2023 ROUND 1 PLAYOFFS

2nd period, Charlotte kills off the penalty and then they apply the pressure again and again they make things happen after a big Sorokin save. Fehervary skates out with it, to Marner taking it into the Rangers end to Marner to Johansen at the point – slap shot – GOAL!!!! Johansen from Marner and Ovechkin ties the game at 2-2. Then 9 minutes later Backlund gets called for holding giving the Rangers their 2nd power play. And the Rangers come through as Panarin and Zibanejad set up Kreider who actually fires a long slapper that beats Sorokin to corner and the Rangers regain the lead 3-2. with 7 to go in the 2nd. But the Rangers aren’t done – they get another one past Sorokin 2 minutes later when Tavares on a setup from Panarin and Buchnevich beats Sorokin low under the stick. 4-2 Rangers and that’s how the 2nd ends.

3rd period sees the Rangers skating to ensure the Buzzards don’t get that aggression going early. And it works, although Charlotte does manage to fire 10 shots on Skinner during the period, but they weren’t too tough. At least not until the final seconds are ticking off the clock and Sorokin leaves the ice. However, it is Provorov of Bathgate who gets a goal – an empty netter – finalize the 5-2 score favor of the Rangers as they take game 1.

STARS (all BGR)
3. Miller 1 goal, 1 assist
2. Tavares 1 goal, 1 assist
1. Kreider 2 goals

Panarin with 3 assists, Skinner 22 saves.
And with a best of 3 – it puts Charlotte in the do or die mode! And they will need to pick up their game as the Rangers took them 2 to 1 on faceoffs and the Rangers blocked 20 shots!

1st Period action starts when Trouba is sent off the ice for roughing a minute and a half into the game. Rangers however kill the penalty. And the teams skate on – very much a different game as they teams show playoff tension as well as the fact that the Buzzards are in an elimination game. Half way through the 1st – still no score, then Zibanejad gets whistled for slashing and Charlotte has another man advantage. And again the Rangers kill this one off. There just doesn’t seem to be goal at either end of the ice and yet this was the highest two team SOG total so far in the playoffs – 12 for Charlotte, 10 for Bathgate – neither Husso or Francouz gave up anything.

2nd period and we have Suter called for high sticking but Trouba also gets whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct – no harm no foul. But the Rangers are really clampling down on Charlotte, they can’t get enough control to get off any shots. They end the 2nd with only 4 shots on Francouz, he stops them all. And the Buzzards were trying to force the action and it results in giving Bathgate 3 2nd period power plays: Seider for high sticking, Myers for Hooking and Pietrangelo for slashing. But the Buzzards stopped them all. Myers penalty however did lead a Bathgate goal. Just under 5 minutes to go he goes off. Rangers work hard but keep getting stifled. With time expiring Zibanejad shoots from a bad angle and Pietrangelo blocks it, Myers comes back on the ice, but the Rangers still have it and Kreider and Panarin work it back and forth and the see ZBad and wraps it around for the GOAL and a 1-0 Rangers lead with 2 1/2 to go in the 2nd. And the 2nd period horn blows with it 1-0 Bathgate.

3rd period – Charlotte is up against the wall and you can see it in the faces of their players. But they skate with a positive determination and keep pressing. Then Marchessault goes off for hooking at 6 minutes into the period. But the defense is up to the task again and it remains 1-0 with 12 to go. And Charlotte is controlling play no matter how hard the Rangers are trying to quash their momentum. with 11 to go, they get the puck, Marner to Ovechkin and Brandon Carlo lays hard into him and the Rangers control the puck. Tavares on a 2 on 1 break, he dekes, passes it to Panarin, Panaring the wrist shot – GOAL! Husso put the stick down but not fast enough. So with 9:40 left the Rangers take a BIG 2-0 lead! Fans are going nuts. But try as they might, the Buzzards can’t seem to break through the Rangers dragnet. In fact there are no scoring chances by either team for the next 8 minutes as the Rangers play clamp the opposition. Bends but no breaks. Last 90 seconds, Husso to the bench, Buzzards step it up again, Rangers counter, but finally Charlotte breaks through when Ovechkin and Marchessault set up Rust for the late, late goal making it 2-1 Rangers with 25 looong seconds to go. Rangers call timeout – they want their best out there. And it works, they are able to hold off any more attacks with the 6 skaters for Charlotte – and the Rangers win game 2, 2-1 and take the best of 3 game series 2 games to none! Fans go nuts!

STARS: (all BGR)
3. Zibanejad 2 goal
2. Francouz 27 saves
1. Panarin 1 goal, 1 assist

Congratulations to Michael Cole on yet again another fine season. Maybe next year. Rangers now prepare for Round 2!

In the 2nd period, the Sharks score 2 more as Zuccarello and Gourde score to make it 3-0.

Alamo rebounds as Bouchard scores a short handed goal. Then, Nyquist scores later in the 2nd. Both players getting goals is unusual.

In the 3rd, Alamo has 12 shots to Gilbert’s 4 shots, but cannot score as Jarry as an excellent game. He should have been named one of the stars.

Gilbert 3 Alamo 2

1-Zuccarrello
2-MacKinnon
3-Gourde

1st period, Alamo with 8 shots and Gilbert 7 – no goals.

2nd period, Niederreiter scores his 22nd. Makar follows 2 minutes later with a power play goal.

3rd period, both teams have 6 shots and no goals.

A great defensive game with Gilbert scoring 2 goals within a short period of time in the 2nd period.

Gilbert wins 2-0, and takes the series 2-0.

stars
1- Jarry with 23 saves – MVP of the series.
2- Makar
3-Niederreiter