Good to be back: Rangers rout Wings
In first game after All-Star break, Zibanejad & Co. roll past Detroit
NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, and Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider each added a goal and an assist to help the New York Rangers return from an extended break and beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-2 Friday night.
Pavel Buchnevich also scored to start the Rangers’ three-goal second period, and rookie Igor Shesterkin stopped 23 shots. New York was off since a 4-2 loss to the Islanders on Jan. 21, getting time off for the All-Star break and subsequent bye week.
The 24-year-old Shesterkin was making his fourth start for the Rangers this month. He now has recorded wins in three as the Rangers improved to 6-2-0 in last eight home games.
Robby Fabbri had a goal and an assist and Valtteri Filppula also scored in the third period for the Red Wings, who lost their seventh straight (0-6-1). Detroit, playing for the first time since Jan. 22 for its extended break, has only 12 wins in 52 games.
Jimmy Howard finished with 35 saves for the Red Wings to fall to 0-15-2 over his last 17 games since his last win on Oct. 29. He is 2-20-2 on the season.
The teams meet again on Saturday night in Detroit.
After a scoreless first period in which Howard made 15 saves, Buchnevich broke through at 9:23 of the second, converting a slick cross-ice pass from Zibanejad for his ninth.
Kreider, who also had an assist on Buchnevich’s score, made it 2-0 at 11:56 tipping Adam Fox’s shot past Howard for his 18th. Kreider has three goals in his last four games while Zibanejad, who also had an assist on the second goal, has multi-point efforts in three of his last four games and five of his last eight contests.
Panarin increased the margin to 3-0 with his team-leading 27th goal at 19:18, his fifth goal in his last seven games. Panarin has points in 37 of the 48 games he has played this season, including 23 of the Rangers’ 24 wins.
Panarin missed the Rangers’ last game before the break and then last weekend’s All-Star Game in St. Louis with an upperbody injury. He leads the Rangers with 70 points, fifth-best in the league.
Zibanejad increased the lead to 4-0 with his 19th at 5:02 of the third.