As soon as we got the opportunity, we got him out." Around the rinks "He relayed that he was having some issues, so I told (backup goalie Pavel Francouz) to get ready," Bednar said. "I think it was during our power play so no immediate rush to get him out of there. Bednar said he wasn't going to provide details when asked if it was related to the first-round incident in which Kuemper caught a stick near his eye. The goalie left during Colorado's 8-6 victory against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1. No update on Avalanche goalie Darcy KuemperĬolorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he didn't know if Darcy Kuemper would be available for Thursday's Game 2. He robbed Kucherov on a few occasions and finished with 37 saves. Shesterkin looked like his usual self, which is to say hard to beat. They took advantage of a Tampa team that may have been dealing with rust, particularly Vasilevskiy.īy the third period, fans at the Garden were chanting, "Igor's better! Igor's better!" The respect and tentativeness they showed in the face of the Hurricanes' aggressive forecheck has given way to a speed-and-skill game that befits their top players. The Rangers have now scored 17 goals in their last three games after mustering nine in their previous five. But the Kid Line seized momentum from there and the Blueshirts never relinquished it.Īrtemi Panarin opened the third period with his first even-strength goal since May 7 to make it 5-2, which was followed by a power-play goal from Zibanejad that put an exclamation point on the affair. The two teams continued to trade goals in the first half of the second period, with Frank Vatrano scoring for the Rangers before Palat tied it for the Lightning. They ended of those possessions with a screaming one-timer from Steven Stamkos, who took a pass from Jan Rutta and roofed it with a powerful shot that goalie Igor Shesterkin had no chance at. They seemed to find them temporarily, pinning the Rangers in their own zone for stretches in the first period. They continued to push the pace in the opening five minutes, with the Lightning looking like a team that was searching for its sea legs after an eight-day layoff. The Rangers' leading goal-scorer in these playoffs finished with a perfectly placed shot in between the post and Andrei Vasilevskiy's right arm to quickly give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. MSG just erupted just 1:11 into Game 1, as Mika Zibanejad beat Nikita Kucherov to a loose puck, drew the defense and found Chris Kreider wide open in the slot. The young guys stole the headlines, but the Rangers put together an impressive team effort against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.Īfter a straightforward, risk-adverse approach against the Carolina Hurricanes in round two – at least for the first five games – the Rangers came out wheeling and dealing against Tampa, with 11 different players registering at least one point. Chytil was waiting in the slot and buried a one-timer to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 9:51 remaining in the period.Īn even longer possession resulted in the second goal, with fellow 22-year-old K'Andre Miller sending a cross-ice pass right into Chytil's wheelhouse for another one-timer, this one from the right circle. It ended with Kakko dancing behind the net and weaving a pass through two defenders. Shortly after Lightning forward Ondrej Palat tied the score at 2-2, the Kid Line produced a relentless shift that featured a full minute of sustained offensive-zone time. The pair of goals came in a span of 5:34 in the second period, with the first turning out to be the game-winner. SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up now to get daily headlines sent to your inbox
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