Rangers complete comeback late and claim 1st place (NYR 4 v AZ 3)

Feb 27, 2015
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Chris Kreider celebrates his speed burst goal (Photo: Jared Silber/Getty Images)

It looked like one of those games as the the opposition scored 41 seconds in to the contest. Kevin Klein partially screened Cam Talbot and Mark Arcobello snapped one past him. 

RANGERS 4 v. COYOTES 3

AZ v NYR (ESPN)

This was the third time this month the Rangers yielded the 1st goal of the game less than a minute in (NYI :11, BUF :14). “We know we didn’t come out of the gate the way we wanted to,” the Rangers temporary #1, Talbot said.

After Kreider knotted it at 1 on the PP, the Yotes would take a 3-1 lead off a series of Ranger penalties. Sam Gagner would tally twice and the Rangers now had 40 minutes to figure out how to save this game.

In the second period, Lee Stempniak would deflect a John Moore shot to cut the gap to one. There was some hope now, especially with the way Mike Smith was playing in the 1st period. Hope became determination when Chris Kreider would score one of the best goals of the season showing speed that would make Carl Hagelin blush.

Off a turnover, Kreider picked up a puck in the neutral zone and turned on the rockets. He came in with tremendous speed on Smith who stopped the initial shot. That’s why the goal was remarkable because Kreider still picked up the rebound and roofed it over Smith in turbo mode. It was a backbreaker with only 12 seconds left in the second period.

“If you want to be near the top of the standings in this league, you need to find ways to win,” Chris Kreider explained. “That was definitely a bit of a nail-biter and a little too close for comfort, but it speaks volumes of the leadership and character.”

Finally, Kreider’s partner in crime on the night, Lee Stempniak would break the deadlock on a backhand with 2:14 seconds remaining. Talbot and company would hold the fort and pick up the victory. Cam stopped 37 of the 40 he faced.

“(First place) is nice, it’s better than looking up at someone, that’s for sure; but there’s a lot of hockey left,” Stempniak told Jim Cerny. It seems like (the standings) change day by day, but we’re just focused on the next game in Philly because every game now is a big game with how well everyone else is playing.”

NOTES

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By Anthony Scultore
Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at ... More about Anthony Scultore
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