Defender Ryan Lindgren’s game in the final seconds of regulation against the Sabers on Sunday night was a win for Rangers.
While Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodro struggled with three Sabers in the corner, Lindgren decided to drop his post at the top of the zone to hit the net if he had the chance and hit the net an inch closer to the Buffalo goal. And in a few milliseconds, Lindgren put the puck on the stick and was in a great position to win the first game of his NHL career.
“Lindy is a smart hockey player and she knew time was running out,” head coach Gerard Gallan said after the win. “So why don’t you go online?”
Lindgren often puts on these clever games, which have garnered a lot of attention because it happened at a big moment. It was also the fourth goal Lindgren has scored since making his NHL debut with the Rangers in January 2019.
Take the defensive game he and Adam Fox played in the Rangers zone, where Kaapo Kakko finished 3-2 in the second half on Sunday. Artemi Panarin’s mishandling sent Sabers winger Kyle Okposo out of the neutral zone, but Lindgren and Fox merged.
Lindgren then sent Okposo out of the game, and as Rasmus Asplund coming from behind tried to gain control of the puck, Fox’s shot sent Rangers the other way. Ryan Strom found Kakko, he moved into the net and defeated Sabers goalkeeper Aaron Dell.
“I don’t think you can find a guy in this room who smiles when you mention his name,” Jacob Trouba said of Lindgren. “He’s such a guy, he’s such a character. He brings more to the team. Apparently, his face was a little bloodier this year, which is nice, but he always seems to be sticking his nose in something, somewhere. So it’s great to see him rewarded and I think everyone is very happy for him. ”
With a win over Sabres, Rangers extended their home win streak to five games – the longest run from Dec. 22, 2019, to Jan. 13, 2020. Rangers also scored at least one point in their ninth game. The past 11 games have combined a 7-2-2 record in this range.
Artemi Panarin, who scored three assists on Sunday night, now has 50 three-point games, equaling third place in the NHL since 2015-16 with Blackhowks player Patrick Kane. Panarin also scored three or more assists in a single game for the 11th time since joining Rangers in July 2019, and among all the players during that time, only Oilers Connor left McDavid behind.
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