The New York Rangers’ three-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, as the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their own impressive run with a convincing 4-1 victory. Brandon Hagel led the charge for Tampa Bay with two goals, while Nikita Kucherov dished out three assists in a dominant performance that highlighted the Lightning’s depth and resilience. The loss drops the Rangers to 12-12-2 on the season, while Tampa Bay improves to 16-7-2, winners of seven straight.
The game was marred for New York by an upper-body injury to star defenseman Adam Fox, who left in the third period after a hard hit from Hagel and a sandwiching collision into the end boards. Fox, who had an assist before departing, is being evaluated, adding uncertainty to an already inconsistent Rangers blue line. Will Borgen, returning from his own upper-body injury after missing five games, logged a game-high six hits in nearly 20 minutes of ice time but couldn’t spark a comeback.
From the opening faceoff, the Lightning controlled the pace, outshooting the Rangers 10-1 in the first period and building a 19-2 edge in shot attempts. Hagel opened the scoring at 10:53, deflecting a shot off Carson Soucy’s skate to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead. The Rangers struggled to generate offense, managing just 13 shots on goal for the entire game—their season low.
Hagel struck again in the second period at 8:57, capitalizing on a stretch pass from Kucherov for a breakaway. Though initially stopped by Igor Shesterkin, Hagel recovered the rebound and lifted it over the goalie’s pad to make it 2-0. The Rangers finally responded late in the frame when J.T. Miller redirected a pass from Fox off his skate at 17:31, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and providing a glimmer of hope heading into the third.
New York killed off an early power play in the final period, but the Lightning quickly regained momentum. Just 21 seconds after the penalty expired, Nick Paul redirected a Kucherov pass from below the goal line at 2:02 to push the lead to 3-1. With the Rangers pulling Shesterkin late, Jake Guentzel sealed the win with an empty-netter at 19:42.
Shesterkin finished with 31 saves in a valiant effort, but the Rangers’ lack of urgency was evident. “We did it to ourselves,” Miller said post-game. “There was no urgency today. We dipped our toe into the game and got outplayed basically the whole time. It’s unacceptable.” Head coach Mike Sullivan echoed the sentiment: “We got outcompeted from the drop of the puck. I just feel we lost puck battles all over the rink.”
For the Lightning, playing without key players like Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak, and Ryan McDonagh due to injuries, the win showcased their team identity. Hagel extended his goal streak to five games, with eight goals in that span and 12 in November—tied for the league lead. Kucherov, on a nine-game point streak, continues to orchestrate the offense. “I just feel like we found our team identity and we’re building on it,” Paul noted. “We found what it takes to win and we’re just buying in every single game.”
The Rangers now look to regroup before their next matchup, hoping for positive news on Fox’s status. This defeat serves as a stark reminder that consistency will be key if New York hopes to climb back into playoff contention in the Metropolitan Division.
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