On Wednesday night, the New York Rangers put together their third straight strong effort in a 3-1 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning.
There should be no goalie controversy, because the objective is win. The Rangers started Jonathan Quick for the third straight time, no coincidence really. He made 19 saves in the win.
The Rangers improved to 32-16-3.
“For me it’s about there’s an attitude that goes with defense, time and space,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought we did a really good job stick on puck in the defensive zone. They were trying to get off a shot, we got a stick in there. They were trying to make a play, we got a stick in there. Just trying to disrupt things a little bit. I thought for the most part we kept the puck in front of us.”
Jimmy Vesey hit for a double in the Rangers win.
After a scoreless, but eventful opening stanza, Vesey connected for his first of the night 73 seconds into the middle frame.
Vesey skated down the right boards and held the puck until the last moment when he backhanded a shot into the upper cage for a 1-0 lead to the Rangers.
“I think we’re playing better as a team in front of him, but I would say he’s been really good,” the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba said of Quick. “When we need him to make a big save he’s made them. Everyone in here rallies around what he’s doing for us right now.”
The Rangers pushed the advantage to 2-0 when Johnny Brodzinski scored off one knee on the ice in the right circle.
Chris Kreider and Blake Wheeler contended for the puck in the corner before Kreider fed to Brodzinski for the shot and goal.
“I found a little soft spot and I just tried to put something on net,” Brodzinski said. “It squeaked through.”
Tampa Bay dropped to 27-19-5, snapping a three-game winning streak.
“They had a little bit more in the tank than we did at the end,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “They just made a couple more plays that we couldn’t make. I thought we got a little bit tired as that game went on.”
Brandon Hagel trimmed the deficit to 2-1 at 5:29 of the third period with a wicked shot from the right side of the slot.
Vesey hit his double into an empty net 6-3 seconds left on the regulation clock for the 3-1 final count on the scoreboard.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves in the loss.
The Lightning’s Mikhail Sergachev was stretchered off the ice near the seven minute mark of the middle frame.
Sergachev went into the boards awkwardly after attempting a hit on the Rangers’ Alexis Lafrenière. Sergachev’s leg bent badly.
“You want to try to rally behind that, but we’re humans first and when you see something like that it puts an uneasy feeling in your stomach so it puts the game into perspective,” Tampa’s Steven Stamkos said. “We just hope he’s OK.”
It was his first game back in the lineup after missing 17 games with an injury.
“It’s super tough,” Tampa’s Victor Hedman said. “Obviously, been through it with a few other guys in the past, but [Sergachev], first game back after missing an extended period of time, to see him in such pain, it’s hard. You feel for him and you just pray for the best, but obviously it’s not looking good.”