The Panthers have given the Rangers fits this season, and Monday night was no exception. Florida scored twice early in the game through Andrei Lomakin and Jody Hull, and forced the Rangers to play catch-up the rest of the way in a 2-1 victory at Miami Arena. And as he has most of the season, goalie John Vanbiesbrouck lived up to his star billing.
Holding a 2-1 lead, Vanbiesbrouck stuffed Alexei Kovalyev in the crease at the start of the third period, then stopped Sergei Nemchinov on two shots with 2:45 remaining and the expansion Panthers (29-29-10) held on from there.
Florida's win pulled it within one point of the idle Philadelphia Flyers for the eighth and last Eastern Conference playoff spot with two games in hand. The Panthers' victory also ties their season series with the league-leading Rangers at two games apiece with one to go on April 4 at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers (43-21-6) finished their four-game road trip with only three out of eight points, losing their last two games. They are at home for the Hartford Whalers and the Chicago Blackhawks (Wednesday and Friday) before beginning a five-game road trip March 22 against the Calgary Flames.
The Panthers ended a five-game losing streak at Miami Arena while improving to 3-1-0 in their past four games.
Canadiens 5, Bruins 3. The Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens stormed back from a 3-0 deficit with five unanswered goals Monday to beat the Bruins 5-4 and move into a first-place tie with Boston in the Northeast Division.
Montreal scored four times in the third period to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games.
John LeClair had two goals and Benoit Brunet added a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who trailed 3-0 midway through the second period before unleashing a furious rally.
Brunet's goal at 15:23 of the third gave the Canadiens their first lead. Vincent Damphousse scored 22 seconds later to put Montreal ahead 5-3.LeClair started the comeback when he scored at 16:57 of the second. Kirk Muller scored at 47 seconds of the third to pull Montreal within one, and LeClair tied the game at 11:02 of the third.
Nordiques 5, Blackhawks 1. In Quebec, Scott Young scored one of three powerplay goals for the Nordiques and added two assists as Quebec skated to a 5-1 thrashing of the Chicago Blackhawks. (Newsday, Reuters)
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.