After the events of the last 48 hours, the New York Rangers were in desperate need of a win. They got that win Monday night, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1. The Rangers managed to hold on to a late third period lead and sealed the victory with an Artemi Panarin buzzer beating empty net goal.
The game started in the shadow of the announcement by General Manager Jeff Gorton that Tony DeAngelo has played his last game as a New York Ranger. The game itself did little to distract from those events as the Rangers mounted little offense while falling behind midway through the first period. Kevin Rooney would instill some life with a crease battle goal late in the second to tie the game.
The Rangers finally showed signs of what the team is capable of, dominating most of the third period. They took a lead with nine minutes remaining on a Chris Kreider power play goal and held on to lead. Things got a bit hectic towards the end with the Penguins goalie pulled, but on this night, the Rangers were up to the task.
Igor Shesterkin had a solid game, recovering from an early gaffe that cost a goal and made some key saves late in the game. Though, the true heroes for the night were the Rangers penalty killers. The Rangers took six penalties during the game, but outlasted the Penguins power play. The Rangers now find themselves 2-0-1 in their last three and now have something to build on.