On Wednesday, against the NHL’s most dominant team, the Rangers showed that there’s no quitting in their DNA. The Tampa Bay Lightning improved their league-best record to 49-11-4 by defeating the Blueshirts, 4-3 in overtime, but David Quinn’s Rangers did not go down without a fight.
After falling to a 2-0 deficit before the first intermission, the Rangers mounted a second period comeback to even the contest at 3-3. The Rangers outplayed and outshot the league’s best team across the second and third periods. Though this effort did not result in a win, fans should be pleased by their team’s drive and desire.
After all, the surging Lightning have now rolled off 10 consecutive wins. They’re an awfully difficult team for a genuine Stanley Cup contender to beat, nevermind a Rangers team that has trimmed its roster of several stars in consecutive trade deadline sell-offs.
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The Rangers’ commitment and spirit shown in Wednesday’s loss is a testament to Quinn’s philosophies and how his roster has embraced his ethics. There was a special kind of intensity, will and effort on display. The Rangers weren’t focused on who left at the trade deadline and weren’t intimidated by the Lightning’s record or deep talent across four lines and three defensive pairs. They simply went out and competed with some New York hustle.
Mika Zibanejad, Boo Nieves and newly-acquired pest Brendan Lemieux led the way. Zibanejad has continued to play at a point-per-game pace. His second period goal took his seasonal point total to 63 (27 goals, 36 assists) in 63 games.
Nieves has continued to show encouraging progress and notched the tying goal at 14:14 of the second period. The 25-year-old forward agreed to a one-year extension worth a reported $700,000 on Monday. Speed and reliable two-way sense have made Nieves a solid fit in the bottom-six. He has recorded four goals and five assists through 30 games.
The Rangers also extended center Steven Fogarty on Monday.
Lemieux made his presence felt in his Rangers’ debut by playing in the faces of Tampa opponents, by getting to the crease and through the seven hits he laid out. He skated for a career-high 15:24 minutes in the contest. I mentioned in Wednesday’s column that he can be a Sean Avery or Brandon Prust type, with his ability to get under the skin of the opposition, while still providing enough offense to justify his place in the lineup.
It’s strange to use this word in a defeat, but there was a clear swagger shown by the Rangers on Wednesday. At 27-26-10, this team might be headed for a lottery pick – but there also might be more flickers of promise along the way in their final 19 regular-season games.