New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin makes a save against the New Jersey Devils in the second period of Game 3 of the team’s NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Saturday, April 22, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
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NEW YORK — When in doubt, the New York Rangers key to winning has always been based on their ability to win on specials teams, and a top goaltender.
Monday night, the Blueshirts used that formula to perfection.
New York got a pair of goals from veteran stars and Igor Shesterkin came through with clutch saves late to preserve the team’s 2-1 home opening win over the Arizona Coyotes.
As he has done so many times before, Chris Kreider got the scoring started for New York midway through the first period when Mika Zibanejad found him on a two-on-one fastbreak. The goal was Kreider’s fourth of the young season and Zibanejad’s fourth assist.
While the top line for the Blueshirts got the scoring started, it was the second line of Artemi Panarin, Filip Chytil, and Alexis Lafreniere that got the offense flowing early. In fact, after another solid game, the group appears to be turning a corner together on the young season. They totaled
As good as the second-line was though, the Rangers ran into problems in the second period. New York was called for four different penalties in second – eventually giving up the tying score on a powerplay to Clayton Keller.
Some calls didn’t go without some controversy though. Panarin seemingly had a breakaway late in the second but had his path blocked by an official. On the ensuing rush, Lafreniere was called for a slash while Ryan Lindgren, making his return from a single game absence, also went off for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The five-on-three penalty bled into the final period where the Rangers would impressively keep the Coyotes off the scoreboard.
New York would capitalize on the momentum from the penalty on their own powerplay when Panarin…
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