The New York Rangers went to the Benchmark International Arena and defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3. Most of the action took place in the first period, with the Rangers eventually pulling away to seal the situation. New York picked up their fifth win in a row.
Offensive madness early in Tampa
Will Cuylle (5) opened the scoring just over a minute into the game with a power-play goal, and JT Miller (4) followed suit shortly after. The Lightning halved the lead with a goal from Scott Sabourin (1), but Alexis Lafrenière (4) reacted quickly to make it 3-1.
Before the period was over, it would be a series where the Lightning came within a goal after the Rangers extended the lead a few more times. After just one period the score was 4-3.
For a while, it looked like the Lightning might overcome the makeshift lineup of American Hockey League players due to injuries. However, the road warrior Rangers would prove to be too much.
Related: Rangers have a balanced lineup for the first time this season
Vincent Trocheck got the only goal of the second period and scored another to extend the lead to 6-3 in the third. Cuylle, who opened the score, closed things out by picking up an empty-netter to reach the final score of the match.
Artemi Panarin stood out in the match by scoring four points despite never finding the back of the net. Trocheck and Cuylle had multi-goal matches while only needing two shots each. Despite a combined 10 goals in the game, both teams went a combined 1-for-6 on the power play.
The Rangers make their road trip north to Ohio to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. The Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST. Meanwhile, the Lightning hit the road Saturday when they take on the Florida Panthers in Sunrise. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 PM EST.
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