Lightning Strike Down Rangers

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The Rangers have been playing pretty well since the start of November, having gone 5-1-1 entering tonight’s contest. But this was a game that will be one that Rangers coaches immediately incinerate the videotape, with the Lightning blowing out the Blueshirts at Amalie Arena.

Chris Kreider – The opening Rangers goal came from their veteran winger, who slid one between the legs of Andrei Vasilevskiy late in the first period. Kreider took a cross-ice pass from Artemiy Panarin, drove the net, and got the Blueshirts on the board.

Filip Chytil – The 20-year-old forward had himself a solid night on the scoresheet, scoring a pair of goals in the third period. Chytil’s first goal came early in the final frame, finishing off a nice pass from fellow youngster Libor Hajek.

Chytil’s second came with less than five minutes to go in the contest, as he cleaned up the rebound of Pavel Buchnevich’s shot.

The pair of goals marked the first multi-point game for the Czech national. Chytil has been on a tear since being recalled from Hartford, recording six goals and an assist in eight games, indicating once again that he has no plans on returning to Connecticut’s capital.

Special Teams – One of the biggest contributing factors to this brutal defeat was the play of the Blueshirts’ special teams units or lack thereof. David Quinn’s man-advantage units went scoreless in four attempts, while the penalty kill gave up five goals in eight attempts. Of Tampa Bay’s 45 shots on the evening, 21 came while on the power play.

Destroy The Evidence – This was a game that the Rangers will want to forget as soon as humanly possible – maybe they can get the Neuralyzer from the Men In Black movies. The defense was porous, the goaltending didn’t really stand a chance, and the forecheck wasn’t able to generate consistent pressure in the Tampa Bay zone. All there is to do now is move on to the next game.

Next Game: The Rangers will look to bounce back on Saturday night in Sunrise against the Panthers. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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