Recap: Rangers Score Five Straight to Beat Vancouver 5-1 as Gawdin Nets Twice

A two-game slate and the bigger result was settled early. The Rangers fell behind 1-0 at Vancouver, scored five unanswered goals and won 5-1, with Glenn Gawdin scoring twice in 7:59 of ice time.

The other one went five periods. Ryan O’Reilly scored twice, Roman Josi set up the tie and then ended it, and Nashville took a 3-2 shootout at Vegas behind Juuse Saros’ 40 saves on 42 shots.

Takeaways

Five numbers from Friday’s two finals.

• New York scored the last five goals after Elias Pettersson put Vancouver up 1-0 at 12:13 of the first, with four goals in a 7:49 second-period stretch.
• Glenn Gawdin finished with two goals and a plus-two in 7:59 played. Gabe Perreault, Alexis Lafreniere and J.T. Miller each had two points.
• Ryan O’Reilly’s two-goal night pushed him to nine goals on the season.
• Roman Josi assisted on the tie with 10:16 left in the third, then scored the shootout winner for two points.
• Vegas outshot Nashville 42-32 and led 2-1 in the second before ceding the closing stretch and the shootout.

Games of the night

How each final was decided.

Vancouver drew first blood when Elias Pettersson beat D. Garand at 12:13 of the first. Gabe Perreault answered at 18:47, and the second period then went to New York in pieces.

Oliver Bjorkstrand’s power-play goal at 8:21 put the Rangers ahead for good. Gawdin made it 3-1 unassisted at 13:00, Alexis Lafreniere added a fourth at 15:14 and Gawdin scored his second at 16:10.

D. Garand stopped 27 of 28 at the other end, and Leevi Merilainen signed the sheet on 26 saves from 31 shots in a 60-minute shift.

Ryan O’Reilly opened the scoring in Las Vegas at 7:56 of the first, helped by Steven Stamkos and M. Bourque. Victor Olofsson answered 196 seconds later, and Rasmus Andersson gave Vegas a 2-1 lead late in the second.

O’Reilly knotted it 2-2 at 9:44 of the third off a Roman Josi feed, overtime produced nothing, and Josi buried the shootout attempt that closed it out. Saros finished with 40 saves, Adin Hill with 29.

Full slate

Every Friday final in start-time order, with the top performer by the numbers.

Final	Top performer (by the numbers)
NYR 5 at VAN 1	Glenn Gawdin, 2G 2pts
NSH 3 at VGK 2 (SO)	Ryan O’Reilly, 2G

Pro Hockey Stats models the NHL in public. Every pick is graded on the Ledger, no deletions.