After a rather boring first two periods, Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers out duel the Calgary Flames in the third period.
- New York Rangers 4 (33-18-1, 67 pts)
- Calgary Flames 3 (27-25-3, 57 pts)
- NHL, Final, Box Score
- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Rangers thought they broke a 1-1 tie at the end of the second period off the stick of Rick Nash. They thought wrong. The puck didn’t cross the line quick enough prior to the horn going off and the defensive struggle that saw an extremely bland brand of hockey continued.
Then the third period started and the offensive floodgates opened up.
Just 1:54 into the final frame, Michael Grabner and Brady Skjei executed a brilliant give-and-go to provide the former his team-leading 23rd goal of the season:
What a pass by Brady Skjei. The give-and-go and the #NYR lead 2-1 on this Grabner goal. pic.twitter.com/lVDgyuczVV
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) February 5, 2017
After the young Calgary Flames responded, Chris Kreider broke the tie off a wicked shot that deflected as a roofer for his 21st of the campaign:
Upon further review, it deflected off the skate of the d-man, but, still, get that puck to the net. Kreider, 3-2 #NYR. pic.twitter.com/1Wr4398R5q
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) February 5, 2017
A little over three minutes later, Jesper Fast gave the Blueshirts a two-goal lead. Grabner made a beautiful pass off a Flames turnover.
Calgary would score one more goal but in the end, it was Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers who would hold off the Flames late flurry with the goaltender pulled. Speaking of Lundqvist, he moves to 23 wins this season by stopping 29 of the 32 shots he faced. He looked comfortable in net all day.
Rick Nash was the other goal scorer for the Rangers. He opened the scoring for the home team in the first period while on the power play:
"Rick Nash … it's a power play goal!" 1-1 with Calgary in for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee. #NYR pic.twitter.com/5HYi4WALsz
— Elite Sports NY (@EliteSportsNY) February 5, 2017
For the Flames, Dougie Hamilton, Troy Brouwer and Mikael Backlund beat Lundqvist.
Collecting this win in the first of a four-game homestand is just what the doctor ordered. Next up will be the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night in Manhattan.
#NYR come off the ice following the big game win @TheGarden! pic.twitter.com/ffgPfd8l7c
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 5, 2017
Together we welcome the 'Let's Go Rangers' toddler @TheGarden!! #LGR #RangersTown pic.twitter.com/FnEjOdn63V
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 5, 2017
