Updated 06.58 | Published 06.27
NEW YORK. It was Lucas Raymond’s show at Madison Square Garden last night.
He settled Detroit’s drama against the New York Rangers with a small masterpiece for the goal.
– I got good speed around the box and held the puck to see what opened up and in the end I was alone in front of the goal. It turned out well, says the 23-year-old from Gothenburg to Sportbladet after a 2-1 victory and a huge commotion on the ice at the end.
Lucas Raymond settled with a masterpiece
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It was largely Lucas who was behind the Red Wings’ 1-0 victory as well.
On a power play midway through the second period, he got a perfect sandwich from Patrick Kane in the right circle and whipped the puck in behind Jonathan Quick and it was initially marked as a Raymond goal – but apparently the rubber managed to touch Alex DeBrincat before it rattled into the net.
A few minutes later, when the home team had the power play, Mika Zibanejad equalized on a rebound.
Then the tied result stood for most of the game, despite the visitors having a strong game advantage and in the end the shooting statistics won with 42-19, but with less than four minutes remaining “Razor” thought that it had to be enough.
He grabbed the puck on the right wing, flew away in an arc behind the home box, came around in front of Quick, held the puck and held it and held it until the otherwise brilliant Rangers keeper was lying sputtering in the goal yard – and then the red wing from the Swedish west coast scored the decision.
– What a beautiful goal, Detroit’s famous TV commentator Ken Daniels roared so that it echoed throughout the Garden.
Lucas is happy himself too.
– Well, it was a good goal, he says when we meet him in the dressing room afterwards.
– I got good speed around the box and held the puck to see what opened up and in the end I was alone in front of the goal.
However, the 23-year-old star is most pleased with the team’s response just one day after a disgraceful mini-collapse against Buffalo at home in Motown.
– It was the nicest thing, that we showed such maturity. Yesterday we perhaps showed the opposite, he continues.
– I would say that this was a damn complete match of ours, the first in a long time.
The event ended with chaos. Quick was upset that Mason Appleton poked another puck into the Rangers box after the final whistle and suddenly all the players were in a tumult in the middle of the ice.
However, everyone calmed down fairly quickly.
• • •
Linus Karlsson knows how to celebrate a birthday.
He turned 26 on Sunday – and took the opportunity to score his second goal of the season in Vancouver’s away game against Tampa.
In doing so, he contributed to the turnaround of the night – and perhaps the Canucks’ biggest triumph of the season. They were down 2-0 at half time, but staged a powerful comeback and eventually won 6-2.
Elias Pettersson answered for two assists and Marcus Pettersson determined the final result in an empty net with just over three minutes left.
However, the giant of the ice was Quinn Hughes, just back from injury. He played up to four of the six goals.
Emil Heineman also celebrated his birthday in the same way during the night.
Just two minutes into the New York Islanders’ away game against Colorado, the newly minted 24-year-old angled in his ninth goal of the season with one skate, got it approved and sailed up to second place in the Swedish shooting league.
However, it was not enough for a fifth straight victory for the Isles. The league leaders turned around and won 4-1 – and Victor Olofsson scored the match-deciding 2-1 goal at the beginning of the second period.
Joel Eriksson’s birthday doesn’t come until January, but he still scored when Minnesota managed to beat Vegas 3-2 at home in St. Paul.
After fine preparatory work by Marcus Johansson and Mats Zuccarello barely five minutes into the match, he scored 1-0 in a practically empty box.
The match was 2-2 at full time and then Kirill Kaprizov decided when only ten seconds remained of extra time – he also on a distinguished assist from Zuccarello.
