TAMPA, Fla. — The secret to the Rangers’ success is … well, it’s not a secret at all, but rather a formula, and that formula is, according to Ryan Callahan, “That if we stick to our game plan, if we keep working, if we stick with it, we have confidence in the room that good things will happen.
“That was the message in the room after the second period.”
The message was both delivered and received, with the Rangers striking for three goals in the third to overcome a 2-1 deficit to defeat the Lightning 4-2 here last night to stretch their latest winning streak to five games and improve their record to 15-5-3, the best in the NHL.
The team’s 12th victory in the last 14 games — 12-2 since losing to Ottawa at the Garden on Oct. 29 — was achieved through persistence both on and away from the puck.
It was by no means pretty, certainly not through the first 40 minutes that featured two trapping teams, but a strong five-man defense in front of Henrik Lundqvist stifled Tampa Bay’s speed and talent essentially all night long until the Rangers were able to go on the attack on the transition and off the forecheck.
“The way the guys responded in the third with their energy and confidence shows a lot of character,” said Henrik Lundqvist, who yielded an early one in the first and a late one in the second before shutting the door in the third.”
Coach John Tortorella pretty much went with two-and-a-half lines most of the night, throwing out the Brad Richards-Ruslan Fedotenko-Callahan line and the Derek Stepan-Artem Anisimov-Marian Gaborik units for 21 of 25 offensive zone faceoffs.
But it was in the third, when the Brian Boyle-Carl Hagelin-John Mitchell trio got out on a semi-regular basis (while Sean Avery was benched and Brandon Dubinsky and Brandon Prust got two even-strength shifts into the final minute) that the Rangers picked up the pace. It was a Callahan forecheck that shook the puck loose from Marc-Andre Bergeron in the right circle that turned the game. Stepan, playing with a bruised left ankle, jumped on the puck and fired toward the net. When Mathieu Garon made the save, Anisimov was in front to put home the rebound to tie it at 6:16.
Stepan followed with the winner at 16:41 by drilling the puck home from 10 feet off a scramble after Anisimov had put one off bodies and/or the near post from the right side. Brad Richards sealed it with an empty-netter after the Rangers killed a late power play.
“[Stepan], he has [gonads] you know,” said Anisimov, holding his hands together in front of him in a universally understood manner. “He’s got game, you know. That winning goal was huge.”
The winning goal was huge and the defensive effort against Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier and Co. was huge as well in the Rangers’ first victory in five games (1-3-1) in which they’ve trailed after two periods.
“I think we have everyone buying into the style we need to win; a hard tempo game that enables us to make chances and create chances,” Stepan said.
Stepan said he had screened Lundqvist on Steve Downie’s 60-footer from the left point that opened the scoring just 1:24 into the match. Yet, he wore the Broadway Hat, the first Ranger to have been awarded it twice.
“He screened me, yes, but he redeemed himself,” Lundqvist said. “Big time.”