Rangers vs Hurricanes: Zibanejad Has Four-Point Night as Rangers Put Six Past Hurricanes
After being defeated pretty handily by the Columbus Blue Jackets, David Quinn wasn’t happy and let his team know by calling their effort a “joke” during his post-game press conference. Quinn’s team heard him loud and clear, as they came out tonight looking to revenge and put six goals pas Curtis McElhinney and the Carolina Hurricanes. Tony DeAngelo, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich each had a pair of goals on the night, while Henrik Lundqvist turned away 31 of the 33 shots he faced.
1-0 Rangers
Tony DeAngelo (3) - Jimmy Vesey (13) & Boo Nieves (4) - 1:16 1st Period
With David Quinn’s message fresh in their mind, the Rangers came out in this game looking to jump on the Hurricanes pretty early. Tony DeAngelo made that a reality just 1:16 into regulation as his wrist shot through traffic found a hole over Curtis McElhinney’s shoulder to make it 1-0 Rangers.
1-1 Tie
Saku Maenalanen (3) - Unassisted - 9:24 1st Period
About eight minutes after the Rangers’ opening goal, the Hurricanes were able to tie the game up at 1-1 with a goal by Saku Maenalanen. Brett Howden had trouble handling Marc Staal’s cross-ice pass, and Howden’s misread allowed Maenalanen to intercept the puck just inside the hashmarks. Maenalanen was able to get off a quick wrist and beat Henrik Lundqvist under the arm to bring the Hurricanes back even.
2-1 Rangers
Mika Zibanejad (13) - Chris Kreider (13) & Kevin Shattenkirk (11) - 12:41 1st Period
That tie game would only last for a little over three minutes, as Mike Zibanejad converted a nifty little set piece by the Rangers. Kevin Shattenkirk started the play with a rink-long dump into Chris Kreider’s corner that he chased down, and to everyone’s surprise, Curtis McElhinney wound up trying to play the puck. McElhinney whiffed on his attempt, and allowed Kreider to tap the puck over to Mika Zibanejad with an empty net to shoot at.
3-1 Rangers
Mika Zibanejad (14) - Mats Zuccarello (12) & Chris Kreider (14) - 14:22 1st Period
Mika didn’t just stop there though, and added his second goal of the night just a few moments later. Mats Zuccarello, who has finally snapped out of his slump, setup Zibanejad with a beautiful between-the-legs pass from behind the net, and Zibanejad roofed the puck over McElhinney.
4-1 Rangers
Pavel Buchnevich (8) - Mika Zibanejad (26) & Mats Zuccarello (13) - 3:41 2nd Period
The second period was Pavel Buchnevich’s time to net his pair of goals, and he started it off by netting the first one just 3:41 into the second period. Mats Zuccarello picked up his second assist of the night after feeding Buchnevich in front from below the goal line, and that gave the Rangers a 4-1 lead in this game.
5-1 Rangers
Pavel Buchnevich (9) - Mika Zibanejad (27) & Mats Zuccarello (14) - 4:19 3rd Period
Later on in the third period, the trio of Pavel Buchnevich, Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello converted on the power play yet again for Buchnevich’s second goal of the night. Mika Zibanejad’s point shot wound up deflecting in front of the net, and Buchnevich was able to jump on the loose puck in the high slot. Curtis McElhinney was still scrambling back to his crease as Buchnevich flipped the puck over him.
5-2 Rangers
Saku Maenalanen (4) - Victor Rask (5) & Justin Faulk (14) - 11:51 3rd Period
The Hurricanes were finally able to stop the onslaught late in the third period as Saku Maenalanen picked up his second of the game as well. Maenalenen was able to get a stick on Victor Rask’s wrist shot as it came in on Henrik Lundqvist, and he redirected it to make it a 5-2 game.
6-2 Rangers
Tony DeAngelo (4) - Vladislav Namestnikov (12) & Boo Nieves (5) - 12:55 3rd Period
To close out the night of second’s, Tony DeAngelo made it a 6-2 game at the 12:55 mark after converting on a second chance opportunity. After Boo Nieves and Vladislav Namestnikov failed to convert on the 3-on-1 rush. DeAngelo followed up the play and slammed home the loose puck in the high slot.
Following tonight’s rout of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Rangers will have a scheduled off day before returning to action on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.