Rangers Shocked at Home: Tampa Bay Brings the Thunder
Just 24 hours ago, these two teams won; now, 24 hours later, they face off at MSG. The New York Rangers returned home from Boston to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, but only one of these teams could secure the win in back-to-back games. Tampa Bay looked hungry, Tampa Bay looked fast, Tampa Bay looked like the only team that wanted a win today, and so it paid off with a dominating performance. Another game in MSG for the New York Rangers turned sour as the Tampa Bay Lightning continued their win streak with a 4-1 win on the road.
The puck dropped, and Tampa Bay wasted no time at all. New York found themselves pinned in their own zone for most of the first period; it was only a matter of time before they broke this game open. Of all the chances they had, the first goal came off a fortunate bounce. A shot initially going wide by Brandon Hagel bounced off the skate of Carson Soucy and past Igor Shesterkin to make it 1-0 Lightning. Holding New York to only two shots on goal, the Lightning made their presence well known to start this game, but only with a 1-0 lead.
Nothing seemed to change as the second period began, a long shift to start for New York. Tampa soon got their first power play, and Shesterkin continued to impress and keep his team in the game. Though brilliant, Tampa Bay soon found themselves up 2-0 off a breakaway by Brandon Hagel, scoring his second of the game. Despite a few strong shifts in the Tampa Bay zone, New York couldn't seem to generate anything at all, managing only seven shots on goal in total. Despite being heavily outplayed, New York still managed to get themselves back in this one with a redirect from the captain, J.T. Miller, making it 2-1. The second period ended, and for some reason, it was still anyone's game.
Tampa Bay started the third period on the power play. Though it was killed off, they didn't waste any time making it a two-goal game again. A simple redirect by Nick Paul made it 3-1 Lightning, an absolute disaster for the fans at MSG this afternoon as the boos began to rain down. On the verge of being held under 10 shots, New York simply couldn't do anything. Another power play gave the Rangers a bit of life to get back in this one, but Tampa Bay was always one step ahead. The net soon emptied, and New York again simply couldn't get any pucks on net, leading to Jake Guentzel making it 4-1 Lightning. The final buzzer went off, and the madness for the Blueshirts at long last ended.
After the kind of game New York had in Boston just one day ago, it's astonishing to see a team crumble just 24 hours later. Tampa Bay may be on a serious heater right now, but that's simply no excuse to be outshot 35-11. The Rangers may have the best record on the road this season, but it all amounts to nothing when playing like this at home. A few days off for both teams as Tampa stays in New York to face the Islanders, and the Blueshirts look to rebound at home against Dallas. Can the Lightning continue their dominant performance, and will the Rangers bounce back after a game like this?
