Entrenched in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, the Rangers are making their push.
A 5-0 rout of the Senators on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden extended their season-best point streak to nine games. The win not only bumped the Blueshirts up to just two points out of the second wild-card spot, but it also prevented Ottawa, currently occupying the first spot, from widening their lead.
Every time the Rangers have stepped on the ice since the new year began, a big-game aura has followed.
That’s what happens when your season reaches the brink of ruin and you’re fighting to make up for it.
Though the Rangers have rather consistently answered the call in these high-stakes contests, and it’s allowed them to bulldoze their way back into contention after their season was all but dead in the water.
“Defensively, I think one of the best games of the season,” goalie Igor Shesterkin said after making 20 saves to extend his shutout streak to 164:43, following a 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
Tuesday night was a gritty win by the Rangers, who stayed the course despite having two goals called back through the first two periods.
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This all against a Senators team that had won five of its past six games entering the matchup.
The shutout victory counted as the Rangers’ second in the past three games, as well as their fifth of the season, and the fifth time in Shesterkin’s career he has had back-to-back shutouts.
The Rangers were scoreless and then had a 2-0 lead when Ottawa successfully challenged for offside both times, the first an early goal from Sam Carrick and the second a snipe from Arthur Kaliyev.
Instead of letting frustration play out on the ice, they continued to push offensively and were rewarded for it.
After Kaliyev made it a 2-0 game less than two minutes into the middle frame, the Rangers fended off back-to-back power plays from the Senators to take the lead into the third.
Adam Edstrom then fed Matt Rempe, who flicked a backhander past Ottawa goalie Anton Forsberg to kick off a three-goal final frame for the Blueshirts.
“You’re thinking in the back of your head it’s one of those nights,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of the pair of overturned goals. “But our guys were just really focused. I thought the work was really good.”
A fracas that broke out after Brady Tkachuk barreled into Shesterkin pumped some adrenaline into the game, but only the home team cashed in on it.
After Shesterkin went after Tkachuk for the infraction and the Rangers earned a power play, Michael Amadio knocked the star Russian goalie down behind his net to force the Senators to defend five-on-three for 33 seconds.
Artemi Panarin then ripped his 20th goal of the season short side on Forsberg for the 4-0 lead before Will Cuylle capitalized with the five-on-four edge shortly after.
“I just got a couple punches from Tkachuk,” Shesterkin said. “To be honest, this was [from his] hit on me. Not really enjoy that, because I was between the pipe and him. I didn’t want to jump there, but I saw he get [inaudible] on a fight between our guy and their guy, so I just tried to hold him, but he wanted to fight. It’s tough for me because I cannot drop my gloves. If I do that, I will go to locker room.”
