TRAGIC: Peter Laviolette declares that he is working to save the rangers and that he will accomplish so before he passes away….
The New York Rangers edged out the in overtime for 800th win in the National Hockey League. Tuesday night’s showdown between the two rivals provided all of the dramatics. From numerous lead changes to unexpected goal-scorers, this one was a roller-coaster, to say the least. As pointed out in a previous article, it was once again a slow start for New York. It was not until that favoured middle frame that the scoring got started. Back and forth they went until it was time for overtime. put the game on his stick and ripped a wrister past Flyer goaltender His 15th goal of the season ended the “game of all games” which led to a few milestones.
First of all, the Rangers became the first team this season to reach the 100-point mark. Furthermore, New York was the first organization to clinch a spot in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Finally, Peter Laviolette was the seventh coach in NHL history to reach 800 wins. The emotions were running high behind the Rangers bench, as Laviolette celebrated with his staff. An emphatic handshake with Associate Coach , followed by congrats from both and Dan Muse capped off what was a monumental night for the Franklin, MA native. Here’s a look at Laviolette’s impact throughout the 2023-24 season thus far.
If you were searching for goals, Tuesday night was your best-case scenario. In a game that was 2-1 Flyers entering the third period, eight goals would follow, including Fox’s winner in overtime. New York was aware of the scenarios at stake before the start of Tuesday’s tilt. It might not have been the prettiest of wins, but it was the perfect way for Laviolette and his team to achieve these milestones. Clinching a playoff spot or earning a landmark win does not hit the same when you crush a team 5-0. Sure, it is better for the goaltender and their stats, but you want it to be a hard-fought victory. That is what we got on Tuesday.
In an all-time coaching battle, Laviolette took on his former team and a former Blueshirt leader in John Tortorella. As a note, Tortorella sits two spots behind Laviolette on the NHL’s all-time head coaching wins list at 740. Early in the second, it was almost as if the Rangers were being outcoached by the man known as “Torts.” Whenever the Rangers defencemen would pinch, Torts left a forward at the top of the blue line. Hoping to catch a breakaway, this tactic worked twice on Philadelphia’s goals from and.
The Rangers responded each time and tried to keep leads. Even a short-handed goal from was not enough to keep a lead. Whatever the Rangers did, Philly had the perfect response. The way the third period played out, it was destined for overtime. Fox’s overtime winner improves New York’s record to 8-1 in games decided by the extra five-minute period (before going into shootout that is).
