WASHINGTON (AP) — The New York Rangers didn't play their best hockey against a desperation-filled opponent, but they relied on a familiar recipe to make it to the NHL playoffs.
Artemi Panarin scored the go-ahead goal on a power play early in the third period, Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves and the Presidents Trophy-winning Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals 4-2 in Game 4 on Sunday. Completely won the game. The night we move on to the second round.
“What we've done in the 82 regular season games is what we'll continue to do,” center Mika Zibanejad said. “We've been working towards this and I think we can still get better, but it was a great, hard-fought series and I'm happy to get the win.”
Trade deadline pickup Jack Roslovic scored on an empty-netter with 51 seconds left, and the Rangers will next face either the Carolina Hurricanes or crosstown rival New York Islanders for a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. become. Carolina leads that series with his 3-1 lead.
“I get a few more days off, which is always good,” Shesterkin said. “I have more time to practice and get more confident and see who I will be playing against in the next round.”
Thanks to Panarin's goal with 16 minutes, 39 seconds left in regulation and 11 seconds after TJ Oshie was penalized for a high stick from Vincent Trocheck, they were able to get that rest and play in overtime or on Wednesday. A return to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 was avoided. They needed just four to defeat the Capitals and become the first team to advance this spring.
“We're happy,” Panarin said. “We'll keep going. I can't say we played poorly. We played well, but I think we can play better.”
New York advanced thanks to a dominant performance from Trocheck, who was the Most Valuable Player on the Ice all series. Trocheck destroyed Alex Ovechkin's scoring chance long before converting the decisive penalty on the power play, but Ovechkin remained scoreless through four games. This was the first time in the Capitals captain's 15 outings that it had happened in a single postseason.
“I don't know,” Ovechkin said after taking just five shots in four games. “I don't have that touch. I'm trying to find another way to get the puck in.”
But he wasn't the only problem in Washington. Part of the lack of offensive power was on Shesterkin. Shesterkin repeatedly evoked chants of “Igor!” Igor! ” from the many Rangers fans in attendance. Kaapo Kakko scored in the first minute of the game to take the lead, but 14 seconds later he shook off Dylan Strome, and then made consecutive saves on Tom Wilson's chances from close range.
“I thought he was great,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “Even when the game is in the balance, he takes chances and makes great saves.”
Trocheck, Shesterkin, MVP candidate Panarin Leading to victory is nothing new, but Kakko's contribution made him the 10th New York player to score in the series. It happened after Nick Jensen turned the puck over on his first shift back from a two-week injury and Kakko beat Charlie Lindgren for a confidence-boosting goal after a tough regular season.
Lindgren, who was not lacking in confidence, could not repeat his heroics despite stopping 19 of 22 shots. Youngsters Martin Fehervary and Hendricks Lapierre scored for Washington, which had expended a lot of energy to come out and was clearly exhausted.
“This team never gave up,” Strom said. “This team fought every inch and fought until the end. We put our lives on the line for this series and obviously we fell short. They're a great team.”
next
Rangers: Get ready for a series against the Hurricanes or Rangers. The series won't start until Thursday at the earliest, and likely later.
Capitals: Enter another offseason of change, especially with questions about the future of winger TJ Oshie.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
