Rangers rally, stun Stars 3-2 in OT for biggest win of season: takeaways
Three nights after one of their most dismal efforts of the season, the New York Rangers pulled a 180-degree U-turn Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Playing with a serious compete level against one of the best teams in the NHL, the Rangers rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
Vladislav Gavrikov buried the rebound of Artemi Panarin’s shot at 1:09 of OT for the game-winner. That came after Will Cuylle tied the score at 17:47 of the third period, also on a rebound, with Igor Shesterkin on the bench for a sixth attacker.
It was the biggest win of the season for the Rangers (14-12-2), especially playing without injured star defenseman Adam Fox and coming off a non-competitive 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. It also came against a Stars team that entered on a four-game-winning streak and was 10-1-1 since Nov. 8.
“We showed how we can play. Raise the bar. Got to keep the standard like that and play like that every night,” Gavrikov stated postgame.
New York outshot Dallas 41-25 and had the only two shots in overtime. Despite outshooting the Stars (17-5-5) by a whopping 18-3 margin in the third period, the Rangers trailed 2-1 after Mikko Rantanen finished a 2-on-1 feed from Wyatt Johnston for his 11th goal after a J.T. Miller turnover at 9:32. It was Dallas’ first shot of the period.
But Cuylle saved the day and kept the Rangers from a very frustrating loss with his 6-on-5 goal in the final minutes. Stars goalie Casey DeSmith made an excellent save on a Vincent Trocheck deflection, but Cuylle banked his rebound shot off his pads and into the net.
Carson Soucy also scored for the Rangers, who’ve won four of their past five games and are now 3-8-1 on home ice. Panarin played a team-high 22:35 and finished with two assists.
Soucy opened the scoring at 6:51 of the first period, 10 seconds after he hopped out of the penalty box. The Rangers killed off his cross-checking minor, and Soucy rewarded them by joining Noah Laba on a 2-on-1 rush up ice, finishing the scoring play when he tapped the puck over the goal line after Laba’s shot leaked through DeSmith.
Conor Sheary, back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch the previous three games, got the scoring play started with a bank pass off the boards to spring his two teammates. The assist was his first point in his past 10 games.
The Stars didn’t trail for long, though. An own-zone turnover by Gavrikov put the puck right on the stick of Kyle Capobianco just inside the blue line. The Stars defenseman then sent a low shot between Shesterkin’s pads at 9:04 for his first goal of the season, tying the game 1-1.
Each team had 10 shots on goal in the first period, but the Rangers had a significant edge in 5v5 scoring chances (14-4) and high-danger chances (4-1), and an impressive 74.09 percent goal share, per Natural Stat Trick.
Trocheck came close to giving the Rangers the lead in the first minute of the second period. However, his backhand attempt off the rush 35 seconds into the period, hit the post.
The Rangers were out-shot 12-11 in the scoreless second period, though each team had some Grade-A chances. Shesterkin denied Rantanen off and odd-man rush after Will Borgen lost his footing up ice leading to a 3-on-1 for Dallas.
At the other end, DeSmith denied Sam Carrick’s drive off a 2-on-1 rush at 9:53, and then made two big stops, first on Borgen’s short-handed deflection in front at 16:59, and then against Trocheck point-blank seconds later.
The Rangers turned up the heat in the third period, credited with the first 11 shots, thanks in large part to a four-minute power play, after Sam Steel cut Alexis Lafreniere on the cheek with a high stick at 4:13.
DeSmith, appearing in his 200th NHL game, stopped all six Rangers shots on the double minor, including a trio of prime looks for Mika Zibanejad. Then the Stars goalie caught a break when the teams were back at even strength. At 9:03, Carrick’s deflection of a Gavrikov shot hit under the crossbar and stayed out, much to the center’s dismay.
After the media timeout, it took less than a minute for the Stars to capitalize on their first shot of the period. But the Rangers showed tremendous resolve and got what they deserved, a well-earned, hard-fought victory on home ice.
Key takeaways after Rangers defeat Stars 3-2 in overtime
Braden Schneider puts his big boy pants on, delivers for Rangers
In his first game on the top defense pair, replacing Fox, Braden Schneider looked confident and far from overwhelmed with the extra responsibility. The 24-year-old logged 20:38 TOI, including 2:25 short-handed, where he played a major role in diffusing Dallas’ potent power play on its two opportunities.
Schneider was active in all three zones, leading the Rangers with three blocked shots, and credited with five shot attempts (two on goal). He also leaned into his physical play with three hits, including a crunching hit that flattened Roope Hintz on a Dallas rush.
The No. 19 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft said Monday that he was ready to put his “big boy pants on,” a remark likely touching on how the Rangers sheltered him over the years on the third defense pair. Even though he was on ice for both goals by the Stars — neither his fault — Schneider still looked pretty darn good in his first game in those big boy pants.
Kids are alright
Panarin, Trocheck, and Zibanejad were difference makers Tuesday, and Gavrikov scored the game-winning goal. Each is an important veteran player on the Rangers roster, carrying much responsibility on their shoulders night-in and night-out. But let’s not overlook the big hand that the kids had in this uplifting victory.
Start with Cuylle, the 23-year-old power forward, who was around the Dallas net all night, making life miserable for DeSmith. He had five shots on goal, several great looks, and team-high eight attempts. And he was rewarded for his diligence and gritty play with his eighth goal, which made Gavrikov’s game-winner possible.
Laba was a force all night, skating with jets on his skates. He appeared to be shot out of a cannon on New York’s first goal by Soucy, picked up his fourth assist, recorded five shots on goal, and had three hits in 16:41 TOI. The 22-year-old center and his 23-year-old linemate Brett Berard generated some good looks off the rush, using their speed to gain clean entry over the blue line.
Rookie defenseman Scott Morrow logged 14:29 TOI, including 2:01 quarterbacking the second power-play unit, and looked poised with and without the puck. He attempted five shots and recorded two shots on goal.
Rangers deploy 5-forward power play
Fox must’ve been jealous watching this game, since the Rangers had five power plays. With him in the lineup this season, the Rangers had as many as four power plays in a game just twice.
Coach Mike Sullivan went with five forwards on the top unit, with Cuylle added to the mix and Panarin replacing Fox as the quarterback. New York recorded 11 power-play shots in the game, including six on that third-period double minor. The Rangers had plenty of great looks and near misses, but were 0-for-5. Still, the puck movement looked good, especially once the Rangers settled in — they didn’t get enough shots toward the net on their first couple power plays.
Only once did the Stars challenge the Rangers with a good short-handed scoring chance, a fear of using five forwards on the same unit. However, Colin Blackwell, the former Rangers forward, sailed his shot over the net after a steal and partial break-in.
The second unit didn’t get much run but they did a good job funneling pucks to the net. That group is less flashy and more meat and potatoes when they’re out there, but it was an intriguing and effective unit, led by Laba, Morrow, Lafreniere, Jonny Brodzinski, and Sheary.
