The New York Rangers won their 46th game of the season with a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning but saw defenseman Jacob Trouba leave the game in the first period with an upper-body injury.
The New York Rangers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead en route to a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night. The Blueshirts scored three goals on six shots in a span of 4:08 in the first period. Chris Kreider and Tyler Motte scored twice, with Kappo Kakko and Artemi Panainn netting a goal each to round out the scoring. Mika Zibanejad had three assists, including his 600th NHL point.
Unfortunately, the injury bug continued to bite the Blueshirts with the start of the playoffs around the corner.
Prior to the start of the game, the club announced that Patrick Kane would not play due to a lower-body injury. Defenseman Jacob Trouba was then injured in the first period with what the team deemed an upper-body injury. He did not return to the game.
After the game, Gallant declared the injury to Trouba as day-to-day and that he would make the trip to St. Louis for their next game.
“I thought we played an outstanding period,” Gallant said. “We didn’t give them a whole lot of chances, scored a couple big goals. I thought it was excellent.”
Kreiderman Milestone
With his 34th and 35th goals of the season, Kreider took sole possession of fifth place on the Ranger’s all-time goal list with his 263rd career goal. He has eight goals in his last 13 games while recording his 35th career multi-goal game.
The game had a playoff-like feel to it, and the players from both teams must have felt the same. There was a combined 70 penalty minutes in the game, including 40 minutes for fighting majors and a 10-minute misconduct.
With the win, the Rangers trail the New Jersey Devils by three points, with both teams having played 78 games. They are in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Notes
-Prior to the game, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba was named the recipient of the second annual Rod Gilbert “Mr. Ranger” Award, given to the Rangers player “who best honors Rod’s legacy by exemplifying leadership qualities both on and off the ice, and making a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.”
-Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren returned after missing six straight games and 17 of the last 18 with an upper-body injury. He played 18:48 and was credited with two blocked shots.
-Adam Fox recorded his second straight 70-point season.
-Igor Shesterkin won his 36th game of the season, which ties him for the second most in the NHL.
The team plays in St. Louis on Thursday, where Vladimir Tarasenko returns for the first time since his trade to New York last month.