Aw, Duck! Rangers lose
Hank stops 39, but late goal sinks Blueshirts
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Trailing after 10 seconds and down 2-0 not even four minutes into their game against the Rangers, it would have been easy for the Anaheim Ducks to call it a day.
But the Ducks found the form that has sustained them this season, using it and a power play that finally seems to be clicking to get a big comeback win.
Hampus Lindholm tied the game on the power play with 1:46 remaining in the third period, Jakob Silfverberg and Ondrej Kase scored in the shootout, and the Ducks rallied for a 4-3 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
“You don’t want to start 2-0 down,” Lindholm said. “It would be nice to have a 2-0 lead to start a game, too, but we’ve playing some good hockey. Over 60 minutes, if you just stick with it, you’re going to get some chances.”
Silfverberg had a power-play goal, Erik Gudbranson also scored, and Rickard Rakell had three assists to tie a career high for the Ducks. John Gibson stopped three shots in the shootout after making 29 saves through overtime.
Mika Zibanejad had two goals for the second straight game and Artemi Panarin scored for the fourth consecutive game, and the Rangers still have not won consecutive games this month.
Henrik Lundqvist made 39 saves, but the Rangers ended up going 2-1-1 on their fourgame road trip.
“We wanted six points, but I guess taking five isn’t a bad trip,” Rangers coach David Quinn said. “You can’t do what everybody else is doing if you want to do something special.”
The Ducks allowed two goals in the opening 3:59, with Zibanejad giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead 10 seconds into the game. Zibanejad intercepted a pass by Josh Manson and beat Gibson with a backhand.
Panarin made it 2-0 at 3:59 with his sixth goal during his scoring streak, which came on a wrist shot from the left circle. Ryan Strome picked off the puck after Gibson played it behind his own net and fed Panarin for his sixth goal in the past four games. However, the Ducks stayed committed to their game and got on the board when Silfverberg tipped Lindholm’s shot from the left point in at 8:53 to pull within 2-1.
Anaheim tied it up at 2-all 1:02 into the second when Gudbranson scored into an open net. Lundqvist over-committed to a sharp-angle shot by Adam Henrique that deflected off a stick and out to Gudbranson at the point.
Zibanejad put the Rangers back in front 3-2 at 1:14 of the third. Tony DeAngelo found Zibanejad with a stretch pass to start a rush, and Gibson could not smother a wobbly wrist shot that went between his legs for Zibanejad’s third multi-goal game of the season.
But the Ducks responded again and Lindholm made it