It devolved into an ugly mess, frustration boiling over and being met with a stern fist.
The Rangers have shown more than just structure and skill during this impressive two-game homestand; they have depth along with an iron backbone. They took it to the Senators for another full 60 minutes, winning Game 4 of this second-round series with a second straight 4-1 victory on Thursday night at the Garden. It knotted the best-of-seven contest at two games apiece as the scene shifts back to Ottawa for Game 5 on Saturday afternoon.
“They lose their cool a little bit, that’s fine,” defenseman Marc Staal said after the Senators took a total of 46 penalty minutes, most of it as they were going through a mental breakdown and just throwing punches over the final three minutes of regulation after the Rangers had dominated all night.
“We can handle ourselves pretty well,” Staal said.
The exclamation of the night was watching as resident tough-guy Tanner Glass skated off to the locker room with just 26 seconds remaining, clapping his hands after he had just used them to pummel Kyle Turris in the corner. The skilled Ottawa center had thrown the first punch out of frustration.
“Mess with the bull,” Glass said, “you get the horns.”
Yet Glass was more than just a pugilist, recording two assists to now give him four points in five postseason games. He earned both helpers on the two goals scored by linemate Oscar Lindberg, showing the versatility and depth the Rangers can bring when they are playing their best.
“Look at these assists — they’re not exactly playmaking assists,” Glass said.
The first came when he blocked a shot at his defensive blue line to start a two-on-none breakaway that went from Michael Grabner to Lindberg and was finished at 2:01 of the second period to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The second came when Glass went in on a one-man forecheck and retrieved the puck, eventually cycling around to Lindberg for a long shot that beat goalie Craig Anderson high and gave the Blueshirts a 3-0 lead going into the third period.
“They are just kind of the gritty, grinding game I bring,” Glass said. “Sometimes it ends up in the back of the net.”
Heck, even depth defenseman Nick Holden was able to open the scoring as he walked in on the seemingly off-kilter Anderson late in the first period to flip a forehand up and in for a 1-0 lead.
“I think the last couple games here, it’s not a one-man show,” said goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who was hardly tested in seeing 23 shots, the only blemish being a seeing-eye shot from Turris at 13:34 of the third that cut the Rangers lead to 4-1 after a power-play goal from Chris Kreider.
“When you have good structure and you pay attention to all the little things and do that right and then let the skill take over — I think we have a pretty good team.”
That has surely been proven the case, as that vaunted Senators trap has seemingly gone by the wayside, with the Rangers finding ways over the past two games to sprint up the ice every couple minutes.
They chased Anderson after he allowed three goals on 20 shots over the first two periods, replaced by backup Mike Condon. And Erik Karlsson also didn’t come out for the third, Ottawa coach Guy Boucher saying he wanted to rest his captain, already dealing with two hairline fractures in his left heel.
But he is supposed to be able to play Game 5, and the Rangers are surely going to prepare for an opponent much more like the one that won Games 1 and 2 up in Canada’s capital with patience and a bit of luck.
The Blueshirts answered the bell at home, and they certainly have control. But the best-of-three that awaits is hardly determined just because of these performances.
“It’s 2-2,” Lundqvist said. “That’s all it is. I feel good about what we did here at home and now we prepare for I think the toughest game yet, Game 5.”