The New York Rangers took a win last night over the Eastern Conference leading, Pittsburgh Penguins.
It wasn’t an easy win, though, as both teams put up a fight. The Rangers trudged through the Penguins’ unmistakable talent in order to go to the Olympics on a positive note.
Benoit Pouliot gave the Rangers an extremely early lead, 64 seconds into the first period of the Friday night game. Hagelin took a penalty, giving the Penguins a power play — the number one power play team in the league. At 11:43, Olli Matta scored his 6th goal of the season, which made it a tie game.
A New York Rangers power play occurred 30 seconds into the second period, resulting in an early goal once more. Dan Girardi sent the puck past Fleury four seconds into the power play, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
After a failed Rangers power play, Nash took a penalty for interference, which gave the Penguins an opening for Malkin’s power play goal at 8:29.
This game made it clear that the Rangers are the superior five-on-five team while the Penguins excel during power plays. Friday night's game was a tug of war between goals and power plays, according to ESPN
Kunitz took a double minor and Zuccarello took a minor for roughing, giving the Rangers another power play.
At 9:24 in the third period, Pouliot scored for the second time, giving the Penguins a 3-1 lead. Only a few minutes later, James Neal tied the game once more, according to the NY Daily News
The game remained tied, which sent both teams into overtime, which ultimately continued scoreless. Before the shootout, Lundqvist had 26 saves and Fleury had 38. A shootout ensued and Zuccarello and Richards scored. Brad Richards’ goal led the Rangers to a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh.
In a demanding game, the Rangers came out on top. They will host the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden on February 27.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
