Filip Chytil has found his scoring touch and is helping the New York Rangers keep a good pace.
Chytil scored two goals in the second period and the Rangers defeated two-time defending champion Stanley Cup Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Wednesday night in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
After scoring eight goals in 67 games during the regular season, the 22-year-old center-back has seven in 15 playoff games, including five goals in the last three.
“I was working hard all season,” Chytil said. “There were some difficult times, so many times, but I couldn’t put it on the net … When you don’t put records on the net you’re not helping the team so much and maybe you’re starting to feel a little frustrated. But now I’m finally happy to be able to help the team win the games. “
Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and an assist, Chris Kreider also scored and Alexis Lafreniere and Adam Fox each had two assists to help New York win its seventh straight playoff game at home. franchise record. Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots to improve to 8-3 in the last 11 games.
The Rangers have conceded 17 goals as they have won their last three games after scoring nine in the previous five.
“It was very clear,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Obviously, [the Lightning] they were a little rusty tonight, they weren’t the same after nine days off. … Our game is good, we are playing well, we are doing the right things now. We just have to keep doing that. “
HAVE YOU HEARD TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN? pic.twitter.com/6diUlk7PU7
– @NyRangers
Steven Stamkos scored a goal and an assist, and Ondrej Palat also scored for Tampa Bay, who had won six in a row and was playing for the first time since completing his second-round sweep in Florida on May 23. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who scored just three goals in four games against the Panthers, had 28 stops.
“You have to give them credit. They’re a very good hockey team,” Stamkos said. “We certainly didn’t have the best we could. I think we know better what to do. We’ve been in that position before. I’m sure we’ll make a better effort in the next game. It’s the first game in a long series.”
Game 2 is Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
The score was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes before the Rangers took control in the second period.
Vatrano gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 7:50 of the second when he fired a shot from the left circle in front of Vasilevskiy next to the blocker for his fourth postseason.
Palat tied at 8:32, rebounding from a Stamkos shot in front of Shesterkin for his fifth of the playoffs.
The Rangers regained the lead 1:19 later. Kaapo Kakko swung in a good chance from the right, but the visitors’ defense were able to clear the ball. He scored the third straight game Chytil scored.
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– @NyRangers
Chytil made it 4-2 with 4:17 left when he received an ice pass from K’Andre Miller and shot Vasilevskiy once for his seventh postseason, and fifth in three games.
Panarin got an ice pass from Andrew Copp in the left circle in a 2-on-1 and shot Vasilevskiy to give the Rangers a three-goal lead 30 seconds into the third. It was his fifth of the playoffs.
Less than two minutes later, Shesterkin made two big stops during a Lightning power play, and was on the ice for several minutes after being hit in the head by Stamkos after the second stop.
Zibanejad made it 6-2 at 6:06 after an extended time in the offensive zone in a power play, firing a time from the left circle with a pass from Panarin for his eighth of the playoffs. He gave the Rangers a man-made goal for the sixth game in a row, tying a franchise playoff record, previously achieved in 1986 and 1990.
“Just try to be prepared for any passing,” Zibanejad said. “It worked today, so it’s okay. The most important thing was that it came in.”
With much of the focus of this series on goalkeepers, the Madison Square Garden audience began to sing “I-gor’s bet-ter! I-gor’s bet-ter!” in the middle of the third period.
“They played a good game,” Lightning defender Victor Hedman said. “They’re rolling. We hoped … You never want to lose two in a row. Recovering will be huge.”
Temperaments erupted less than two minutes before several skirmishes erupted in a corner. Ten players received penalties, including two from Barclay Goodrow of the Rangers, for putting Tampa Bay in a power play to end the game.
Kreider put the Rangers on the scoreboard in the first 1:11 of the game in the first shot on goal of the match, scoring with a cross from Zibanejad in a 2 to 1 from the inside edge of the left circle for his ninth goal . of the postseason.
Stamkos tied at 7:19 as he fired a slap from the high slot just below the crossbar for his fifth of the playoffs.