Shesterkin steals win for New York Rangers to slay the Kraken in Seattle
The New York Rangers first ever trip to Seattle was another stolen win by Igor Shesterkin. Adam Fox would provide one of the few shining moments for the Blueshirts to beat the Kraken in their first ever meeting.
In the process of picking up the victory, they notched their 5th road win on the year. That set a franchise record for most road wins in the first nine games of the season.
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Recap: Rangers vs Kraken
Gerard Gallant’s charges appeared ready to play a solid road game. Barclay Goodrow threw a cross ice feed off the right boards in the neutral zone. A streaking Chris Kreider picked it up and came in 2 on 1 with Mika Zibanejad. The 30 year-old made no mistake and rifled it over Phillip Grubauer for a 1-0 lead just 3:38 into the game. Kreider also tied Phil Esposito (184) for the 15th most goals scored in team history.
The Kraken did settle things down and took advantage of the Rangers with Adam Fox in the locker room after hurting his jaw. Igor Shesterkin was up to the challenge making 9 saves including a big one off Morgan Geekie in front. Fox would return later in the period and the Blueshirts ended the first with a lead.
Calling the Rangers second period lackluster would be a compliment. For 20 minutes, the Seattle Kraken out worked and out hustled the Blueshirts. Jordan Eberle would knot the game at 13:46 with a hopeful spin-o-rama backhand. However, if not for Shesterkin they could’ve been in a worse position.
“It looked like we stopped playing,” Gallant said about the second period. “Disappointing. Frustrating, but we found a way and Igor was the main reason.”
The Blueshirts managed just two shots in the second to the Kraken’s 13. It was not a period the head coach could be happy with. If he was looking for a silver lining it was the defense limiting chances, but it was still a sloppy period that saw a PP end due to too many men on the ice.
It took awhile for the Rangers to get going in the final stanza as the Kraken were relentless on the attack. Shesterkin stood tall and the game-winning tally came directly off a huge save by the Blueshirts netminder.
Fox would gather the puck and hit Artemi Panarin with a long outlet pass. The Breadman took it into the zone and curled back to allow Fox to rush into the play. Panarin then hit Fox in stride and he buried it by Grubauer with 7:50 left in the period.
“Big save by Shesty to start that (play),” Fox said. “I saw Bread there. You’ve got to get open when he has the puck. Happy it went in.”
The goal sparked the Rangers as they came to life and dominated the rest of the game. Barclay Goodrow sealed the deal with an empty netter and the Rangers picked up their 6th win.
Notable Rangers
- Igor Shesterkin stopped 31 of 32 and improves to 5-1-1
- Barclay Goodrow picked up 2 points (1G – 1A) in 16:16 of TOI
- Mika Zibanejad was solid picking up an assist and winning 67% of his draws
- The Rangers defense blocked 14 shots
- NYR killed all four Seattle power plays
Tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 1): Practice…Rogers Arena (Vancouver)…2 PM PDT/5 PM ET
Next Game: Tuesday, Nov. 2 at Vancouver Canucks (7 PM PDT/10 PM ET – TV: MSG)
*Schedule subject to change
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