kevin hayes

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

The Rangers took full advantage of a tired Tampa Bay Lightning team, dominating them from start to finish en route to the big win last night. Ben Bishop stood tall in the first, but turnovers and fatigue led to a big second period for the Rangers, scoring four times as they never looked back. The Rangers were firing on all cylinders, and it showed.

Antti Raanta came up with some timely saves when needed, as the goaltending is starting to come around for the Rangers as well. Add that to what appears to be a lethal forward group, and you have a dangerous Rangers team. Not only do they generate a lot of chances, they capitalize on them. They put up a six-spot on one of the top teams in the league.

On to the goals:

Rangers 1, Bolts 0

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Nick Holden made a good play here to chip the puck to the neutral zone. Rick Nash picked it up and skated in on the break and fired it over Ben Bishop’s glove.

Rangers 2, Bolts 0

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This was pretty. Kevin Hayes to Brady Skjei to Michael Grabner to the empty net. Wow.

Rangers 3, Bolts 0

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Forechecking forced the Bolts into a turnover at their blue line, which Nash picked up. Nash dropped it to Jimmy Vesey, who put it in the low corner for the goal.

Rangers 4, Bolts 0

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The Bolts turned the puck over in the offensive zone, which the Rangers turned into an odd-man rush. Kevin Hayes got the shot on net after a nifty toe-drag, and J.T. Miller was there for the rebound.

Rangers 5, Bolts 0

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Grabner forced the Bolts into another offensive turnover, which then led to Miller feeding him for the breakaway for the goal. Relentless pressure by the Rangers killed the Bolts.

Rangers 6, Bolts 0

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A hat trick for Grabner. The play started with the defensive zone faceoff win to Marc Staal behind the net, who fired a beautiful outlet to Hayes. Hayes fought off two defenders in the offensive zone before getting the puck to Grabner for the goal.

Rangers 6, Bolts 1

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Bad luck for Raanta here. The Rangers break a stick on the faceoff, then the cross-ice pass deflected off Steven Stamkos’ body and through Raanta.

Scoring Chances

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This is just pure domination. The Bolts were tired and the Rangers took advantage. Fun game to watch.

Scoring Chance Locations

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More like the above, the Rangers were getting all their best chances from down low. When that happens, there are going to be a lot of goals.

The Rangers are beginning to form their identity as a fast and relentless team. They pressure constantly and force the opposition into turnovers. The best part is that they have the skill to capitalize on the chances. This was a statement win against a good team.

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