The game between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will take place at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:30 PM ET.
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The New York Rangers will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to Madison Square Garden for an NHL game on Wednesday. The New York Rangers won 2-5 in their last game over the Capitals. The kids are proving to be more than all right at just the right time for the New York Rangers. Alexis Lafrenière and Kaapo Kakko scored goals just over two minutes apart, jumpstarting a 5-2 victory at the Washington Capitals on Sunday to snap a two-game skid. With the playoffs starting in a couple of weeks, the so-called “Kid Line” is heating up and again could be a difference maker on a long run this spring.
“They really led the way again,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “They’re playing great and they’re playing with a lot of confidence, so that’s a good sign for us.” The trio of 21-year-old Lafrenière, 22-year-old Kakko and 23-year-old Filip Chytil produced offense for the third time in four games. Chytil, who recently signed a $17.5 million, four-year extension, assisted on Lafrenière’s goal to pick up his fifth point in five games. “You can tell they’re on the same page,” said Mika Zibanejad, who scored on the power play in the third period. “They’ve played a lot of hockey together and they’re having fun. They’re working hard. It’s fun to see them play, and it’s obviously very important.”
Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves, including several big ones to continue rounding into form just over two weeks before the first round begins. Chants of “Igor! Igor!” echoed around the arena filled with Rangers blue several times after the reigning Vezina Trophy winner kept the puck out of the net on the way to his 35th victory this season. “He’s Igor. He does what he does,” Zibanejad said. “We’re just trying to clean up and try to make his life a little bit easier. But obviously when we need him, he comes up with the big saves, and that’s huge for us.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning on the other hand lost 5-0 against the Lightning in their last game. The Islanders hold a two-point lead over Florida for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. “The second (period) was garbage,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “It’s missed assignments. Little things that we haven’t been doing lately, and then they take advantage of them.”
New York goalie Ilya Sorokin was pulled with 8:15 left in the second after allowing four goals on 21 shots. He is 0-4 against the Lightning. Point’s power-play goal in the third period was his 48th this season, and joined Stamkos (36 in 2011-12) as the only Tampa Bay players to have 30 goals at home during a single season. Jeannot’s goal came in the left wing’s 18th game with Tampa Bay after being acquired from Nashville.
Kucherov had a breakaway goal 9:57 into the second before Stamkos made it 4-0 and ended Sorokin’s night at 11:45. Stamkos tied Islanders Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for the 75th on the career point list with 1,052. The center has 514 goals, which is one away from tying Pierre Turgeon for 40th place.
Artemi Panarin – K’Andre Miller – Vincent Trocheck
Filip Chytil – Kaapo Kakko – Patrick Kane
Alexis Lafrenière – Vladimir Tarasenko – Jacob Trouba
Mika Zibanejad – Adam Fox
Barclay Goodrow – Ben Harpur
Chris Kreider – Niko Mikkola
Tyler Motte – Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jimmy Vesey
Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov – Darren Raddysh
Mikhail Sergachev – Pierre-Édouard Bellemare – Ian Cole
Ross Colton – Tanner Jeannot – Alex Killorn
Steven Stamkos – Erik Černák
Anthony Cirelli – Brandon Hagel
Victor Hedman – Patrick Maroon
Nick Paul – Nick Perbix
Corey Perry
Andrei Vasilevskiy
New York Rangers: None
Tampa Bay Lightning: Mikhail Sergachev
The game between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will take place at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, April 5 at 7:30 PM ET.
The match between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will be telecast live on TNT.
| Country | Channel | Date and Time |
| United States | TNT. | April 5 (7:30 PM ET) |
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