, as was the case for the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday evening, makes this challenge even more difficult to overcome, if not impossible. .
The Rangers scored four goals in the third period, including two in just over two minutes early in the period, and they defeated the Habs by a score of 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
“After the second [période], we are here. We defended ourselves a little too much in the second. We had difficulty making changes, they gained momentum. The punishment [à Juraj Slafkovsky, en deuxième période] in the offensive zone hurt. In the third, we lacked a little juice,” summarized head coach Martin St-Louis.
“With the schedule we had this week, the two games in two nights, they were waiting for us. I would say it’s more physical,” said St-Louis when asked to return to the fact that his players had lacked juice.
This stop at the home of the Rangers ended a four-game week which saw the Canadian play against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
The Montreal team won the first match, but lost the next three.
“These are good reps. I think we still played good hockey, but we shot ourselves in the foot a little too much against these talented teams,” St-Louis also analyzed.
The Rangers deserved this victory despite a very solid performance from goalkeeper Cayden Primeau, who made 41 saves.
“It’s a difficult building to play in, especially in a second game in as many nights after facing a good opponent. I felt good and I tried to give the team the best chance to win,” Primeau said.
“Starting the third period with a score of 1-1 is good for us,” added the young goalkeeper. There are a lot of good things we can take away from this match. »
Artemi Panarin was the main architect of this victory for the Rangers, their 53rd of the season which equals a team record.
Panarin scored the eventual victorious goal in the third period and added three assists, including one on the last goal of the match, that of Alexis Lafrenière scored into an empty net.
Mika Zibanejad also played an important role in this victory by scoring two goals, including the net which allowed the Rangers to tie the score at 1-1 in the second period.
Chris Kreider completed for the Rangers, who finished the game with 46 shots.
The Habs’ response came from Cole Caufield (24th), in his 200th NHL game, and Alex Newhook (13th). Defenseman Mike Matheson collected his 46th and 47th assists.
Martin St-Louis’ men directed 28 pucks towards Igor Shesterkin.
The Canadian will return to the Bell Center on Tuesday evening where they will host the Philadelphia Flyers.
Primeau alert
The Rangers had made their previous outing Friday night against the Detroit Red Wings and the Canadian showed up at Madison Square Garden 24 hours after battling the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.
So should we be surprised to see the Rangers dominate the first 20 minutes of play? Not necessarily.
And yet, the Canadian returned to the locker room after these first 20 minutes with a one-goal lead thanks to Caufield, who scored from behind Shesterkin’s net with less than 30 seconds to play.
But the Canadian’s real star was Primeau, who blocked all 16 Rangers shots, including some particularly dangerous ones from Lafrenière and Panarin.
Primeau continued his good work in the second period, and it took a power play in the middle of the period for the Rangers to tie the score, with the help of some fortunate puck hops.
From the right point, Panarin shot the puck towards the net, but it hit a player at the top of the slot before veering towards Primeau’s right, where Zibanejad was.
He tried to pass to his right, but the disc deflected off Joel Armia’s skate before sliding between the goalie’s pads, only 10 seconds after the start of a bad penalty to Juraj Slafkovsky, deep in offensive zone.
Quick goals from Kreider and Panarin in the first half of the third period then allowed the Rangers to give themselves a two-goal cushion.
However, the Canadian had not said his last word. A long and precise pass from Matheson allowed Newhook to run alone towards Shesterkin, who he beat in the upper part, above his glove.
Zibanejad’s second goal, scored some four minutes after Newhook’s, would cut off the Canadian players’ legs once and for all.