The New York Rangers dropped another game during the most crucial point of the season, 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. With the loss, their playoff chances dwindle down to almost zero, though they are not yet mathematically eliminated.
The Rangers started off strong, but things quickly went south when Tampa Bay rattled off three goals in less than two minutes in the first period. New York tried to answer back, but all they could muster was a rare power-play goal from Mika Zibanejad early in the second period.
Entering the third period down 3-1, the Rangers were once again unable to mount a comeback, a characteristic of the 2023-24 squad that seemingly disappeared in 2024-25. Tampa Bay notched their third power-play goal of the game in the final frame, and capped it off with an empty-netter, sending the Rangers off to another rain of boos from the Garden Faithful.
Winner – Jon Cooper – Lightning
The Rangers actually got out to a great start in this game, out-shooting Tampa bay 11-1 in the first period. Then Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay’s coach, seized the moment during a TV timeout, ripping into his team and sending a strong message that their level of play was not acceptable. The result: three straight goals in 1:45 and an 8-1 run in shots for the Lightning. Clearly, the message from Cooper was received by his team, and that was all it took for them to control most of the game. There’s a reason why Cooper is regarded as one of the great coaches in the game, and this was another great example.
Loser – The kids – Rangers
After a short experiment in the top six for rookie Gabe Perreault and second-year pro Brennan Othmann, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette switched things up and dropped the kids to the bottom six. Plus he chose to scratch another rookie, Brett Berard, with the return of Matt Rempe. Perreault ended up with 12:05 of ice time, but Othmann logged just 8:47. With their chances of making the playoffs already bleak, Laviolette may as well play the kids and see if they can do what the veterans have failed to do, provide a spark. With a history of failing to develop young talent, this one’s a head scratcher.
Winner – Nikita Kucherov – Lightning
Once again having a dominant season, Nikita Kucherov added to his impressive point totals by logging a goal and two assists on the night. Kucherov registered his 34th goal of the season to open the scoring for Tampa Bay, then earned his 80th and 81st assists on the third and fourth Lightning goals. He’s the fourth player in NHL history with 80 assists three seasons in a row, joining Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Booby Orr. He now has 115 points on the season, tied with Nathan MacKinnon for the League lead, as Kucherov tries to win his second consecutive scoring title.ts
Loser – Penalty kill – Rangers
While it’s been a strength of the Rangers most of this season, the Rangers penalty kill was no good Monday, continuing a downward spiral. The Rangers allowed three power-play goals in four times short-handed against the Lightning. Two of those were part of a three-goal outburst in a span of 1:45 in the first period. Brutal.
Winner – Montreal Canadiens
As the Rangers continue to lose, the Montreal Canadiens odds of making the playoffs continue to increase. The Rangers can earn a maximum of just 89 points if they win out the regular season, meaning the Canadiens only need to earn five points out of a possible 10 available in their final five games. While the Rangers mathematically are not eliminated, they’re getting awfully close. As the Rangers stumble, the Canadiens have won five in a row.
Loser – Peter Laviolette – Rangers
Throughout the season that has seen plenty of hard moments, there’s been little-to-no answer from coach Peter Laviolette. The message heading into Monday from the coach was “win a hockey game,” and the Rangers didn’t even come close. Laviolette has made no changes to a power play that is one of the worst in the League, he’s buried his young talent in the bottom six of the lineup and in the press box time and time again, and he’s reverted back to old line combinations that clearly have not worked out. If he’s looking to keep his job next season, he hasn’t done himself any favors after another lost night for his team, which appears to have tuned him out months ago.
Winner – Andrei Vasilevskiy – Lightning
The Rangers controlled most of the game 5v5, and their three power-play opportunities generated a slew of scoring chances — and their only goal. But Andrei Vasilevskiy was the biggest difference maker on the ice Monday. The two-time Stanley Cup winner made 39 saves, including 17 in the second period, confidently turning aside one scoring chance after another.
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