Braden Schneider shocks Minnesota in OT as Rangers steal vital win

That sound NHL fans heard was Blueshirt fans in Manhattan exhaling.

The New York Rangers entered Minnesota, knowing this was a must-win game. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin stood tall, despite the power play and special teams going powerless, and Johnny Brodzinski scored in front of his friends and family. Ultimately, defenseman Braden Schneider played hero in overtime, capping off a gutsy 3-2 win on Thursday night with filthy hands, zapping the energy from the Xcel Energy Center crowd. 

It wasn't pretty, and they still struggled to read plays off the rush throughout the contest despite the hosts missing stars Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin. Still, the Rangers needed these two points in the state of hockey, and they found a way. It's onto Columbus for a massive Saturday showdown in the Wild Card race against the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.

Here's four key takeaways from the matchup.

1. Playoff Race Tightens

The Blue Jackets were blanked at home by the Vegas Golden Knights 4-0 on a 27-save shutout by Adin Hill. The Montreal Canadiens dropped a 5-4 road overtime decision on Wednesday to the Seattle Kraken, where Brandon Montour scored the quickest extra-time tally in NHL history at 0:04. The Senators won their 5th straight, doubling up the Bruins 6-3 in front of a raucous home crowd and pushing to 75 points on the season. Ottawa is now 11-0-1 this season when Long-Isand native Shane Pinto scores, with the 24-year-old ensuring the stretch lived with another goal he scored on Thursday. The Senators' goaltender Linus Ullmark also made what some consider to be the save of the year against Boston in the same matchup where Pinto scored.

The Rangers had a chance to pull even with Columbus at 70 points with 16 games left before their encounter at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

2. Scoreless in High-Energy First Period

The Rangers came out hard, and Will Cuylle nearly opened the scoring with a strong drive to the net, but Gustavsson stopped. Shesterkin had some early chaos to deal with after a Mats Zuccarello shot. The Chris Kreider-Sam Carrick-Brett Berard line had a heavyshift, keeping the pressure in the Wild zone, but didn't finish. J.T. Miller snatched a puck behind the net and tried to stuff it in, yet Filip Gustavsson stood tall again. The Blueshirts received their first power play of the night after the Wild took a delay-of-game penalty. The puck movement looked solid, and Miller had a great look at the side of the net, only to be stoned by Gustavsson. Zac Jones got called for holding the stick, sending the Wild to the man advantage, but the Rangers' PK held firm. The period ended scoreless, with both teams trading chances in what was shaping up to be a contest reminiscent of pond hockey.

3. Will Cuylle's Impact and Special Teams Struggles

Cuylle continued making his presence felt in the second period even after head coach Peter Laviolette put the right winger on the left with Miller and Mika Zibanejad, while the slumping Alexis Lafreniere went to the right of Panarin and Trocheck. Both lines faired well, yet Cuylle stood out. He was winning board battles, creating space, and doing the dirty work the Rangers need more if they reach the postseason. Overall, Cuylle's effort paid off when he found Vincent Trocheck for the opening tally, snapping an 11-game goalless drought for Trocheck.

The Wild responded with a 3-on-2 rush, but Shesterkin pulled highway robbery, flying across the crease to rob trade acquisition Justin Brazeau and keep the Rangers ahead. The power play struggles continued, as the visitors failed to convert three times against the Wild's 31st-ranked penalty kill.

That miss came back to bite them when Matt Rempe was called for interference, in yet another questionable call, and Minnesota took advantage. Marcus Johansson took a drop pass from Gustav Nyquist, entered the zone, and ripped a short-side shot past Shesterkin to tie the game at one. Schneider provided the perfect screen for Johansson's snapper.

4. Jonny Brodzinski Puts Rangers Back on Top

Early in the third, Jonny Brodzinski gave the Rangers the lead again, scoring in front of 60+ friends and family. Zac Jones carried the puck up off a bump pass from Rempe, dropped one for Brodzinski in stride, and the hometown kid used the defenseman as a screen before firing one past Gustavsson to make it 2-1. Laviolette has stuck with Brodzinski over Juuso Pärssinen despite President and GM Chris Drury acquiring the latter from the Colorado Avalanche, and it's for good reason. Brodzinki has dramatically influenced the Rangers' young guys, who play a role in the decision. 

The 31-year-old and former AHL-affiliated Hartford Wolf Pack captain has been in the lineup for all 10 games since the Four Nations Face-Off vacation, often centering a rookie duo of Brennan Othmann and Rempe. His experience allows those youngsters to endure the growing pains while keeping the fourth line relevant. 

The Blueshirts were in control until Jones took a high-sticking double-minor, setting up four minutes of penalty-kill stress. They almost survived, but with 11:18 left, Freddy Gaudreau worked his way into the slot and finished a slick forehand backhand forehand move to square the score. The Wild fans erupted, and the momentum shifted. The Rangers killed off the remainder of the penalty, but special teams had already swung the tilt. Minnesota went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Rangers' unit was lifeless at 0-for-3.

Schneider stepped up as the blueliner delivered the first bonus-time winner of his career, showing great patience before finishing the play with a backhand beauty. Panarin's assist extended his point streak to seven games, with ten in that span. All three goals went high on Gustavsson's glove side.

"We've been battling it here lately, and it's good to get rewarded for what I thought was a pretty good game," said Schneider. "There are still things we can be a bit better at, for sure, but I thought we played hard for 60 minutes."

Shesterkin finished the night with 28 saves and a +1.04 goals saved above expected, proving his $11.5 million self when the Rangers needed him. It was a massive two points in the playoff race for the Blueshirts, and now it's on to Columbus for a gut-check on Saturday.