The drama in the shootout at Madison Square Garden was intense. Twice the New York Rangers snatched victory away from the Kings by tying it in rounds three and five.
First it was Artemi Panarin in a do-or-die situation to keep the shootout going. Even in realtime it was like watching a slow-motion replay as he methodically opened Jonathan Quick’s legs to keep NY alive.
Then it was a battle within a battle as the the top two picks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft exchanged goals. Number two selection Quinton Byfield roofed one over the glove of Igor Shesterkin in round five and smiled past the Rangers bench.
Alexis Lafrenière was then called upon to keep the game going. The number one pick in the that draft came in with calm and poise, dipped his shoulder and slid it between the wickets of Quick. As he skated by the Kings bench, he held up one finger. Was he telling L.A. something or was he simply pointing at the Blueshirts bench?
Adam Fox scored the game-winner in the sixth round of the shootout as the New York Rangers extended their home winning streak to five games with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night.
“I was debating between two [moves], stuck with that one and glad I chose it,” Fox said. “The one I did I’m comfortable doing that. I didn’t want to overcomplicate anything, so I just made a little fake and I’m glad it worked out.”
New York Rangers keep winning
The Rangers won for the ninth time in 12 games when Fox’s crafty move capped an action-packed contest that featured a 4-on-4 overtime without a whistle after the Rangers started with a 46-second power play.
Fox sped in along the left side, faked a forehand shot to get goaltender Jonathan Quick to commit. When Quick committed, Fox shifted to his backhand and lifted the puck over Quick’s left pad to the top of the net.
Artemi Panarin extended the game by scoring in the third after Anze Kopitar scored in the same round. Quinton Byfield scored in the fifth round, but Alexis Lafreniere extended the game for New York and Fox scored after Igor Shesterkin stopped Arthur Kaliyev in the top of the sixth.
Barclay Goodrow got the Rangers to overtime by scoring on a nifty deflection of a Panarin shot with 5:45 left in regulation. Quick got the game to the shootout with five saves in overtime, including a sprawling glove stop on Panarin during New York’s 4-on-3 power play.
Chris Kreider scored his league-leading 30th goal with 1.5 seconds left in the first period while Blake Lizotte scored the tying goal midway through the second for Los Angeles. The Kings held a 2-1 lead into the third after Alex Iafallo scored a power-play goal with 39 seconds to go in the period.
Shesterkin made 34 saves and won his seventh straight game. Quick finished with 28 saves, including 25 after the first period and 13 during New York’s five power plays.
Kreider scored for the sixth straight game when he got a cross-ice pass from Fox and lifted a shot from close range over Quick’s left arm.
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