Alexis Lafreniere scored twice in the first period and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Dylan Garand made 25 saves for New York, which improved to 6-2-0 and moved to second in the Metropolitan Division.
Lafreniere opened the scoring 1:02 into the game on a wrist shot assisted by Kartye and Adam Fox, then struck again at 12:47 of the first period off feeds from Kartye and J.T. Miller. Zemgus Girgensons answered for Tampa Bay late in the first, but the Rangers pulled away with a Will Cuylle tip-in in the second period and a Mika Zibanejad wrist shot with 17:16 left in the third. The Lightning fell to 4-2-0 and have now lost both meetings with New York this season, with the Rangers leading the season series 2-0.
Key Moments And How New York Won
New York controlled the pace from the opening shift. Lafreniere’s first goal came less than a minute and a half into the game, and his second extended the lead to 2-0 before the first period reached its midpoint. Girgensons cut the deficit to one goal at 17:26 of the first on a feed from Pontus Holmberg and Victor Hedman, but Tampa Bay could not find an equalizer.
Cuylle’s tip-in at 18:26 of the second period, set up by Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson, restored New York’s two-goal cushion. Zibanejad closed out the scoring unassisted at 17:16 of the third.
Top Performers
Lafreniere led all skaters with two goals. Kartye had two assists. Garand stopped 25 of 26 shots for a .962 save percentage.
For Tampa Bay, Girgensons scored the only goal. Holmberg and Hedman each had an assist. Vasilevskiy made 19 saves on 22 shots. points leader for the night.
Kartye recorded two assists to go with his goal-scoring help on both Lafreniere tallies. Garand turned aside 25 of 26 shots for a .962 save percentage in net for New York.
For Tampa Bay, Girgensons had the lone goal while Holmberg and Hedman each picked up an assist. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 22 shots. Jake Guentzel led Tampa Bay forwards in ice time at 18:44 but was held off the scoresheet.
What It Means
The win pushed New York to 12 points in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind division-leading Carolina. Tampa Bay sits at eight points, tied with Boston for second in the Atlantic Division behind Ottawa’s 10 points. The Rangers have not lost in regulation since dropping to 0-2-0 earlier in the season, while the Lightning have now been shut down twice by New York this year.
What’s Next
The Rangers won both regular-season meetings with Tampa Bay. New York plays next in division action looking to build on its 6-2-0 start. The Lightning, at 4-2-0, return to Atlantic Division play.
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