Mika Zibanejad scored twice and added an assist, leading the New York Rangers to a 5-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. The Rangers exploded for four goals in the third period to secure the win.
Artemi Panarin reached a milestone with his 600th career point, assisting on Zibanejad’s one-timer from the left circle that put the Rangers ahead 2-1 early in the third period. Panarin achieved this in his 535th game, making him one of the fastest to reach the mark, behind only Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin.
With a strong road record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 away games, the Rangers broke a 1-1 tie with three quick goals in under two minutes. Following Zibanejad’s goal, Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere scored to extend the lead. Zibanejad added another goal later, extending his point streak to six games with five goals and four assists.
“We came into a tough building against an excellent team and took advantage of our opportunity to get two points,” Zibanejad said. “We regrouped after the second period and made it count.”
Igor Shesterkin was solid in goal for New York, making 25 saves and improving to 12-4.
“He’s always strong for us,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was a team win tonight. Everyone came ready to play.”
Logan Thompson started strong for the Golden Knights, stopping 25 of 26 shots in the first two periods. However, he finished with 32 saves on 37 shots.
“We were in a good position after the second period,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “But we mismanaged the puck in the third, and it snowballed from there.”
New York dominated the first period, outshooting the Knights 15-5. K’Andre Miller’s point shot was tipped in by Kaapo Kakko to open the scoring.
After a 3-1 road trip, Vegas has struggled at home, being outscored 14-4 over their last three home games. They were without leading scorer Jack Eichel and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.
Shesterkin acknowledged the absence of key players for Vegas. “We did a great job tonight with many blocked shots,” he said.
The Golden Knights showed more energy in the second period, tying the game with a 5-on-3 power-play goal from Jonathan Marchessault, assisted by Chandler Stephenson.
NOTES
Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore extended his point streak to four games with 10 points in the last 10 games. Gerard Gallant, the Rangers coach, was Vegas’ first coach, leading them to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. The Knights wore special jerseys for Hispanic Heritage Night during warmups.
UP NEXT
- Rangers: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
- Golden Knights: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.
