Jaroslav Halak gets first win with New York Rangers, stops team and personal skid
Jaroslav Halak got the call against the Ottawa Senators with the task of ending a three-game losing streak for the New York Rangers.
The 37 year-old backup came into the match with an 0-5-1 record and still in search of his first win with the Blueshirts. From the moment the puck was dropped, Halak appeared laser focused and determined to not only end his team’s slide but his own as well.
When the final buzzer sounded, Halak was triumphant stopping 34 of 35 shots directed his way.
“I’m just trying to help the guys gets some points and win some games,” Halak said afterwards. “I’ll enjoy it tonight… It’s a big win for me personally but two points for the team to move up.”
Recap: Rangers 3 vs Senators 1
1st Period
The Rangers were generally outplayed by the Senators in the opening frame being outshot by a 13-7 margin.
However, it was Jimmy Vesey parking himself in front and finding a rebound off a Ryan Lindgren shot to give his team a 1-0 lead at the 10:34 mark.
Considering how things have gone lately, this was a good period for the Blueshirts.
2nd Period
The middle frame was a little more back and forth with Jaroslav Halak dealing with a lot of traffic in front.
At the 10:52 mark, Barclay Goodrow would tip a Lindgren point shot past Cam Talbot for a 2-0 lead. Sammy Blais was credited with the other assist.
So the question presented itself, can the Rangers not blow another multi-goal lead as they have in their last two games?
Well, Ottawa cut the lead to 2-1 when Shane Pinto scored with 6:13 remaining as he split the defense to rifle it by Halak setting off alarms for players and fans alike.
The Blueshirts were able to settle things down and go into the third with a one-goal lead.
3rd Period
In the final frame, New York played a solid road period by keeping it simple and taking the crowd of the game.
Off a good defensive play by Chris Kreider at the defensive blue-line, the Rangers broke down the other way with numbers. Mika Zibanejad played the puck to the point, where the red-hot Ryan Lindgren took a shot that Kreider tipped for a 3-1 lead with 7:01 remaining.
“I don’t think it was out best game of the season,” Zibanejad said on the MSG postgame. “We kept it simple and didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We were aware what happened before and responded well.”
Things got dicey late in the game when Filip Chytil was called for a retaliatory slash after a clear hard hit that was interference.
Ottawa pulled the goalie for a two man advantage but the Rangers were able to kill the penalty. Halak was also called upon to make a few more stops to finish with 34 saves and his first win as a Blueshirt.
“We won as a team and played hard as a team,” Gerard Gallant said. “It’s great for [Halak] to get his first win. He played outstanding.”
Notable Rangers
- Jaroslav Halak gets his first Rangers win with 34 saves
- Ryan Lindgren posted his first career 3 assist game
- Mika Zibanejad recorded his 300th career assist
Thursday, December 1: Day Off
Friday, December 2: Ottawa Senators, 7:00 PM ET
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