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Adam Sykora, Igor Shesterkin spark 3-1 Rangers win over Panthers: takeaways
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- Adam Sykora, Igor Shesterkin spark 3-1 Rangers win over Panthers: takeaways
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Rookie Adam Sykora scored his second goal in as many games and goalie Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves to lead the New York Rangers past the Florida Panthers 3-1 in a Sunday matinee at Madison Square Garden.
Sykora scored the first of New York's three goals in the third period against the defending Stanley Cup champions, who are limping to the finish line this season with a depleted lineup. Still, the Panthers played a hard, physical game, as expected, but Sykora and his teammates were more than up to the challenge.
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The 21-year-old, who scored his first NHL goal in a 6-1 rout over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, also had his first fight in three games with the Rangers , when he engaged in a brief tussle with Luke Kunin late in the first period.
He wasn't the only one who sparked the Rangers on Sunday. Shesterkin earned First Star honors and came within 41 seconds of shutting out the Panthers. The 30-year-old was at his best in the first period, stopping all 15 shots he faced.
Adam Fox had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (30-35-9), who also defeated the Panthers in the outdoor Winter Classic in Miami on Jan. 2. Conor Sheary's short-handed goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner Sunday.
The Panthers held an 18-12 shots advantage and 63.49 percent expected goal share through two periods, per Natural Stat Trick . But it was the Rangers who came closest to actually scoring a goal over the first 40 minutes of scoreless game action.
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Skating on their first power play, late in the second period, the Rangers literally had the puck on the goal line behind goalie Sergei Bobrovsky after J.T. Miller deflected Mika Zibanejad's long shot off the post. But Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling swooped in to swat the puck out of danger with 1:35 to play in the period.
Other than that, the Rangers offense was pretty quiet. In fact, they were not credited with a high-danger scoring opportunity 5v5 in either the first nor second period.
On the other hand, the Panthers didn't generate many prime scoring chances at even strength either, though they did hold a pretty distinct territorial advantage throughout the first period and much of the second.
Florida did record five shots on goal during its lone power play in the first period, when Drew Fortescue took a delay of game minor at 7:53. Shesterkin robbed Eetu Luostarinen on the doorstep after a slick Matthew Tkachuk feed. Then after two sharp stops in tight, Shesterkin made a quick glove save through traffic to deny Jesper Boqvist to close out that power play.
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Early in the third period, it appeared the Panthers secured a 1-0 lead. But Tkachuk's goal was wiped off the board after the Rangers successfully challenged that the Panthers forward was offside entering the offensive zone.
Two minutes later, Sykora deflected Fox's shot past Bobrovsky at 5:10 to make it 1-0 Rangers.
Then Sheary scored his fourth goal in the past 11 games at 11:14, mere seconds after Florida's Mike Benning kissed iron with his power-play slap shot at the other end. Miller created the turnover and made the breakout pass to Sheary, shortly after a stickless Tye Kartye cleared the zone by deftly kicking the puck over the blue line.
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Fox iced this one, scoring from almost 200 feet away into an empty-net at 16:06, after Florida pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker. The Panthers did spoil Shesterkin's shutout bid on a fluky goal with 40.2 seconds remaining, when Mackie Samoskevich 's shot hit a Rangers stick and floated over the goalie's shoulder and into the net.
Key takeaways after Rangers defeat Panthers 3-1
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Balanced attack
Coach Mike Sullivan lauded the "balanced attack" the Rangers are deploying to some impressive success lately. The lines are more balanced, and there's less reliance on the Zibanejad, Alexis Lafreniere , and Gabe Perreault trio to carry the offense.
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With Noah Laba back from a five-game injury absence, the Rangers were extremely deep down the middle, with Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck , Miller, and Laba each centering a line. Sykora's been a great fit, and Sullivan singled out rookie Jaroslav Chmelar , who took shifts on the third line, as well as the fourth, for his vastly improved play since his first recall earlier in the season.
"Our young role players are bringing us juice," Sullivan said postgame.
This was a big win on a day that the top-line was held off the score sheet.
I-Gor!
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Whether in a retool or battling as a Stanley Cup contender, the Rangers single most important player is Shesterkin. And lest you forget, he showed us all why yet again on Sunday.
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This game easily could've gotten away from the home team in the first period if not for their No. 1 goalie. Not only did he make five big saves during the Panthers early power play, but he continued to make clutch stops after the visitors carried momentum over into their 5v5 play.
You better believe his teammates loved the fight he showed, too, clocking Tkachuk with his blocker after tiring of the Panthers crowding his crease in the third period. There may be debate about who New York's No. 2 goalie is moving forward and into next season. But there's zero conversation about who the No. 1 is, nor the most valuable player to wear the Blueshirt.
Clutch loss for Panthers
It's not in the Panthers DNA to tank or to accept losing. There's a reason why they reached the Stanley Cup Final three straight years, and won the championship the past two. But over 400 man-games lost to injury this season clearly has worn them down. And it showed Sunday, with 10 regulars out of the lineup. The will is there, but not the whole elite package.
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This was their third straight loss, and the they are 7-15-0 since Jan. 27. The Panthers are now only four points ahead of the Rangers for last place in the Eastern Conference. And before you laugh at that, keep in mind that Florida's first-round pick in this year's draft is top-10 protected (as part of a condition with the Chicago Blackhawks). That means this championship team could add the No. 1 overall pick — or a difference maker a bit lower down — in the draft and return as a League-wide menace next season.
Right now, the Rangers have the third-best chance to win the draft lottery, at 11.6 percent, per Tankathon . The Panthers moved up to the fifth-best odds, at 8.5 percent.
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