Rangers Ride the Rollercoaster to Victory:
The Rangers’ mantra of “Win a period, win a game” was their mindset entering the third period. They killed a Jimmy Vesey penalty and got a four-minute power play when Phil Di Giuseppe high-sticked Zibanejad, making them think they had it in the bag.
Then, the worst-case scenario unfolded. Tyler Myers intercepted an Adam Fox pass to Zibanejad, scored on a 2-on-1, and gave Vancouver the lead. The Canucks then handed the Rangers a lifeline with a too-many-men penalty, creating a 5-on-3 opportunity. Fox’s redirection of a Panarin pass tied the game.
Still, on the man advantage, Fox found Zibanejad, who beat Casey DeSmith for his first goal of the season, giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 6:36 left. It was New York’s third power-play goal of the evening. Their 34.5% conversion rate ranks second in the NHL, behind the surging New Jersey Devils, at 40.5%.
The Blueshirts looked to play preventive defense, but Filip Chytil covered the puck with his glove, giving Vancouver another chance. New York’s penalty kill held firm, but the Canucks equalized at 3 when Carson Soucy’s shot through traffic found the net. It was a tally, which Igor Shesterkin couldn’t do much about.
The Rangers netminder was solid all night, but in overtime, he was his Vezina-winning self.
Andre Kuzmenko tried to pull some fancy moves, going through the legs and around Trocheck, but Shestekrin wasn’t having any of it. He pulled off not one but two incredible saves to keep it tied. And it didn’t stop there; he shut down Kuzmenko’s breakaway with his glove for his 30th save and sixth of the period.
Moments later, Shestekrin’s efforts would be rewarded. Chris Kreider may have gotten away with a little trip on Elias Pettersson, but he snatched the puck and blazed into the offensive zone. He stopped on a dime and dished it over to K’Andre Miller. The kid finished the job, and New York skated away 4-0 on the road trip. The win wasn’t pretty, but they all count the same, right?
Now, the Rangers go to Winnipeg with a chance to sweep the five-game bender against the Jets on Monday.