Defenseman K’Andre Miller scored the tiebreaking goal with 34 seconds remaining Sunday afternoon as the New York Rangers survived blowing a late lead and eked out a 3-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken.
Miller had been stopped on a breakaway with 6:15 remaining, but then ended a 27-game goal drought by scoring for the first time since Nov. 21.
The Rangers won for the 10th time in 15 games and avoided their second three-game losing streak of the season despite blowing a two-goal lead for the third straight game.
Miller scored his third goal of the season after Seattle tied the score at 2-2 on Yanni Gourde’s one-timer during a power-play from the left faceoff circle with 68 seconds remaining.
Miller scored after Mika Zibanejad cleanly won a faceoff circle on the right side from Alex Wennberg. After taking the pass from Zibanejad, Miller paused, and when Chris Kreider collided with Riley Sheahan, he released a wrist shot from the right point that sailed over goalie Philipp Grubauer.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin made 40 saves to win for the eighth time in nine starts.
Zibanejad had a power-play goal and two assists and Alexis Lafreniere scored as the Rangers won for the sixth time in seven games on a day when Seattle’s defense conceded few scoring chances and little opportunities for sustained offense.
Jared McCann tied a career high by scoring for the third straight game for the Kraken, but Seattle’s season-high 42 shots on goal weren’t enough.
Grubauer made 21 saves, including the pad save on Miller’s breakaway.
The Rangers took the lead 11:46 into the first period, when Zibanejad’s one-timer from the left faceoff dot sailed past Grubauer, who was out of position trying to guess where the shot was coming from as the Rangers swiftly moved the puck around.
The Rangers made it 2-0 4:23 into the second when Lafreniere crashed the left side of the net and scored on a tap-in after Zibanejad’s slap shot from the above the right faceoff dot rang off the post.
Within three minutes after Lafreniere’s goal, McCann got his 18th goal by finishing off an odd-man rush with Jordan Eberle with a wrist shot that trickled past Shesterkin.
–Field Level Media
