New York Rangers Clinch Playoff Berth with Win over Flyers
The New York Rangers are heading back to the playoffs. And this time they plan on sticking around for a while.
A long while.
The Broadway Blue Shirts punched their ticket to the second season with a thrilling 6-5 overtime win over Philadelphia Flyers. Adam Fox netted the game-winner 36 seconds into the overtime period to seal the win.
Anyone expecting the Rangers to start popping corks inside the locker room was gravely disappointed. Head Coach Peter Laviolette and his players were laser-focused on higher goals than just getting in. The Rangers certainly know that. Last season they got into the playoffs with 47 wins and still found a way to blow a 2-0 series lead to the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.
There is a long way to go.
Even Laviolette, who earned his 800th career win as a NHL Head Coach, was laser focused on what’s next for the Blue Shirts.
The entire season thus far for the Rangers has been about that one goal of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals. They didn’t make a coaching change last summer to bring in Laviolette — a coach who has won the Cup with Carolina, to just get back to the playoffs. They did it to win it all.
The New York Rangers were led by their crew of veterans on Tuesday. Alexis Lafreniere, Mika Zibanejad and Johnny Brodzinski all tallied goals. Lafreniere had the biggest night recording a hat trick, three goals in the victory.
Next up ten more games, and then the playoffs begin in less than 2-1/2 weeks.
DEVILS BLAST LEAFS
The New Jersey Devils stunned the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 up in Ontario on Tuesday night. Led by a pair of goals from Jack Hughes, the Devils scored four unanswered goals between the second and third periods to stymie Toronto.
Hughes two goals came late in the third period with Jersey already leading 4-3. Timo Meier tied the contest at three on an assist by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier about four and a half minutes into the second period. 13 minutes later, the Devils lit the lamp again when Hischier put the Devils up for good with his 24th goal of the year.
