Quick Hits – Rangers vs Panthers 11/28/17

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Here is our Quick Hits recap for the Rangers 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Slow Start – The Rangers stumbled out of the gate and began the contest with another slow start. This was evident when Aleksandr Barkov scored at just 5:50 in the first period. Jonathan Huberdeau’s shot from the point deflected off Rangers’ defenseman Brendan Smith and towards Barkov’s lower body before going in past Henrik Lundqvist. The Panthers continued to take advantage of the Rangers slow start as Jamie McGinn scored to make it 2-0 at 9:35. Rangers defenseman Nick Holden could not control a bouncing puck as Nick Bjugstad took control of it and passed it to McGinn who wristed it past Lundqvist. Former Ranger Micheal Healy scored his first of the season to make it 3-0 at 16:47, right after Pavel Buchnevich was denied a chance by James Reimer. The Panthers went the other way and Healy finished the rush with a goal.

Lundqvist Pulled – Starting his 13th consecutive game in net for the Rangers, Lundqvist was pulled after allowing the three first-period goals on just six shots. Backup goaltender Ondrej Pavelec relieved Lundqvist and made 18 saves the rest of the way.

The Rangers Comeback – JT Miller got the Rangers on the board in the second, slamming home a loose puck at the hash marks.

Chris Kreider was all over the scoresheet tonight as he tallied two goals and an assist. Pavel Buchnevich, who banked in a cross-crease pass from Kreider, got his ninth of the season and inched the Rangers closer at 4-2.

The Rangers continued to push closer to the Panthers lead as Chris Kreider tallied his ninth of the season at 11:16 in the second period and his tenth at 13:28 in the third period to tie the game for the Rangers after a nice feed from David Desharnais. Kreider was a noticeable presence for the Rangers as he proved to be a catalyst for the Rangers offensive comeback.

Turnovers – Early turnovers from Nick Holden and a few other Rangers players were reasons for the slow start and it bit them again late in the contest. Nick Holden and Brendan Smith were unable to clear the puck from their defensive zone, which led to Denis Malgin scoring the game-winning goal with 1:09 left in the contest.

Hayes Goal Called Off – In what seemed to be a turning point for the Rangers, Kevin Hayes thought he tied the game at 15:49 after circling around the offensive zone before lining up a shot and getting it past Reimer. The goal was waved off after the referees determined that Rick Nash had made contact with the goaltender, not allowing him to properly play in his crease. Alain Vigneault challenged the ruling but the call on the ice was confirmed.

 

“I felt my skate hit him, but I thought I was in the white and I thought he came out to my ice,” Nash said. “But the officials made the call, and that’s the way it goes.” New York Daily News

Zibanejad Scratched/Desharnais fills in – Center Mika Zibanejad was a late scratch on Tuesday which was described as an Upper Body Injury. David Desharnais slotted into Zibanejad’s spot, to which the line of Kreider-Desharnais-Buchnevich contributed three goals in this one. There has been no update on Zibanejad’s condition outside of the initial report.

NEXT GAME – The Rangers continue their homestand with a matchup versus the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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