Vesey, Rangers beat Bruins 4-2 for 5th straight win

By ALLAN KREDA

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Rangers are suddenly rolling thanks to timely scoring and tight defense, especially the brand exhibited against Boston on Wednesday night.

Jimmy Vesey scored two first-period goals 29 seconds apart, Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves and New York beat the Bruins 4-2 for its fifth straight victory.

Pavel Buchnevich and Rick Nash also scored for the resurgent Rangers, who improved to 8-7-2 despite losing seven of their first eight games.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Lundqvist said after his seventh win this season and the 412th of his career. “We’re back in the race.”

David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron had the goals for Boston.

The Rangers came out strong against their old rivals, outshooting the Bruins 16-7 in the opening period and scoring three times. Boston had the better of play in a scoreless second, with a 13-8 shots advantage.

New York led 3-1 heading into the third period before Bergeron cut the margin to one at 6:44 with his third goal of the season. Lundqvist was able to hold off the Bruins before Nash scored into an empty net with 7.7 seconds left.

“When you get a lead, you have to know how to play. I thought we were pretty smart with the puck,” Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. “We are confident. We have to keep on working and keep grabbing points when we are on a roll like this.”

Buchnevich opened the scoring at 9:53 of the first with his seventh of the season, but Pastrnak quickly tied it at 10:14. Pastrnak’s team-leading ninth goal was assisted by Bergeron and rookie Anders Bjork.

Vesey, who played four years at Harvard, then jammed a loose puck past Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask at 14:41, with assists from Buchnevich and Mika Zibanejad, to put the Rangers ahead 2-1.

Vesey increased the lead at 15:10 when he slid another close-in shot past Rask for his fourth of the season. It was the fastest two goals by a Rangers player since Jaromir Jagr scored twice in 26 seconds on Nov. 14, 2006.

“I consider myself a goal scorer. I’ve done that my whole life,” Vesey said. “I got a couple of greasy ones tonight. Maybe it will take off from here.”

The 24-year-old Vesey had six game-winning goals among the 16 he scored as a rookie last season. He had only two goals this season going into the game against his hometown Bruins (6-5-3).

Boston played without top forward Brad Marchand, who sustained an upper-body injury in the previous game.

The Bruins’ lineup included several recent call-ups from Providence of the AHL, and coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t happy with his team’s start.

“The first part of the game we had some passengers. We are not going to win on a regular basis if we have passengers,” he said. “We don’t need young guys to come in here and lead this club. We just need them to do their jobs.”

The goal by Buchnevich was his seventh of the season and came after he eluded 40-year-old Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara and roofed the puck over Rask. The Russian forward has been on an offensive spree lately with six goals and three assists in his last seven games.

“We weren’t playing on our toes,” Chara said. “The Rangers were more aggressive. We need to do a better job.”

The Rangers have won seven of nine since a 1-5-2 start to the season. They were trailing expansion Vegas 4-2 at home heading into the third period Oct. 31 but scored four unanswered goals to win 6-4. Then they defeated Tampa Bay and Florida in overtime on the road before returning home to beat Columbus on Monday.

“We’ve been starting games a lot better and it’s been working for us,” Vesey. “Now we have five in a row.”

The Rangers have 256 wins over the Bruins, the most against any opponent in their 91-season history, and have won six straight versus Boston since January 2016.

NOTES: Alain Vigneault earned his 200th win as Rangers coach. The only other New York bench bosses to reach the milestone are Emile Francis (342) and Lester Patrick (281). ... Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello played his 400th NHL game. ... Chara played his 834th game with the Bruins, passing Hall of Famer Dit Clapper for fourth-most by a Boston defenseman. ... The Rangers scratched high-priced defenseman Brendan Smith for the fourth straight game.

UP NEXT

The Bruins visit Toronto on Friday.

The Rangers host Edmonton on Saturday.

Penguins, Predators gear up for Game 1

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PITTSBURGH -- A little more than 24 hours before the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators launch the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with Game 1 at PPG Paints Arena, there was the craziness Sunday that was the NHL's annual media day.

The requisite off-beat questions -- Who's your funniest teammate? Which player could sing the National Anthem? What celebrity would you like to have at the games? -- were mixed with serious queries about the matchup and deeper dives on individual players' life and career stories.

Players, coaches and general managers from both clubs patiently, and at times light-heartedly, provided answers for the swarms of reporters and cameras.

"It's something that you always dreamed about. You always wanted to get to this point," said Predators winger and team playoff scoring leader Filip Forsberg (15 points). "Here we are just one day away."

It all changes Monday night, when the story lines go from theories and thoughts to a real-time, on-ice matchup of Pittsburgh, chasing its second straight Cup and third in nine years in a city that has grown accustomed to hockey celebrations, against Nashville, a first-time finalist in a festive town learning to love hockey on the fly.

"We can't wait to play," Pittsburgh center and postseason scoring leader Evgeni Malkin (24 points) said. "Back-to-back Finals, and we're excited."

The on-ice matchup has at least the promise of being worthy of the stage.

The Penguins -- who beat Columbus, Washington and Ottawa to get to this point -- feature world-class offensive talent and the speed to make their transition game and forecheck tough to handle, even if their defense has used a by-committee format with top defenseman Kris Letang missing the postseason after neck surgery.

Nashville showed in beating Chicago, St. Louis and Anaheim that it also has speed, plus a stingy but swift defense and a goaltender in Pekka Rinne who not only is having probably the best stretch of games of his life but also is such a good puck-handler that he often gets the Predators' transition game going.

"We're expecting a fast series, a lot of speed, high tempo," Rinne said.

The Penguins lead all playoff teams in offense, averaging 3.05 goals. The Predators lead all playoff teams in defense, giving up an average of 1.81 goals.

"One of the things I've always talked with our players about is having the ability to generate offense different ways," Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. "Regardless of the challenge that is in front of us, we believe we have the capability of having success. We just beat a really good team that was a defense-first team, always had numbers back, tried to limit opportunities off the rush, and had more of a counterattack mindset."

Sullivan was referring to Ottawa, where Erik Karlsson is the elite two-way defenseman on a team that plays a smothering style. Malkin cracked that Nashville "has four Karlssons" in defensemen P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm.

Pittsburgh's mantra this season has been to stubbornly play its style, without distraction, but Nashville and the gravity of the series represent a challenge that might require some tweaks.

"I think both teams believe in what gets them here," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, the defending Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, said. "You make minor adjustments depending on who you're playing against, what they do, but I think ultimately you trust your game and what's gotten you to this point.

"As the series goes along, there's probably more adjustments made, but to start out I think you just want to try to establish your game and see what happens. ... Hopefully, the less adjustments, the better."

Subban has a similar approach, but one that also is shaped by the teams' different levels of past success.

"Part of our success in Nashville has been staying in the moment, living in the moment," Subban said. "It's a privilege to raise the 'mug' over your head. I haven't done it yet, but the team over there has done it a few times. ...We're going to have to play our best to (win it). That's all I'm thinking about right now."

On the injury front, Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist practiced Sunday and could return for Game 1 after missing six games with an upper-body injury. Center Mike Fisher, the Predators captain, may also play after missing the past two games of the Western Conference finals.

Predators finish off Ducks, advance to first Finals

(TSX / STATS) -- NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- No matter the shot margin, no matter how dire the situation looked for a stretch of the third period, the Nashville Predators were determined to keep their date with history Monday night.

Their veteran goalie and a young forward who was a healthy scratch from some key late-season games pushed them over the Western Conference finish line.

Pekka Rinne's 38 saves and Colton Sissons' first playoff hat trick carried Nashville to a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks at raucous Bridgestone Arena, giving the Predators a 4-2 series win and their first Stanley Cup finals berth.

The Predators will meet the Eastern Conference champion -- either the Ottawa Senators or Pittsburgh Penguins -- in Game 1 of the Cup finals on May 29 on the road. The Penguins own a 3-2 advantage in the Eastern finals and can clinch their series Tuesday night in Ottawa.

With the score 3-3 and the Predators being outshot 39-15 at the time, Nashville regained the lead with a stunning one-timer from Sissons at 14:00 of the third period, three seconds after killing Roman Josi's minor for delay of game. Calle Jarnkrok's saucer pass teed up Sissons in the left circle, and Sissons beat Jonathan Bernier for his third goal of the night and fifth of the postseason.

"We let them back in the game in the third, but thank God we have Colton Sissons," Rinne said.

Sissons scored three of his eight regular-season goals in a 6-1 win Jan. 5 at Tampa Bay. He became the Predators' first-line center before Game 5 against Anaheim after Ryan Johansen was ruled out of the playoffs following emergency surgery on his thigh.

Coach Peter Laviolette picked the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Sissons to center Filip Forsberg and Pontus Aberg because he wanted someone who could match up physically with Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf.

Over the last two games, Sissons was a plus-7 and collected four points, none more important than the goal which for now is the biggest in franchise history.

"There was a turnover and I got lost on the back side," he said of his tiebreaking goal. "Calle made a beautiful pass, and fortunately I put it away."

The Ducks pulled Bernier at the last TV timeout with 2:38 left, but Forsberg fired in an empty-netter from the Nashville defensive zone 16 seconds later for his eighth playoff goal. Austin Watson followed suit at 18:26 for his second goal of the night and fourth of the postseason.

The final 94 seconds was a celebration for the sellout crowd, some of whom could be seen crying after Forsberg's marker. Towels, hats and catfish littered the ice as the game crawled to its conclusion and the building shook in delight as the final horn sounded.

It is the third different team Laviolette will take to the Cup finals. He won the title with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and lost with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010.

"It probably means I got fired a lot," Laviolette joked about his accomplishment.

Anaheim outshot Nashville 41-18, controlling play for most of the last 50 minutes. The Ducks erased a 3-1 deficit after Sissons' second goal off a rebound at 3:00 of the third period, tying the game on Chris Wagner's second marker in as many games at 5:00 and Cam Fowler's point blast at 8:52.

At that point, and particularly when Josi went off to serve his minor, it seemed like a matter of time before the Ducks grabbed the lead for good. Instead, the Predators displayed their resilience one more time, this time putting Anaheim away.

"This is the worst feeling in hockey," Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. "We worked so hard all year -- and in the game -- and it is incredibly frustrating."

Bernier, making his first playoff start because John Gibson (lower-body injury) couldn't go, gave up goals on two of the first three shots. Watson's wrister deflected off the stick of Anaheim center Ryan Kesler at 1:21, and Sissons wired home a wrister at 8:47 from the high slot.

The Ducks got within 2-1 on Ondrej Kase's point-blank wrister from Getzlaf at 4:45 of the second period. They kept owning possession and pumping shots at Rinne.

But Rinne never cracked, and the league's lowest playoff seed -- Nashville's 94 points were the fewest of all 16 postseason participants -- completed its improbable run to franchise history.

"Our guys know the big picture, what we are trying to do here," Laviolette said. "But tonight, they are going to enjoy it."

NOTES: Anaheim RWs Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves (lower-body injuries) didn't make the trip east for Game 6. Rakell had seven goals in 15 playoff matches. ... Nashville captain Mike Fisher and RW Craig Smith also missed Game 6 with an undisclosed injuries. Smith skated in warmups but hasn't played since Game 6 of the St. Louis series ... The Ducks' other notable scratches were D Korbinian Holzer, D Clayton Stoner and D Shea Theodore. ... Other Predators scratches included RW PA Parenteau and LW Harry Zolnierczyk.

Predators face adversity ahead of Game 5 vs. Ducks

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ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Nashville Predators' magic carpet ride through the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs encountered major turbulence when they announced Friday that Ryan Johansen will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a left thigh injury.

The injury to Johansen, the team's leading scorer, was sustained in Nashville's 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday which evened the Western Conference Final at two victories apiece. Johansen underwent surgery in Nashville on Friday and the Predators estimated his recovery time to be in the range of two to three months.

Johansen collected 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) through 14 games, registered a team-best 54.3 percent faceoff win percentage and his average ice time (20:45) was second only to linemate Filip Forsberg among Nashville forwards.

With captain Mike Fisher's status unknown for Game 5, the Predators could be down to their two top centers in an evenly played series.

The Predators rolled through the first two rounds with little adversity, so this injury news will be the first major test for them given their lack of productivity at center behind Johansen. Fisher has yet to score a point in the playoffs and third-line center Calle Jarnkrok has registered a goal and an assist in 13 games.

With the Ducks already holding a significant matchup advantage at center with captain Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Antoine Vermette and Nate Thompson manning the middle, coach Randy Carlyle will look to exploit it as Anaheim tries to take one step closer to a Stanley Cup Final berth. Their last appearance was 10 years ago when they defeated the Ottawa Senators in five games to capture the franchise's lone Stanley Cup.

The Ducks evened the series with a 3-2 overtime victory on Thursday on Corey Perry's third overtime goal of the playoffs, matching the NHL record for most OT tallies in a playoff year with Mel Hill in 1939 and Maurice Richard in 1951.

Carlyle was behind the bench for the 2007 Cup victory and feels that the performance by players at two positions will determine the series winner.

"If our goaltender can outplay their goaltender, then our chances go up dramatically," Carlyle said. "If our centermen can outplay their centermen, our chances go up dramatically."

Despite missing an opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series had they completed the rally from a two-goal third period deficit, Predators winger James Neal knows his team has plenty of fight left in them.

"It's 2-2. Nothing's going to be easy," Neal said. "That's why it's the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports. And we should be confident in our group. We have a chance to go in their rink, win a game, and come back with a chance to win in our home building. So put a smile on our face, enjoy it, get ready, and feel good about a tough game in their rink and what can come from that."

The Predators will need goaltender Pekka Rinne to revert to the form he displayed in the two series wins over Chicago and St. Louis if they are to secure their first Stanley Cup Final appearance. Rinne posted a .951 save percentage in the first two rounds but has plummeted to .911 against Anaheim. Given that Rinne's season percentage was .918, it is incumbent upon the Predators' defense to limit the number of shots the Finnish netminder faces.

Rinne claims to have put the Game 4 loss behind him and knows he will need to be at his best behind a short-handed team.

"Game 4 has to be behind us already, and we have to focus on the next one," Rinne said. "That was a missed opportunity, but we battled back, and obviously didn't have a good start. We did not a good first period but we battled back and showed a lot of character."

News & Notes: Jakob Silfverberg helps Ducks rally past Oilers

DUCKS SURVIVE OILERS RALLY TO CUT SERIES DEFICIT TO 2-1

The Edmonton Oilers erased a 3-0 deficit, but the Anaheim Ducks scored three unanswered goals, including the go-ahead goal 48 seconds after the Oilers had tied the game, and won 6-3 to cut their Western Conference Second Round series deficit to 2-1.

* The Ducks surrendered a three-goal lead and won a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time, according to the Elias Sports Bureau; they also did it in a 5-4 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2015 Western Conference Final. The Ducks became just the fifth team in NHL postseason history to surrender a lead of three or more goals and win by a margin of at least three.

* Jakob Silfverberg (2-1-3) had his first NHL postseason multigoal game and now has scored in three consecutive playoff games (4-1-5). He ranks second in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs with six goals (6-2-8), behind only the Pittsburgh Penguins' Jake Guentzel (7-3-10).

* Rickard Rakell opened the scoring 25 seconds into the game, the fastest goal to begin a playoff game in Ducks history. The NHL record for the fastest goal to start a postseason game is six seconds, set by the Los Angeles Kings' Don Kozak against the Boston Bruins on April 17, 1977.

SUNDAY'S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps

NASHVILLE 3, St. Louis 1 - NSH leads 2-1

Anaheim 6, EDMONTON 3 - EDM leads 2-1

DEFENSEMEN GUIDE PREDATORS TO 2-1 SERIES LEAD

Defensemen Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi each scored to help the Nashville Predators take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference Second Round series against the St. Louis Blues. The Predators improved to 6-1 during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including 3-0 at Bridgestone Arena.

* Predators defensemen have combined for a League-leading seven goals in seven playoff games. Their seven goals match the Predators record for most in a single postseason by defensemen, set in 14 games in 2016.

* Ellis opened the scoring to push his point streak to six games (3-5-8), extending the longest such run by a defenseman in Predators playoff history. Elias adds that one other Predators player has recorded a point streak of six or more postseason games: forward Colin Wilson in 2016 (4-5-9 in 7 GP).

* Elias notes that when teams are tied 1-1 in a best-of-7 series, the winner of Game 3 owns an all-time series record of 204-99 (67.3 percent).

LOOSE PUCKS

The Predators have won seven consecutive postseason games at Bridgestone Arena dating to Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference First Round against the Ducks. … Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf (1-1-2) scored his 34th NHL playoff goal to move within one of tying Teemu Selanne (35) for the most in Ducks history. … Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 22 saves to improve to 6-1 with a 1.38 goals-against average, .950 save percentage and two shutouts in seven playoff games. … ICYMI: Country music group Little Big Town performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 3 between the Blues and Predators. … The fans at Rogers Place came to the rescue after country music star Brett Kissel's microphone malfunctioned during the U.S. national anthem.

SNEAK PEEK AT MONDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern

Washington @ Pittsburgh, PIT leads 2-0, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN

- NHL Public Relations