The Rangers headed to the State of Hockey looking to win three straight games for the first time since November. And thanks to some late heroics from Mika Zibanejad and Artemiy Panarin, the Rangers were able to steal the two points from Mats Zuccarello and the Minnesota Wild.
Artemiy Panarin – After Minnesota took a 1-0 lead, the Rangers’ leading scorer tied it up at one by finishing a great passing play. The puck went from Ryan Strome to Tony DeAngelo and finally to Panarin, who wired it from the left circle. The goal was Panarin’s 29th of the season as he continues to light it up for the Blueshirts.
But, the “BreadMan” wasn’t done yet. It would be Panarin’s hard pass that Mika Zibanjad would redirect into the net to tie the game, and it would be Panarin’s shootout goal that would seal the two points for the Rangers. If this is what Panarin can do in his first season on Broadway, the sky is the limit for the Russian forward.
Pavel Buchnevich – It was another Russian forward that started the comeback in the third period for the Blueshirts. With about eight minutes to go in regulation, the puck came to Buchnevich from the aforementioned Panarin at the front of the net. Buchnevich appeared to be trying to pass it to the backdoor player, but the puck bounced off of two Minnesota players and into the net behind an out of position Alex Stalock.
The goal is Buchnevich’s 12th of the season, and his third in the last six games. The goal is also the seventh point in the last six games for the 24-year-old from Cherepovets.
Mika Zibanejad – The suave Swede sent the game to overtime by deflecting the hard pass from Artemiy Panarin into the net past a lunging Stalock. The goal is the 24th of the year for Zibanejad.
Zibanejad would also get the game-winner in the shootout, finishing off the forehand-backhand deke over the outstretched Minnesota netminder.
Alexandar Georgiev – It was the second start for the young Bulgarian since January 21st as David Quinn and the Rangers continue to use their three goalie rotation leading up to the NHL Trade Deadline. Georgiev was solid in this one, allowing three goals on 26 shots, giving his team a chance to come back late in the third. It’s unclear whether Georgiev will still be with the organization following the February 24th deadline, but he certainly wants to be playing his best hockey heading into it.
Next Game: The Rangers head to Columbus to face John Tortorella and the Blue Jackets on Friday night. Puck drops at 7!
Post Game Notes
- Alexandar Georgiev made 23 saves, stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period and overtime and stopped both shooters in the shootout to earn his 13th win of the season. Georgiev has earned a win in 10 of 14 road appearances in 2019-20 (10-4-0 record).
- The Rangers won a game when allowing the first goal for the 10th time this season. In addition, the Blueshirts won a game when trailing entering the third period for the second time in 2019-20. The Rangers won a game when trailing by two or more goals entering the third period for the first time since Feb. 6, 2019 vs. Boston.
- The Rangers have won each of the last three games, four of the last five games (4-1-0 record), six of the last eight games (6-2-0 record), and 10 of the last 15 contests (10-5-0 record). The Rangers have posted a three-game winning streak for the second time this season (also from Nov. 23 at Montreal to Nov. 27 vs. Carolina). The Blueshirts have also earned at least one point in 22 of the last 36 games, dating back to Nov. 23 at Montreal (20-14-2 record over the span).
- New York extended its road winning streak to four games and has outscored its opponents, 12-6, over the four contests. The Rangers have posted a road winning streak of four games or longer for the first time since a five-game road winning streak from Feb. 23, 2017 at Toronto to Mar. 7, 2017 at Florida.
Postgame notes provided by the Rangers
LETS GO RANGERS!!