New York Rangers Remain Unbeaten Outdoors After Thrilling OT Comeback

The Rangers did not come back once from one deficit, but two, including scoring two goals late in the third period on the power play to force overtime. In overtime, the Rangers carried the momentum of the third period as Artemi Panarin scored 10 seconds into the extra session.

“Honestly, I don’t remember that goal very well at this point just because I got flooded with a wave of emotions, excitement,” Panarin said. “The atmosphere was just exactly what we needed to secure that win.” 

While the goal needed video review, the call on the ice stood, and the Rangers defeated the Islanders by a score of 6-5. The Rangers are building an Undertaker-type Wrestlemania unbeaten streak playing outdoors. With their 6-5 victory over the Islanders, the Rangers improved to 5-0 in outdoor games. The Rangers have broken a tie with the Boston Bruins, who also had four wins, for the most wins outdoors.

It was a thrilling game to cap off a great weekend at MetLife Stadium. It appeared the Rangers unbeaten streak was going to fall to the waste side. After scoring the opening goal 1:28 into the first period off the stick of Erik Gustafsson, the Rangers surrounded the next four goals to the New York Islanders.

The Rangers crowd had the momentum on their side, and then the momentum swung after the fight between Matt Martin and rookie Matt Rempe. Rempe was making his NHL debut, and he took his rookie lap to begin warmups. Even though he took one earlier in the week, Rempe did not play in that game. Rempe stood toe to toe with the bigger Martin. He got the bench pumped up, along with the fans, but that fight woke up the Islanders.

His little pump-up gesture to the Islanders bench got them going. Brock Nelson tied the game as Igor Shesterkin‘s struggles continued for the Rangers. Then, the Islanders scored two goals in 16 seconds off the stick of Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal. Barzal’s goal was a power play, and the Islander’s inconsistent offense woke up.

To begin the second period, Anders Lee tallied another power play marker as the Islanders built a 4-1 lead. But as the old saying goes, the worst lead in hockey is a three-goal lead. The Rangers mounted their comeback, and it all started with a power play goal from Vincent Trocheck. Trocheck got his first of two of the day, redirecting an Artemi Panarin shot past Ilya Sorokin.

Then Trocheck scored his second of the game to cut the Islanders lead to 4-3 to close out the second period. With Ryan Lindgren going down to start the period, the Rangers were playing short-handed, and this allowed Alexander Romanov to give the Islanders a 5-3 lead. However, the Rangers did not quit as their saying goes, “There is No Quit in NY.”

Again, it was the power play which had fluttering, to say the least. However, it woke up in this game. First, Chris Kreider made it 5-4. Then Mika Zibanejad, on a sharp angle, tied the game at 5-5 with 1:29 left in the third period. The Rangers now had three power-play goals in a game. It was a great comeback on one end and a story of a team not holding leads on the other end.

“Obviously, it’s a big goal by Panarin, but it was an unbelievable game,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said. ‘When the game is coming down to it, and your best players on the ice get the opportunities, power play, goalie pulled, and they needed to deliver to fight back in this game, and I just like the resiliency.” 

The Rangers crowd was back into the game, and then Panarin ended it 10 seconds into the game. Again, the play had to go to review, but Noah Dobson, who played a great game for the Islanders, knocked his net off. Thus, the continued act of shooting the puck into the net allowed the goal to stand. The New York Rangers celebrated a sudden death overtime victory to knock off their rivals.

Trocheck and Panarin were named the first and second stars of the game. And why not? They each had three points. The New York Rangers, who carried a six-game winning streak into this game, had the confidence and belief in their abilities to stretch it to seven. And that is what they did.

Note: The Rangers and Islanders combined for the most outdoor goals in NHL history with 11. In addition, the New York Rangers and New York Islanders played the eighth overtime in the history of outdoor games.