Recap: Panarin Powers Rangers Past Penguins, Win 4-2

The Pittsburgh Penguins are coming into town tonight on a four game winning streak to take on the Blueshirts who have won a single game in their last six. After a tumultuous and dramatic day, the Rangers needed this one. Suited up in their giant crested third jerseys, Shesterkin, the Rangers' new $11.5 million man, led them out of the tunnel. Did the pressure of his new contract weigh heavily on Igor? It sure didn't seem that way; per usual, he stood on his head throughout the game, helping the team snap out of their recent funk.

 1st Period

The Rangers came out with some pep in their step. They were dominating early with a couple of back-to-back genuine high-risk chances. Chytil weaved through traffic in the offensive zone but came up short. Less than a minute later, Zibanejad put the puck on Smith's stick, who got off a clean shot but was stopped by Nedeljkovic. 

The game leveled out a bit as the period went on, but the Rangers dominated at the faceoff circle. There was a scare where Chytil took a bit of contact, went down awkwardly, and skated to the bench. You could hear the collective sigh of relief when he returned to the ice a bit later. Chytil, while proving to be an incredibly skilled player when healthy, has had some terrible luck with physical injuries, and any time he takes any amount of physical contact, it becomes a nerve-racking event. 

Intermission

Between the first and second periods, the NHL studio had the chance to interview Jacob Trouba. When the broadcast team announced this would be happening late in the first, many of us were anxious yet eager to hear him out. Say what you want about the play of Trouba as a Ranger, but he will always be remembered as a stand-up guy, and this interview proved that in spades. He didn't necessarily bad mouth the Rangers by any means; he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play in New York City while declaring how excited he was for the next chapter of his career.

2nd Period

The middle frame began right where the first one left off. The Rangers looked alive and, dare I say it, happy to play hockey. Zibanejad was having one of his best games of the season, doing all the little things correctly. However, in very Rangers fashion, just as it felt the team was hitting its stride, Pittsburgh's Blake Lizotte cycled into the Rangers' zone and rifled a shot past Shesterkin that he'd want back. It glanced off Igor's glove, and that's usually one the Czar would have snagged easily. 

As fans were beginning to confront their doom and concern that we were watching our favorite hockey team further fall apart, Panarin put the team on his shoulders. Entering the Penguins' zone, Trocheck hit Lafrenière on the right sideboards with a crisp pass and drove toward the net. The defender picked up Trocheck leaving some space in the middle where Lafrenière was able to hit a Panarin in stride who ripped a shot past the goalie, tying the game at one.

While the Penguins were outshot, they still had some quality chances against Igor, forcing the Rangers' netminder to earn that paycheck. One save in particular stood out, keeping the game tied at one. Thomasino cut toward the middle and slid the puck over right in Evgeni Malkin's wheelhouse, who one-timed a mostly perfect shot only to be saved by Shesterkin's fully perfect save. 

The Rangers were riding the high they got from Igor's outstanding play and continued to have a hold on the game. After a Sam Carrick holding penalty, Zibanejad and Kreider were on a shorthanded two-on-one, and Zibanejad made a nifty play to get the puck over to Kreider, who just missed increasing the Ranger's lead. A few minutes later into the period, as the seconds wound down, Trocheck fed a streaking Panarin, who deked to his right and beat Nedeljkovic for his second goal of the game, giving the Rangers their first lead of the game with less than a second left in the period.

3rd Period

Less than halfway through the third, the Penguins found some life. Michael Bunting stepped into the Rangers zone and fed Thomasino the puck in the middle of the ice. Thomasino took the hit from Carrick but still had too much time to place a shot in the tippity top of the corner right over Shesterkin's blocker to tie the game.

For a minute and change, the energy had left the building. Even after a well-played game, it seemed nothing would ever go the Ranger's way again until Reilly Smith finally converted. Smith had been a force all game, and you could tell he was extra motivated to get one against his old team and help the Rangers win the match. Smith knocked Grzelcyk off the puck, Kreider scooped it up, and they were off on a two-on-one into the Penguins zone. Smith curled the puck into the slot and put the shot on net, creating a juicy rebound. Zibanejad batted the puck toward the net, and it rebounded back to Smith, who put it over a sprawling Nedeljkovic to regain the Rangers lead. Believe it or not, this was Chris Kreider's first assist of the season. Kreider has never been an assist machine, but that speaks volumes about the troubles his line has been having.

The Rangers relaxed a bit and gave the Penguins a chance to get back into the game. There were durations of extensive controlled play in the Rangers zone, where players were given far too much space. Crosby, in particular, was allowed to whack at the puck a few times before being physically boxed out. After some time in the Rangers zone, the Rangers were able to break out with the puck. Lafrenière carried it into the Penguin's zone, once again on a two-on-one, and passed the puck over to Trocheck, who shot it right between Nedeljkovic's legs to give the Blueshirts the two-goal lead.

There, of course, was some fiery drama to end the game because nothing is ever simple and easy on Broadway. With just over a minute left, Igor played the puck, and Rickard Rakell made what is, at best, a questionable play and tripped Igor up. The good news is that Igor and the rest of the Rangers on the ice had no qualms about defending their star goaltender. This is the attitude the Rangers need to have. They played well tonight but also stood up for themselves and one another. There is a way out of this slump, and to be frank, defensively? The Rangers looked great. Trouba, or the lack thereof, was a great locker room presence and an all-around good guy from most reports, but was he good at defense for the New York Rangers? He was not; the positive effect of his absence is already showing.