NEW YORK (AP) — Mika Zibanejad helped the Unusual York Rangers gather the recent season off to a winning commence against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday evening.
Zibanejad scored twice, including a tiebreaking vitality-play aim in the third duration, and the Rangers beat the Lightning 3-1.
Barclay Goodrow also scored, and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin stopped 26 shots to relief the Rangers commence the season with a use against the Lightning personnel that eliminated them from the Japanese Convention final in June.
“The potential we played tonight is plenty how we would favor to play — to belief ourselves and belief the system,” Zibanejad said. “We did a lawful job tonight, and now we must address end doing that.”
Zibanejad, who scored a rapid-handed aim early in the 2d duration, gave Unusual York a 2-1 lead at 5: 11 of the third with a slap shot from the left circle off a pass from Artemi Panarin, who bought his 250th point with the Rangers.
“Clearly, it’s fine to behold the puck scurry in, no longer honest to assemble the use however the potential we gained,” Zibanejad said.
Goodrow made it 3-1 as he deflected Ryan Lindgren’s long shot from the left point past Vasilevskiy with 9 minutes final, The Associated Press reported.
Steven Stamkos had a vitality-play aim for the Lightning, and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 36 saves.
“We competed, we honest didn’t rep in any respect, and whenever you occur to’re no longer going to rep that, it doesn’t matter how intelligent you are trying,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We regarded pissed off in the third. … We’re an even bigger personnel than we showed tonight.”
The Rangers outshot the Lightning 14-8 in a scoreless first duration and 18-8 in the 2d.
“Upright from the gather-scurry, I notion we had been engaged, we had been on it, we had been competing,” Goodrow said. “I notion all individuals did a lawful job. From the fall of the puck, we had been taking part in successfully. It was a plump personnel effort tonight. It was an unlimited first sport.”
The Lightning, tops in the NHL with 291 vitality-play desires over the closing five seasons, bought their first-man profit of the sport early in the 2d duration. Nonetheless, seconds after Vasilevskiy stopped two rapid-handed slap shots by Chris Kreider, Zibanejad skated in from the lawful aspect, bought all the blueprint by the goalie’s disappear check and lifted a backhander into the tip left nook at 3: 25 to set the Rangers up 1-0, in conserving with AP.
Tampa Bay had a 5-on-3 advantage for 2 minutes when Good passable’Andre Miller (tripping) and Goodrow (elbowing) had been whistled for penalties with about 12 minutes final in the center duration. The Lightning took advantage as Stamkos fired a one-timer from the center point off a pass from Nikita Kucherov to tie it at 9: 09.
“Particular teams was the adaptation,” Cooper said. “At the same time as you occur to give them a rapid-handed aim and a vitality-play aim, you’re making it tricky on your self, and it ended up being the adaptation.”
The Rangers had been on the vitality play later in the duration when Vasilevskiy was out of region, and Kreider had an launch procure on the left aspect, however defenseman Mikhail Sergachev skated over and stopped Kreider’s chance alongside with his stick with 6 minutes to switch. Vasilevskiy then slid over and denied Kreider’s are trying on the follow.
Vasilevskiy stopped a shot by Goodrow with a bit more than 11 minutes final in the first. At the many stop, Shesterkin stoned a utilizing are trying from Nick Paul from the lawful aspect 20 seconds later and then denied the follow-up from Brandon Hagel.
Vasilevskiy also turned aside two attempts in nearby Jacob Trouba with about 6: 45 left and then made a lawful pad put to assert Kreider’s deflection from the left doorstep on a Rangers vitality play with 2: 40 final.
