The sweep of the NHL from Monday starts in New York where the Rangers needed to shake off an embarrassing performance in San Jose over the weekend.
Monday they hosted the Florida Panthers, the leaders of the Atlantic Division.
After yielding 52 shots to the Sharks, they shut down the Panthers in a 4-2 win.
“It was great to see the way we responded as a group after last game,” Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. “It also shows how much focus to details, determination, how much it can change the look out there. Going from last game to this game, it’s like two different teams.”
Henrik Lundqvist was not nearly as busy Monday in win over Panthers – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
A Rick Nash sighting was confirmed in the game as he scored for the first time in 2016.
Viktor Stalberg, Mats Zuccarello and Tanner Glass also scored for New York.
“We all felt more like ourselves there,” Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. “I thought we were back defending the way we want to and keeping a lot of their skilled and rush plays to a minimum. All around, a lot of guys contributing throughout our lineup.”
A players-only meeting was held after the debacle in San Jose.
“We talk about working smart, and that’s something that going forward is a big key for our group,” New York center Derek Stepan said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a question of work ethic in here; I think it’s at times working the right way, working the smart way. Those are big things in playoff hockey, and in these last [nine] games.”
Vincent Trocheck and Jiri Hudler  scored for the Panthers in the third period to push the Rangers and raised the anxiety level yet again.
“It was a bad night,” Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. “You can’t show up and play 15 minutes. That’s all we played tonight. The Rangers dominated the first two periods, and there’s no excuse for that.”
In Brooklyn, the visiting Philadelphia Flyers continued their push to the playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Islanders.
Nick Cousins got the scoring going for the Flyers and Brandon Manning scored what would become the game-winner, his first NHL goal.
“We’re chasing these guys now. It was a big game, probably the biggest game of the season so far,” Cousins said. “We have to move on to tomorrow (against the Columbus Blue Jackets) and bring the same effort. …This was a big test for us, a big challenge. …We stayed composed [and] played our game for a full 60 minutes.”
The Flyers are one point back of the Isles.
Steve Mason made 23 saves in the win.
Steve Mason made 23 saves in win over Isles – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“I’ve said all along, it’s not the last couple of weeks, our team has played well over the last 30 games,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “The guys are playing hard and they’re playing together. We’ve known all along that we’ve got a tough battle to get above the line in the playoff race. The guys are having fun and they’re working hard right now. There’s a goal in mind, but I think every day it’s more critical to focus on the task at hand, to show up, to play hard, and have fun while you’re doing it.”
Kyle Okposo scored the lone Islanders goal.
“Right now, we are just pretty inconsistent,” Okposo said. “We lost in the first round [of the playoffs] last year. We want to go deep. We have to dig ourselves out of it and find a way to play better in March and April because we want to play in May and June. Right now, it’s just not happening.”
Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux also scored for the Philadelphia.
“We have to find a way to score; we are getting chances,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. “We have to make sure at some point we light the lamp here.”
The Islanders have lost four straight.
“It’s not like we’re not trying,” said Islanders captain John Tavares, who played his 500th NHL game. “We just have to execute better and we just got to play with a little more confidence and believe in our game and the way we have to play. There can’t be any panic, obviously we need some urgency and we need to get some points. It’s crucial in the final stretch.”
In Toronto, the Maple Leafs defeated the Calgary Flames, 5-2.
First Star, William Nylander, had a goal and three points in the win for the Leafs.
“I think our line played really well,” Nyalnder said. “(Zach) Hyman was strong on the forecheck chasing down pucks and was strong in front of the net. PA (Parenteau) also made some great plays as well.”
Jonathan Bernier picked up Leafs win over Flames – file photo by Brent Clark
Jonathan Bernier got the win for the Leafs.
Mark Giordano and Matt Stajan scored for the Flames.
“I felt that we didn’t have the same intensity and jump as we had last night,” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “We knew it would be a fast-paced game, and they got timely goals. At the end, they were better than us. It was one of those games where, as a team, we were not at our best.”
Colin Greening and Josh Leivo sealed the win for Toronto with empty-net goals.
PA Parenteau and Zach Hyman also scored for the Leafs.
Jonas Hiller took the loss for the Flames.
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