The New York Rangers beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, snapping a four-game losing streak, and Latvian defenseman Alberts Šmits played a part in the win, 1188.lv reported. Šmits skated 13 minutes and 20 seconds, including 18 seconds shorthanded, blocked one shot, took a two-minute penalty and finished with a plus-1 rating.
The Rangers’ offense came from Adam Fox, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen, while Dylan Garand stopped 32 shots in goal. Blues goaltender Joel Hofer made 28 saves. After 16 games, the Rangers sit 10th in the Eastern Conference with 17 points; the Blues are ninth in the Western Conference with 15 points in 15 games.
Fox, Bjorkstrand and Tolvanen deliver the 3-1 Rangers win
The first period ended scoreless, 1188.lv reported. Fox opened the scoring early in the second period, and Bjorkstrand doubled the lead nine minutes into the third. With two minutes left and the Blues net empty, Tolvanen made it 3-0; Pius Suter scored St. Louis’ only goal in the final minute.
In the third period, Ēli Tolvanen scored an empty-net goal for the Rangers. Suter’s goal came 52 seconds before the final buzzer.
Šilovs stops 20 of 23 but Penguins fall 2-3 to Golden Knights
Latvian goaltender Artūrs Šilovs made 20 saves on 23 shots — an 87.0% save percentage — for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the Penguins lost 2-3 at home to the Vegas Golden Knights, extending their losing streak to three games, 1188.lv reported. Tomáš Hertl scored both of his goals on the power play, including the game-winner with 35 seconds left in regulation.
Hertl opened the scoring in the first period. In the third, Tommy Novak tied it for Pittsburgh and Rickard Rakell put the Penguins ahead 2-1, but Trevor Connelly equalized less than 90 seconds later. With 35 seconds remaining, Hertl beat Šilovs from in front on the man advantage, TVNET and LSM reported.
Sportacentrs.com put the winning goal at 32 seconds before the horn and added detail on its significance: it was Hertl’s 44th career game-winning goal, tying Martin Havlát for eighth among Czech NHL players, and Mark Stone’s assist was his 71st on a Golden Knights game-winner, passing William Karlsson’s club record. Sportacentrs also reported that Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 23 shots for the franchise’s second win in Pittsburgh all-time, that Connelly’s tying goal came 8:41 before the end on a breakaway, and that the Penguins went 0-for-6 with the man advantage while Vegas converted 2 of 4. The loss was Pittsburgh’s seventh in its last nine games, and Evgeni Malkin missed with injury while Sidney Crosby was held pointless at 1,771 career points.
The outlets disagree slightly on the clock for the decisive goal — 35 seconds per 1188.lv, LSM, TVNET and Delfi, versus 32 seconds per Sportacentrs.com. The Penguins are 15th in the Eastern Conference with 12 points in 15 games; the Golden Knights are third in the West with 22 points in 17 games.
What the standings picture means for the Latvian players
Šmits’ win moved the Rangers to 17 points in 16 games, 10th in the East, but the Blues’ loss dropped them to 15 points in 15 games, ninth in the West. Šilovs’ Penguins remain last in the East at 12 points, while the Golden Knights’ win lifted them to third in the West with 22 points. Bļugers’ Maple Leafs stayed eighth in the East with 18 points, and the Lightning’s victory kept them fourth in the East with 20 points.
Tracking Šmits' performance metrics
How much ice time did Alberts Šmits get in the Rangers’ win? He played 13 minutes and 20 seconds, including 18 seconds shorthanded, blocked one shot, drew a two-minute penalty and finished plus-1, according to 1188.lv and LSM.
Despite Šilovs’ 87.0% save percentage, the Penguins lost. Vegas scored twice on the power play, including Tomáš Hertl’s winner with roughly half a minute left, while Pittsburgh went 0-for-6 with the man advantage, Sportacentrs.com reported.
“We need to find a way to finish games with a win. Whether we’re playing five-on-six or even strength, these are important defensive moments… The main thing is that in those situations we need to be more resilient, and too often this season it hasn’t worked out,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said, according to Delfi.
Following Tuesday’s win, the Rangers look ahead to their next scheduled NHL game, while the Penguins, Maple Leafs and Lightning each look ahead to their next fixtures with Šilovs, Bļugers and Girgensons’ return to the lineup still unresolved in the reporting.
