RIGHT IN THE BREAD BASKET
Panarin rocks Garden, bounces Pens with Game 7 OT goal
Artemi Panarin scored a power-play goal 4:46 into overtime and the Rangers beat the Penguins, 4-3, Sunday night to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Mika Zibanejad notched a goal and two assists, and Chris Kreider and K’Andre Miller also scored for the Rangers, who recorded their third straight comeback victory after trailing 3-1 in the series. Andrew Copp assisted on two goals and Igor Shesterkin stopped 42 shots.
The Rangers went on a power play 2:55 into overtime when Pittsburgh’s Brock McGinn was called for holding. Late in the advantage, Panarin got the puck on the right side and fired a shot from the right circle past Tristan Jarry.
The Rangers players all mobbed Panarin along the boards in the left corner as the sold-out Garden crowd erupted into a frenzy. The Rangers advanced to the second round for the first time since 2017, when they lost to Ottawa.
The Rangers will play Carolina next. The Hurricanes beat the Bruins in Game 7 on Saturday night.
Evan Rodrigues recorded a goal and an assist, and Jake Guentzel and Danton Heinen also scored for the Penguins, who were ousted in the first playoff series for the fourth straight year. Jarry returned in goal and stopped 26 shots in his first game since April 14.
The Penguins also got captain Sidney Crosby back after he missed the last game with an upper body injury sustained midway through Game 5.
Tyler Motte went on a shorthanded breakaway 8 minutes into the third period, but Jarry made a nice kick save on his forehand attempt to preserve Pittsburgh’s 3-2 lead.
Zibanejad scored on a shot from the inside edge of the left circle off a pass from Copp with 5:45 left to tie it with his third of the series — all in the last two games.
With the Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko off for a delay of game, Guentzel gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead with 9:42 left in the second as he kicked the puck up with his right skate and then swatted it out of the air with a backhand and in. The goal was upheld after a video review, giving Guentzel his eighth of the series.
Miller tied it for the Rangers 1:05 later as he fired a shot from the top of the left circle and the puck deflected off the right skate of Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson in front and trickled across the goal line past Jarry.
Rodrigues gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead on a shorthanded breakaway as he skated in and beat Shesterkin with a backhander with 2:36 left in the middle period. It was his third of the series. Kreider gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead 7:36 into the game with his fifth goal of the series. Zibanejad picked up his seventh assist.
Thirty seconds later, Shesterkin snatched Crosby’s slap shot out of the air while doing the splits, drawing chants of “I-gor! I-gor!” from the home crowd that was roaring since before puck drop.
The Penguins went on an extended power play late in the first period. With the Rangers’ Ryan Strome and Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust off for roughing, The Rangers’ Jacob Trouba was sent off on a double-minor for high-sticking
The Penguins took advantage as Heinen tied it with 1:09 left with a goal that wasn’t credited until the play was stopped 25 seconds later. From the left side, Heinen poked the puck in and raised his arms in celebration, but play continued as Rangers defenseman Adam Fox swept the puck away. Replays showed it came after the puck had crossed the line, giving Heinen his third of the series.
In addition to Jarry and Crosby, the Penguins also got forward Rickard Rakell back. Rakell hadn’t played since he suffered a lower body injury in Game 1. Defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Brian Boyle remained out with lower body injuries.
“The Pirates become the sixth team in MLB history to be no-hit and still win, the first time since the Dodgers on June 28, 2008. Pirates 1, Reds 0. The Reds got just 4 hits.”