1st Period
04:40 Minnesota Ryan Donato (9) ASST: Pontus Aberg (13) 0-1
06:00 New York Mika Zibanejad (28) ASST: Kevin Shattenkirk (23) 1-1
16:05 Minnesota Ryan Donato (10) ASST: Luke Kunin (10), Jason Zucker (18) 1-2
2nd Period
04:51 Minnesota Eric Staal (20) 1-3
3rd Period
06:06 Minnesota PPG – Jared Spurgeon (13) ASST: Kevin Fiala (23), Zach Parise (32) 1-4
08:56 New York Pavel Buchnevich (17) ASST: Tony DeAngelo (23), Brady Skjei (15) 2-4
17:25 Minnesota EN – J.T. Brown (3) ASST: Marcus Foligno (12), Eric Fehr (8) 2-5
Stats:
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Henrik Lundqvist said after the game on MSG that he was disappointed and that “I feel we are not understanding how we have to play to have success. For years we were a good team because we knew what we had to do, I understand that it’s a process for us to develop and get better but you need to manage the puck and that is something you have to decide, you do it or you don’t do it. You force plays and it’s going to cost you. I think that it’s important that we are pushing these issues because they will carry over to next season, if we want to become a good team we have to understand how important it is to take care of the puck. It’s challenging now for everyone to be confident and make that extra play, we all have to battle and stay positive but it’s important going down the stretch that we play the right way no matter what.”
Adam Rotter:
- For so much of this season the Rangers worked hard, were in games and usually in a position to win. This last stretch though has been different and much more like how they were expected to play this season. To some degree the Rangers season finished with the trade deadline. Everyone know what was likely going to, and then did, happen but they lost a lot, in a bunch of different areas, with Hayes, Zuccarello and McQuaid being shipped out.
- It’s tough to see Henrik Lundqvist in these games. He’s battling and doing what he can, but he is definitely frustrated with what is happening in front of him and also that he can’t make that extra save as often as he used to.
- Brendan Smith has played well enough lately that he could maybe draw some interest this summer. The Rangers would have to retain part of his salary but he is looking a lot more like the player the Rangers acquired from Detroit than the one we saw last season and at times this season.