NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Kreider scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, adding an empty net, and Igor Shesterkin made 30 saves as New York ranger beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Thursday night.
Kreider scored at 11:45 by sliding the puck past the keeper Tristan Jarry with penguin defender Brian Dumoline draped all over the New York forward in the crease. Kreider then scored his 30th goal of the season into the empty net at 7:10 p.m. to seal the win and give third-placed Rangers a 10-point lead over Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division.
Mika Zibanejad And Tyler moth also scored for Rangers, who won for the eighth time in their last 10 home games. They’re 11-4-0 in their last 15 at Madison Square Garden.
New York is 6-1-1 against Pittsburgh in their last eight home games and the teams will meet again on Saturday night at The Garden. penguins forward Jake Guentzel Tie it 2-all at 9:09 of the third with his 30th goal after Motte put Rangers 2-1 up late in the second.
Motte’s goal without an assist at 16:53 came just over two minutes after Pittsburgh’s Rickard Rackel evening the game.
The goal was Motte’s first since returning to Rangers in a February 19 trade with Ottawa. Motte made a valuable contribution to New York’s postseason run last spring and has been part of an effective fourth line in recent games Barclay Goodrow And Jimmy Vesey.
Zibanejad opened the scoring with his 35th goal as team leader at 2:51 of the first goal, delivering a through ball from the left boards Artemi Panarin before he runs into Jarry and shoots the puck past the Penguins’ netminder. For the ninth time this season, Zibanejad scored the opening goal. He has 21 points – including 13 goals – in his last 19 games.
Vladimir Tarasenko also assists and has points in nine of his first 17 games with Rangers. Panarin leads the Rangers with 55 assists and 75 points overall.
Rakell equalized at 14:40 of the second with his 24th goal. It also marked Rakell’s 400th career point.
The Rangers celebrated a 5-3 home win against Washington on Tuesday, while the Penguins lost at home to Montreal on the same day.
The Penguins defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime at home last Sunday and defeated New York 3-2 in Pittsburgh on December 20.
Defender of the Penguins Jeff Petry did not return after absorbing an unpunished elbow from Motte early in the first period.
Captain of the penguins Sydney Crosby assisted on both Pittsburgh goals. He leads the team with 83 points and ensures the 35-year-old Penguins star has a point per game for the 18th time in his 18 NHL seasons. In 81 career games against Rangers, Crosby has recorded 38 goals and 66 assists.
REMARKS
The penguins scratched the defender Chad Ruhwedel and forward Nick Bonino And Dalton Heinen.
The Rangers scratched the injured defender Ryan Lindgren for the ninth game in a row. Rangers have been 28-9-5 since Dec. 5, when they turned their season around with a 6-4 home win over St. Louis.
Source : sports.yahoo.com