Rangers go off 'script,' still win in Stadium Series

Greg Wyshynski from ESPN wrote a blog on February 19th, 2024, at 2:16 AM.

The New York Rangers had a fairytale ending in their victorious Stadium Series game against the New York Islanders on Sunday. However, it wasn't the tale they had planned to share.

After their wild 6-5 overtime win in front of almost 80,000 people at MetLife Stadium, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette commented that the game did not go as planned. He added that the high-scoring match was both crazy and amazing, and gave credit to his team for their resilience after a difficult first period.

At the beginning of the game, the Rangers were ahead with a score of 1-0. However, their joy was short-lived when the Islanders managed to score three goals within a mere 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal scored two of those goals in just 16 seconds apart. Things seemed bleak for the Rangers as they were down 4-1 just 1 minute and 3 seconds into the second period. Although the Rangers tried to make a comeback, the Islanders always had a response. With only five minutes left in normal game time, the Islanders were leading 5-3.

At the end of the game, the Rangers managed to secure a fantastic comeback victory, thanks to Artemi Panarin's unaided goal, just 10 seconds into overtime. It's worth noting that the goal was scored with the net slightly off its base. After a thorough review of the footage, the goal was deemed legitimate and the Rangers emerged victorious.

Through an interpreter, Panarin expressed that he couldn't recall the specific goal due to a surge of overwhelming feelings at the time. However, he believes that it was most likely a goal with about 80% certainty.

As per what ESPN rules expert Dave Jackson said, if the team defending dislodges the goal cage - by intention or not - and there is a chance for an imminent goal, as long as the puck goes past the expected position of the goalposts, it will be valid. This was the situation that occurred for Panarin.

Islanders defender Noah Dobson stated that he has confidence in both the league and the referees for making the correct decision.

However, the Islanders were not pleased with some of the calls made during the game. The Rangers took advantage of the Islanders' penalty kill, which ranks last in the league, and scored three power-play goals. Two of those goals were scored in the third period when the Rangers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker. Unfortunately, the Islanders penalty kill is now only effective 70.7% of the time.

Islanders' player Brock Nelson mentioned that they had a few instances where they didn't have a mutual agreement regarding the referee's calls. He explained that one of them felt delayed. However, regardless of the situation, the referee's decision is final. So the team has to come out and deliver their best performance on the field.

Despite being behind, the Rangers were able to accomplish their task, a feat that this team has repeatedly demonstrated this season. This particular game marked their ninth win of the season after being down in the third period. This achievement places them second in franchise history, with only 11 wins during the 2010-2011 season surpassing them.

Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the third period to help their team make a comeback. Zibanejad acknowledges the importance of self-reflection and adapting to the situation at hand. When the team is behind, they know how to regroup and rally. Their ability to score important goals and change the game's momentum has helped them achieve success in the past.

Laviolette commended his star players for igniting the comeback, expressing, "I believed that our power-play athletes really stepped up during the critical moments of the game."

The Rangers secured their seventh consecutive win, which put them six points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and helped them dominate the Metropolitan Division. Not only was this a crucial match against their arch-nemesis, but it also enabled them to reminisce about the great weekend at MetLife Stadium. The activities included enjoyable family skating on Friday and the fantastic entrance of the team wearing NYFD and NYPD jerseys before Sunday's game.

Zibanejad stated that they still receive two points for achieving a victory, but at the same time, it is important to savor the upcoming weekend. He also mentioned that there is no greater way to conclude than with a triumph of such magnitude.