One goal in 17 regular-season games is not what the Rangers expected when they acquired former NHL MVP Martin St. Louis from the Lightning in March.
What they expected were the eight goals and 15 points in 24 playoffs games, including Wednesday night’s game-winner in a 2-1 victory over the Kings, which got the Rangers on the board and earned them a trip back to Los Angeles for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals on Friday . They now trail the Kings, 3-1.
With the Rangers nursing a 1-0 lead late in the second period, Ryan McDonagh threw an outlet pass to St. Louis. He fed it to Derek Stepan, whose shot on goal was redirected on net. St. Louis roofed it over a sprawling Jonathan Quick for a 2-0 lead.
“It’s about finding ways to win, and tonight we did that,” St. Louis said. “We keep the series alive and we’ll travel to L.A. for Game 5 and bring it back here. That is our goal.”
The goal was St. Louis’ 11th career game-winning goal in the playoffs, which tied him with two others for fifth among active players.
Never one to talk about himself, St. Louis deferred to his teammates’ effort instead of discussing his series-saving goal.
“Hank [Lundqvist] played tremendous tonight,” he said. “Sometimes he lets in more than one [goal], but he is human.”
St. Louis also gave the Rangers a two-goal lead in Game 2, but the team did not hold on to it. Wednesday night was a different story.
“We didn’t play a perfect game … but we found a way. We played hard and got rewarded with our first win,” he said. “We’ve been waiting a few game for that.”
St Louis, who had the goal and three shots in 16:48 of ice time, has come up clutch this postseason, with five goals in his past 10 games.
“We keep trying to stay alive,” St. Louis said. “We had a little puck luck tonight, and you take those.”