IGOR SHESTERKIN

Toronto’s Auston Matthews won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, beating out Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers to win the award for the first time.

Steven Stamkos scored two goals and the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year after beating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final.

Steven Stamkos scored two goals and the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year after beating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final.

Mikhail Sergachev scored his second goal of the game with 1:50 remaining to break a tie and lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night for a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference final.

The Tampa Bay Lightning regained credibility in last night’s game, defeating the New York Rangers 4-1 in Game 4. AdvertisementNikita Kucherov picked up the pace in the second period. Stamkos’ goal advanced the Lightning to 3-0. AYE AYE CAPTAIN 🫡 pic.twitter.com/8nCWJo9SnM — Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 8, 2022To put icing on the cake, Palat scored the last goal for the Lightning with nine seconds left on an empty Rangers net. The Rangers will now take on the Lightning for Game 5 in New York City this Thursday.

Nikita Kucherov scored on a breakaway and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 33 saves , helping the Tampa Bay Lightning shut down the New York Rangers 4-1 and even the NHL’s Eastern Conference final at two games apiece.

Game 4 is Tuesday night, with New York still in a position to move within one victory of its first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 2014. The Lightning swept the Florida Panthers, who had the NHL’s best record during the regular season, before running into problems against the Rangers. NOTES: Lightning Brayden Point missed his sixth consecutive game with a lower body injury. He hasn’t played since leaving the lineup during Tampa Bay’s Game 7 victory over Toronto in the first round. The Rangers lost to the Lightning for the first time this season.

Ondrej Palat scored with 42 seconds left and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Sunday to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to 2-1.

Lightning Rangers Hockey New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) makes a save in the second period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Friday, June 3, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)TAMPA, Fla. — (AP) — There’s no panic in the Tampa Bay Lightning. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions are down 2-0 to the New York Rangers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal but remain confident they have what it takes to climb back into the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Sunday at Amalie Arena after the Rangers dominated the first two games at home. The Rangers are two wins away from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, but don’t want to get head of themselves.

There’s no panic in the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mika Zibanejad scored in the third period, Igor Shesterkin stopped 29 shots and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Filip Chytil scored twice in the second period and the New York Rangers routed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos knows the attention going into the series will be on the men in goal. PAST HISTORYThe Rangers won all three meetings in the regular season, with the last coming more than two months ago. This is the team's first postseason matchup since the 2015 conference finals, won by the Lightning in seven games. “Our core is quite a bit the same, their team has changed over quite a bit, different coach," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “We’re as hungry and desperate and willing to do whatever it takes at this point to try and keep this journey going,” Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh said.

Andrei Vasilevskiy has won a Vezina Trophy and two Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Chris Kreider scored twice and the New York Rangers ended Carolina’s perfect postseason run at home by beating the Hurricanes 6-2 in the decisive Game 7 of their second-round playoff series.

A little more than a mile from the United Nations, where Russia’s war in Ukraine is front and center, the crowd at Madison Square Garden chanted goaltender Igor Shesterkin’s name in the final moments of a playoff victory. The National Hockey League postseason has inadvertently become an intersection of sports and politics, with Russians starring on North American ice against the backdrop of the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II. While their countrymen in sports from soccer to tennis have been banned from competitions, Russians in the NHL have played on while keeping a low profile away from the rink.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots and became the fifth goalie to have two assists in a playoff game, Filip Chytil scored twice in the second period and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 to force a deciding Game 7 in their second-round series.

Vincent Trocheck buried a short-handed goal, Teuvo Teravainen had a rare power-play score for Carolina and the Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round playoff series.

Andrew Copp had a goal and two assists, and Frank Vatrano and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in Game 4 to even their second-round series.

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots, and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.

Rangers Hurricanes Hockey Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brendan Smith (7) puts the puck past New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) for a goal during the second period during Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series Friday, May 20, 2022, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) (Chris Seward)RALEIGH, N.C. — (AP) — Brendan Smith scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period while Antti Raanta finished with 21 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-0 on Friday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series. Carolina improved to 6-0 at home in the playoffs and has a 2-0 lead for the second straight round. And the Rangers will try to mount another series comeback after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Pittsburgh in a seven-game first-round series. Shesterkin finished with 20 saves to lead the Rangers on a night with few offensive highlights. Most notably, Teravainen moved up to the top line to play alongside Aho and rookie Seth Jarvis, while Andrei Svechnikov moved to the second line.

Brendan Smith scored a short-handed goal late in the second period while Antti Raanta finished with 21 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-0, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.

Ian Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-1 to take Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are at a crossroads following a fourth straight quick playoff exit.

Artemi Panarin scored a power-play goal 4:46 into overtime and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Chris Kreider’s long slap shot bounced over Louis Domingue and into the net with 1:28 left and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 to push their thrilling first-round series to a deciding Game 7.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may have to try and close out the New York Rangers without captain Sidney Crosby.

Filip Chytil scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the New York Rangers staved off elimination with a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

Alexis Lafreniere picked up his first career postseason goal for the Rangers to give New York an early lead, but it didn't come close to holding. While Shesterkin has struggled, Pittsburgh third-stringer Louis Domingue is nearing local cult hero status while filling in for injured All-Star Tristan Jarry. And not in the way most imagined after the Rangers took three of four from Pittsburgh during the regular season. Crosby pulled Pittsburgh even 11:17 into the first with his first power-play playoff goal since 2018, jamming the puck under Shesterkin's left pad and over the goal line. Defenseman Mark Friedman, he of the 41 career NHL games, scored his first career playoff goal 11:22 into the second.

Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to become the sixth player in NHL history to reach 200 career playoff points and the Pittsburgh Penguins throttled the New York Rangers 7-2 to take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The pressure is squarely on the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers and Calgary Flames down two games to one in their respective first-round series.

Danton Heinen’s first playoff goal in three years just past the midway point of the third period helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 7-4 victory over the New York Rangers.

Artemi Panarin and Frank Vatrano each had a goal and two assists and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in Game 2 on Thursday night to even the best-of-seven first-round series.

The Pittsburgh Penguins went into the playoffs knowing they’d be without starting goalie Tristan Jarry for at least the first couple of games.

Evgeni Malkin scored on a deflection 5:58 into the third overtime, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their first-round series.

The eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference have been set since before the All-Star break.

The first-round matchups are set for the NHL playoffs that begin Monday.

Ryan Strome scored twice, Adam Fox added a goal and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves as the New York Rangers recorded a third-straight shutout and their 50th win of the season, 3-0 over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Eric Comrie made 31 saves for the Jets, who were officially eliminated post-season contention with the loss. After a scoreless first period, Strome broke through on the power play against Comrie at 15:57 of the second.

Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal scored third-period goals and Frederik Andersen made 28 saves as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 in a showdown for first place in the Metropolitan Division.

(AP Photo/Rich Schultz) (Rich Schultz)NEW YORK — (AP) — Mika Zibanejad had his eighth career hat trick, Igor Shesterkin stopped 38 shots for his second shutout of the season and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 Sunday. The Rangers beat the Lightning for the second time in three days after a 4-2 shootout victory at Tampa, Florida, on Friday night. Zibanejad, who had the only goal of the shootout Friday, completed his hat trick late in the second period to put the Rangers up 4-0. Nearly five minutes later, the Rangers were on a 4-on-3 power play when Zibanejad got his second of the night. STATUSSergachev went to the Lightning locker room just past midway through the second period with an apparent lower back/side injury.

Mika Zibanejad had his eighth career hat trick, Igor Shesterkin stopped 38 shots for his second shutout of the season and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0.

A handful of NHL players are voicing frustration over the decision not to allow them to go to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Logan O’Connor scored twice in a 22-second span in a five-goal second period, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Rangers 7-3, ending New York’s seven-game winning streak.

Artemi Panarin scored the first of New York’s three third-period goals with 8:25 left and the Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 to give coach Gerard Gallant the best start in his first 20 games as coach.

The Rangers secured their goaltending future by agreeing to re-sign Shesterkin to a four-year contract on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) (Elise Amendola)The New York Rangers locked up their goaltender of the future Monday by agreeing to re-sign Igor Shesterkin to a four-year $22.6 million contract. The Rangers announced the signing while a person with direct knowledge of the contract revealed its value to The Associated Press. Shesterkin will make $3 million this season, followed by $6 million the following year, $7 million in 2023-24 and $6.6 million in the final season of the deal. Hart will have competition for the starting job this season after the Flyers signed former San Jose Sharks starter Martin Jones in free agency last month.

The Rangers secured their goaltending future by agreeing to re-sign Shesterkin to a four-year contract on Monday, Aug. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) (Elise Amendola)The New York Rangers locked up their goaltender of the future Monday by agreeing to re-sign Igor Shesterkin to a four-year contract. The 25-year-old Shesterkin was a restricted free agent who went 16-14-3 last season in taking over the starting duties following Henrik Lundqvist's departure. From Moscow, Shesterkin was selected by New York in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. Hart will have competition for the starting job this season after the Flyers signed former San Jose Sharks starter Martin Jones in free agency last month.

The New York Rangers locked up their goaltending by agreeing to sign Igor Shesterkin to a four-year $22.6 million contract.

Gerard Gallant expects the New York Rangers to take a big step in his first season as coach.

The New York Rangers say president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton are out.

Pavel Buchnevich celebrated his birthday with his first career hat trick and the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 6-3 on Saturday for their third win over their Hudson River rivals in five days.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates his first goal of an NHL hockey game during the third period against New York Rangers defensemen Ryan Lindgren (55) and Adam Fox (23), Friday, March 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the final seven minutes to continue his goal streak and rally the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers on Friday night for their seventh win in a row. Ovechkin tied it on a rebound with 6:42 left and put the Capitals ahead on a nearly identical play with 3:33 remaining. He has scored in five consecutive games and has seven goals in the past seven. I can’t be missing seven games.

New York Rangers' Chris Kreider celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Saturday, March 13, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)BOSTON – Chris Kreider scored his team-leading 14th goal, Artemi Panarin had an assist in his first game back since leaving the team, and the New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 4-0 Saturday to halt a three-game losing streak. Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich and K’Andre Miller each had a goal for New York, which lost 4-0 in Boston on Thursday. The Rangers called the story about Panarin fabricated and designed to intimidate him for his political views against Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also robbed Kreider’s two close chances on a Rangers power play midway into the second.

New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenire (13) scores a goal past Washington Capitals goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Washington. Also seen are Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) and Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93). Lafrenière scored his second NHL goal, Panarin had two assists and the Rangers made the best of a new-look lineup, beating the Washington Capitals 4-1 Saturday for their second consecutive victory. Panarin set up Lafrenière on the doorstep late in the second period, and his shot provided the rebound for Chris Kreider's power-play goal in the first. Zibanejad's goal was just his second since last season after scoring 41 in 57 games in 2019-20.

Lundqvist signed with the Capitals when free agency opened Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)Nets around the NHL will look very different next season after a flurry of musical goaltenders in free agency. "You saw the goalie carousel take place," said San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson, who traded for goalie Devan Dubnyk this week. 1 goalies.”After trading Dubnyk to San Jose, the Minnesota Wild signed former Flames goalie Cam Talbot to an $11 million, three-year deal. After losing series to them in 2009 and 2011, Lundqvist eliminated the Capitals three times: 2012, 2013 and 2015.

FILE - In this Feb. 11, 2017, file photo, New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist celebrates his 400th career win, after an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche, in New York. The New York Rangers have bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. The New York Rangers bought out the contract of star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday, parting ways with one of their greatest players in franchise history after 15 mostly spectacular seasons. “We would like to thank Henrik for his immeasurable contributions to the New York Rangers,” Rangers President John Davidson said. His Henrik Lundqvist Foundation strives to create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.