HOWLING HOME: Rangers rally past Yotes in Mullet debut to sweep road trip.

Cue the line, “Many things change, but some stay the same.”
In the case of the history in the dessert that exists between the New York Rangers and Arizona Coyotes, despite a new season and a new building,  the  Blueshirts debuted in Mullet arena akin to how they played their final contest at Gila River arena last year, rallying for a 3-2  victory in front of a crowd dominated by their blue jersey-clad fans.

Artemi Panarin celebrated his 31st birthday with a three-point night(A goal and two assists), and Mika Zibanejad ensured the team would sweep the back-back set after defeating Dallas 6-3 yesterday by scoring the go-ahead power-play goal late in the third period to put New York in front for good.

The first twenty minutes went scoreless, despite the Rangers outshooting Arizona 15-6, leading in hits 13-9, and winning battles at the dot 9-8.

However, there was frantic action on both ends of the ice, with Connor Ingram holding down the fort for Arizona against Igor Shesterkin, appearing in his first back-back in over a year as Rangers coach Gerard Gallant echoed pregame that it was a night game following a day game, meaning he hasn’t played in over 24 hours, so it wouldn’t potentially tax his body.

Fans from both teams brought the energy, but it was the visiting New York fans who infiltrated the place from puck drop and considering the den caps out at 5,000 persons, they were deafening.

The dire situation in Arizona, as they’ll be sharing a rink with Arizona state university for the next three seasons, isn’t something any Coyote prefers. CEO Xavier Gutierrez lamented as much during the game, responding to the  “Let’s go Rangers” chants that made it feel like MSG-west, with “Hey, you wouldn’t have heard that at Gila River.”

This isn’t financially sustainable for an  NHL team. Still, it’s the best they could do after being unable to pay their bills, forcing a leave following the lease’s expiration.  As they await city approval on plans for a new $2 billion, 16,000-seat arena, this is the alternate reality they’re experiencing.
At least the ice quality, as Rangers defenseman Ryan Reaves put it, was “unreal good,” so they have that going for them.

The Rangers started the second, picking up from where they left off in the first period, dictating play. Seventy seconds in, a Keandre Miller hit kept the puck in the Arizona zone, and 21 seconds later, the Blueshirts broke through with the birthday boy feeding a cutting Alexis Lafreniere for a 1-0 New York lead.

Considering Gallant had said he wanted the 20-year-old to break toward the net, it was great to see him do it here, and he got a goal for it.

However, a few minutes later,  Panarin was sent to the box for hooking.

The Arizona PA team would use the goal horn for the first time in their new digs(It didn’t ring on Friday despite the hosts scoring twice in a 3-2 OT loss to the Jets) when Lawson Crouse netted a one-timer from Dylan Guenther to tie it at one.

The raucous home contingent howled again 108 seconds later when Ryan Lindgren whiffed on a puck, and Nick Keller capitalized to give Arizona the lead with his first goal of the season.

Later in the frame, though, the man of the hour delivered for the Rangers by absorbing the strength of Coyotes defenseman Sam Gostisbehere and snuck the puck over Ingram’s shoulder for the game-tying tally; sending the teams to intermission squared at two.

With the goal, the breadman became the second player in team history to score on his 31st birthday, joining  Marián Gáborík in 2014.

As Lafreniere  quipped postgame,  “Tie game after 2, and we said in the locker room it’s a big two points for us – and we played as a team in the third.”

The Coyotes peppered Shesterkin over the first few minutes of the final stanza, but the reigning Vezina-winner was sharp and denied anything getting past him.

It seemed as if the tedious affair was destined for overtime, when Guenther was clipped for hooking Zac Jones with 7:31 left, putting the Blueshirts on the power play.

In their final trip to Gila River last December, New York trailed 2-1 before two straight Coyotes penalties led to Mika Zibanejad and Kappo Kako potting goals lifting the visitors to a 3-2 win, and with the late infraction on Sunday,  a similar fate was in store at the Mullet.

The Rangers’ man advantage applied pressure in the first but came up empty, something they wouldn’t do this time.

Panarin fed the disc to Chris Kreider down low, who deftly passed it to his best friend and linemate Zibanejad, who buried the puck top-shelf with 7:04 remaining for a 3-2 lead.

Arizona made a late push, but Shesterkin and the defenseman in front of him, most notably Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, who came up with blocked shots, silenced them to seal the victory.

UP NEXT:
Coach John Tortorella and the upstart Philadelphia Flyers(5-2-1) come to MSG on Tuesday in the first of three straight original six-matchups for the  5-3-2 Blueshirts. The Rangers will also welcome the Boston Bruins(8-1) on Thursday, and the  Detroit Red Wings(4-2-2) on Sunday before wrapping up the homestand in a revenge bout with the New York Islanders(5-4) on Election Day.