Rangers dominate Game 3, cut series deficit in half

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Newsday

The Rangers needed to answer back, and they did in a big way last night. The Rangers came out strong, completely dominating play in the first period and jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The Blueshirts let off the gas a little as they built 3-0 and 4-1 leads, which is relatively expected in the playoffs, seemingly content to just kill the clock instead of stepping on the Sens’ throats.

This was an up-and-down the lineup solid game for the Rangers, who desperately needed not only a win, but a dominating performance. The series through now has been close, but this game never felt out of the Rangers’ control, even when the Senators were pressing late. I would have preferred that the Rangers keep pressing, but it’s tough to really complain about this performance. The biggest thing will be repeating this on Thursday night.

On to the goals:

Rangers 1, Sens 0

Mika Zibanejad stayed with the puck behind the net, taking some harassment as well. Dan Girardi distracted the Senators cutting to the net, which left room for Mats Zuccarello to find space. Bobby Ryan didn’t pick him up, which led to an open passing lane. Good finish.

Rangers 2, Sens 0

Craig Anderson went behind the net to play the puck, but got crossed up with Ben Harpur. Michael Grabner took advantage, stole the puck, and tucked it in the empty net.

Rangers 3, Sens 0

Mark Stone collided with Erik Karlsson at the blue line, which sprung Derek Stepan for the 2-on-1 with Rick Nash. Stepan got the puck to Nash, who ripped a great shot short side.

Rangers 4, Sens 0

Tanner Glass made a diving play to get the puck to JT Miller to start the rush. Miller bought time for something to develop, which gave Glass enough time to join the play and incidentally trip up Dion Phaneuf. That opened up room for Miller to move in and Oscar Lindberg to find open ice. Miller found Lindberg, who had the easy tap in.

Rangers 4, Sens 1

This was a great pass by Bobby Ryan here. Of course it was JG Pageau that scored. It looks like Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh got crossed up in their communication, so neither picked up Pageau.

Score Adjusted Even Strength Corsi

The Rangers really jumped out to a huge advantage, controlling the play to a 70% CF margin. That’s just an impressive period of hockey. They let off the gas in the second, allowing the Senators to tilt the ice a bit, but they never really lost control of the game. With a three goal lead for the majority of the second half of the game, letting off the gas is expected, even if it’s not preferred.

Even Strength Scoring Chances

While the Rangers eventually let the Senators play in their own zone, there wasn’t a lot to work with. The Rangers clamped down defensively, and didn’t give the Senators anything of value. This was an impressive defensive showing.

The key for the Rangers is going to be duplicating this performance on Thursday night, and then again on Saturday, and then again on Tuesday. Part of that is going to be dealing with whatever adjustments Guy Boucher and the Senators make. Either way, this was the dominating performance the Rangers needed after two relatively even games.