In the dynamic realm of hockey, the sport offers a plethora of highlights that linger in our memories. The New York Rangers, a team with a rich history, have contributed numerous moments that resonate with many fans. In this feature titled “Remember When,” we delve into some of these moments—some noteworthy, others less so.
In this particular installment of “Remember When,” we revisit February 6th, 2023, when the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames had a night to remember at an electric contest at Madison Square Garden. Given Alexis Lafreniere’s performance on Saturday, this seemed apropos for today.
The game was a rollercoaster of tied scores and intense moments, featuring numerous fights sparked by impactful hits, including two by Rangers captain Jacob Trouba. Andrew Mangiapane and Michael Stone of the Flames scored within two minutes of each other in the third period, briefly giving Calgary a 4-3 lead. However, Mika Zibanejad, with his second goal of the game (24th of the season) at 12:55, leveled the score for the fourth time.
Zibanejad had earlier put the Rangers ahead 3-2 with a power-play goal in the last 14 seconds of the second period, assisted by Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin, marking Panarin’s 300th point with the Rangers. The opening goal came from Filip Chytil at 5:37 of the first period, assisted by Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox. Blake Coleman of the Flames quickly responded, tying the game at 10:25 with his 11th goal.
The first period saw multiple skirmishes, as both teams returned to action after the All-Star break. Trouba engaged in a tussle with Calgary’s Chris Tanev, while later, Sammy Blais’ hit on Milan Lucic ignited a series of fights. Tyler Toffoli of the Flames managed to tie the game at 2 with his 19th goal on the power play at 16:45 of the second period.
Trouba’s impact was felt once again in the dying seconds of the second period, delivering a hard body check to Nazem Kadri and engaging in a fight with Dillon Dube. Dube received an additional two-minute penalty for instigating, and Zibanejad capitalized on the power play to score the go-ahead goal.
Alexis Lafreniere secured a thrilling overtime victory for the New York Rangers with a goal just 1:37 into the extra period. Jaroslav Halak’s stellar performance in goal, with 28 saves, played a crucial role in the Rangers’ 5-4 triumph over the Calgary Flames.
Lafreniere led a 2-on-1 rush and then hunted down the rebound of Mika Zibanejad’s shot, beating netminder Jacob Markstrom for his seventh goal this season. That ended a frenzied game that was tied four times and featured several fights following big hits.
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