Caught assist helped Rangers extend streak, Toronto celebrates after 19 years

New York Rangers goalie Igor Šestěrkin and teammates including Filip Chytil (left) defend New Jersey's Ryan Graves in an NHL hockey playoff game April 29, 2023.

New York – Forward Filip Chytil contributed an assist to the New York Rangers' 5:2 victory over New Jersey in the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. His team succeeded after three straight defeats and won the seventh game. Toronto advanced to the second round for the first time since 2004. The Maple Leafs defeated Tampa Bay 2-1 in overtime in Game 6 to take a 4-2 series lead. After a 5-4 win on the ice of Los Angeles, Edmonton also celebrates promotion.

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He got on the scoresheet in the 53rd minute when he got involved in the action before Braden Schneider's goal. The 21-year-old back made it 5-1 with his first hit in the playoffs and kicked Akira Schmid out of the goal. The Swiss goalkeeper was replaced by Vítek Vaněček, who made a save for the first time since the end of the second game.

Chris Kreider confirmed his importance for the New York team. The 32-year-old striker tied the game at 1-1 in the last minute of the first period and scored the 16th goal in a game in which his team faced elimination.

“We were against the wall before the game, so we needed to play our best. We told the guys to be hungry and go to the right spaces, and I think they did a great job,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said.

< p>For the first time in the series, Rangers' best scorer in the regular season, Mika Zibanejad, made his mark, and with a 2:1 goal, he gave the team the lead for the first time in the match. “I could sit here and claim that I wasn't happy for the goal. But it wouldn't be true. I'm glad that I helped to an important win. That was the most important thing in our situation,” said the scorer who scored 39 goals in the regular season.< /p>

The East Coast rivals will meet for the third time in game seven. The hockey players of New Jersey will try to reverse the unfavorable balance from the past on their own ice. They lost both decisive games in 1992 and 1994 against Rangers.

“It's great to be able to play in front of our own fans. We've been working hard all year to get this advantage, so I hope we can make the most of it. I know the team will give their best on the ice,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said.

After 19 long years, the Toronto hockey players got through the first round. The Maple Leafs advance was decided by captain John Tavares in the fifth minute of overtime. The Canadian striker went around the goal and beat Andrej Vasilevsky from the turn. His shot was deflected past the Russian goalkeeper by Lightning defender Darren Raddysh.

“In the corner, I traded the puck with Mitchell Marner and went for the goal. Tampa had good coverage for the pass, so I tried to drive out. I saw that Morgan Reilly is standing in front of the goal, so I decided to throw the puck to him and I waited to see what would happen,” Tavares described.

The Lightning have lost just the second of their last 13 playoff series. They won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and lost to Colorado in the finals last season. Toronto made it past the first round after six unsuccessful attempts.

“It's been a long wait for everyone. For the players, for the club, for the fans and for me. It's a great achievement, I'm extremely happy that it happened to us it worked,” said Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe. “It was incredible to watch the puck go over the goal line. It's a great feeling,” added the coach, who spent his entire career in the NHL with Tampa Bay. That is, with the team he has now managed to knock out.

Edmonton also celebrated the promotion, Kailer Yamamoto scored the winning goal of the Oilers in Los Angeles at 56:57. Klim Kostin shone with two goals and an assist. Connor McDavid finished the game with one goal and one assist to improve to 10 points in the playoffs. The most productive player of the Oilers, Leon Draisaitl, has one more point.

“When people talk about Edmonton, they mention that it is a team of two, three players. But the truth is completely different. All formations contributed points to the progress . We present ourselves as a team and the reward is advancement,” said McDavid.

In the second round, the Oilers will face Vegas, which eliminated Winnipeg in five games. The best two teams of the Western Conference will meet. Edmonton lost two points to the Golden Knights in the regular season, so they will start the series at the opponent's court.

Results of the 1st round of the NHL playoffs:

Eastern Conference – 6th games:

Tampa Bay – Toronto 1:2 in overtime. (0:0, 0:1, 1:0 – 0:1)

Goals: 45. Stamkos – 34. Matthews, 65. Tavares. Shots on goal: 32:22. Spectators: 19,092. Stars of the match: 1. Tavares, 2. Samsonov (both Toronto), 3. Vasilevsky (Tampa Bay). Final series score 2:4

NY Rangers – New Jersey 5:2 (1:1, 2:0, 2:1)

Goals: 20. Kreider, 31. Zibanejad, 39. Tarasenko, 49. Goodrow, 53. B. Schneider (Caught) – 12. Lazar, 56. Mercer. Shots on goal: 24:36. Vítek Vaněček intercepted 2:18 minutes for New Jersey and did not face any shots. Spectators: 18,006. Stars of the game: 1. Kreider, 2. Tarasenko, 3. Zibanejad (all NY Rangers). Series status 3:3.

Western Conference – 6th match:

Los Angeles – Edmonton 4:5 (1:2, 2:2, 1:1)

Goals: 9. Durzi, 27. Kempe, 29. Fiala, 48. Danault – 13. and 31. Kostin, 2. McDavid, 25. Draisaitl, 57. Yamamoto. Shots on goal: 44:26. Spectators: 18,230. Stars of the match: 1. Yamamoto, 2. Draisaitl (both Edmonton), 3. Danault (Los Angeles). Final series standings 2-4.

Canadian NHL playoff scoring: