Reilly Smith scored the tiebreaking goal with 10:07 remaining in the third period and the New York Rangers capped an eventful day with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
The Rangers earned their second win in eight games (2-6-0) after trading their captain, struggling defenseman Jacob Trouba, to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday afternoon. New York also reportedly signed goalie Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year contract extension.
After making a defensive play to initiate a two-on-one break, Smith scored against his former team by staying with the play after Pittsburgh goalie Alex Nedeljkovic stopped him and Mika Zibanejad. Smith cut to the right side of the crease and gained possession of the rebound, then slid the puck by Nedljkovic into the slightly vacated right side of the net.
Smith’s fourth goal of the season came nearly 2 1/2 minutes after the Penguins’ Philip Tomasino forged a 2-2 tie.
Artemi Panarin scored twice in the second period as the Rangers overcame an early deficit. Panarin, who leads the team with 15 goals, had his fifth multi-goal game this season and gave New York a 2-1 lead with two seconds left in the period.
Vincent Trocheck iced the win with 98 seconds left after setting up Panarin’s goals.
Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh, which saw its season-high four-game winning streak stopped.
Shesterkin made 20 saves and ended a personal five-game losing streak. He highlighted his first win since Nov. 19 with a split for a glove save on Evgeni Malkin with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the second.
Nedeljkovic allowed four goals on 32 shots.
Lizotte put Pittsburgh ahead when he moved through the offensive zone untouched, entered the slot and beat Shesterkin to the glove side with 13:41 remaining in the second.
The Rangers evened the score 69 seconds later when Panarin got a cross-ice pass from Alexis Lafreniere and lifted a shot from slightly above the left circle and into the net as Malkin slid to attempt a block.
After Owen Pickering hit the right post with 47 seconds left, the Rangers regained the lead. Panarin took a pass from Trocheck, entered the offensive zone, cut through the slot and released a shot that sailed by Nedeljkovic.
Tomasino scored after the Rangers turned it over in the neutral zone by going to the slot and lifting the puck by Shesterkin’s blocker 8:29 into the third.
–Field Level Media
