Amalie Arena was the site for an all-out Eastern Conference battle (and potential playoff matchup) between the Rangers and Lightning. Two teams destined for the postseason faced off in a highly-anticipated matchup. Two coaches with respectable resumes in Peter Laviolette and John Cooper led both benches. Also, two of the best netminders, Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy would take their respective creases. Flashbacks from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs rang through the minds of both fanbases.
Both squads added at the Trade Deadline, with Tampa adding former Ranger Anthony Duclair, destined to find himself on the scoresheet. However, the night belonged to Brayden Point who tallied a hattrick and six points in a 6-3 victory for the Lightning. If you were only able to view the first 20 minutes, you would have thought otherwise. The opening draw saw all of the momentum side with the Rangers and their travelling fan base. Two goals from the top forward lines made it seem that it was all coming up roses for the Blueshirts. Alas, as our title tells us, hockey is a sixty-minute game.
Rangers and Lightning: A Tale Of Two Halves
The first 30 minutes of the game were some of the best hockey that the Rangers played all season long. The jump was infectious, with nothing but Blueshirts buzzing on all ends. Defencemen were marking their men, forwards were cooking up stellar outlet plays, and Shesterkin was looking sharp. At one point in time, New York held Tampa Bay to just four shots on goal. A total that is unheard of for a team like the Lightning.
New York netted two goals that might end up on the “Best of ’23-’24” DVD at the end of the season. Coming from the top two lines, the Blueshirts’ “big guns” got the scoring started. The Rangers are not known for scoring goals off of the rush, rather conceding them. Vincent Trocheck single-handedly put that last statement to shame in the form of the first goal. A poke from Alexis Lafrenière set Trocheck free, toe-dragging a cross-creases feed to Artemi Panarin who earned his 36th goal of the season. Sooner or later, everyone picked their jaws up from the floor of Amalie Arena and living rooms everywhere.
Wizardry from Troch + Bread in the basket. ? pic.twitter.com/KwCqoQzxTs
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 14, 2024
Three minutes later, magic would strike once again. This time, a hard-nosed play from Jack Roslovic led to a gorgeous assist from Mika Zibanejad. With his head up, Zibanejad sought out a crashing Braden Schneider who would tallied his fourth of the year. Schneider is not really known for his offensive game, but it is the most underrated trait of his. He has a great offensive instinct and can fire it on frame when needed. Again, it was all coming up roses…or so we thought.
OKAYY THEN SCHNEIDS. ?
ft. Rosy’s first point as a Ranger. ? pic.twitter.com/e4vjBEvEeU— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 14, 2024
Seriously, What’s The Point?
Two goals for Tampa in the middle frame saw the Rangers and Lightning in a tied hockey game. Words could not describe the eventual downfall for New York in the final period. A quick goal from Roslovic, who had himself a two-point night, provided a slight glimmer of hope for the Rangers. The emphasis was on the word slight as Tampa Bay was done fooling around.
First point + first goal as a New York Ranger.
Have yourself a night, Jack. ? pic.twitter.com/dFyp3HmDtM— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 15, 2024
A hattrick from Point and an empty-net goal from Nikita Kucherov, who had five points of his own on Thursday, sealed the deal. An incredible 20 plus minutes meant nothing as New York would leave Tampa Bay with nothing to show for. After praising the defence on their performance in Carolina on Tuesday, Thursday seemed like a completely different team. Multiple d-men caught puck-watching, not putting anything behind their strides. It allowed for a talented team like the Lightning to capitalize on the laziness coming from the Rangers.
Let’s not forget that last night could have been a preview of the first round of this years’ Stanley Cup Playoffs. Can the Rangers handle a team like Tampa Bay? Quite frankly, any Eastern Conference playoff team will give the Rangers a run for their money. Last night was not who the 23-24 Rangers are. What we saw was an in-form goaltender left out to dry because of pure incompetence on the back end. It’s what the Rocky IV soundtrack tells us, “There’s no easy way out, there’s no shortcut home.”
Main Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
