Artemi Panarin scores in OT to lift Rangers past Penguins in Game 7
Justin Braun and Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers celebrate after defeating the Penguins in overtime during Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Rangers rallied.
Again.
“We didn’t want the season to end,” Mika Zibanejad said. “This has been our team all year.”
Although Sidney Crosby was back in their lineup and No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry was back in their net, the Penguins just could not put the Rangers away.
Instead, Artemi Panarin snapped a power-play shot from the right past Jarry at 4:46 of overtime to give the Rangers a 4-3 victory in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. They will face the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“He’s the guy, when I was into overtime, I said to myself, ‘I know he’s going to score,’ ’’ coach Gerard Gallant said of Panarin. “Sure enough, he makes a great play. But that’s our team. We compete. We battle and we find ways to win games that maybe we shouldn’t have.”
The Rangers fought back from a one-goal deficit in the third period — thanks to Zibanejad’s equalizer at 14:15 — and a 3-1 series deficit as they staved off elimination three times. They overcame 2-0 holes in their Game 5 and 6 victories and 2-1 and 3-2 deficits in Game 7, thus becoming the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to earn three consecutive comeback victories in elimination games within the same series.
“That’s a really good series, looking back on it,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “It’s up and down, back and forth. It’s a fun game to be a part of. You want to be part of close games, especially Game 7 overtimes, it’s a pretty fun game to win. Overall, it was a great series and now we’re moving on and we’ll focus on the next one.”
Igor Shesterkin, shaking off poor performances in Game 3 and 4 losses in Pittsburgh, often was brilliant in making 42 saves.
And when it ended, it was an absolute party at the Garden, with the sellout crowd saluting their No Quit team and the Rangers saluting back.
The Rangers are 10-6 in Game 7s and 8-1 at the Garden. It was their first Game 7 since the Lightning won the deciding game of the Eastern Conference finals, 2-0, at the Garden on May 29, 2015.
“It’s crazy,” said Zibanejad, who also had two assists. “I don’t think I’ve heard this building louder than Artie’s OT winner. I could not hear what I was thinking. People have been talking about Game 7 here and the crowd.”
The Rangers found themselves with a rare overtime power play after defenseman K’Andre Miller poked the puck up ice and was held by Brock McGinn.
Crosby, who practiced with the Penguins on Saturday, wound up missing only the Rangers’ 5-3 win in Game 6 on Friday night in Pittsburgh after taking a high hit from Trouba in the Rangers’ 5-3 win in Wednesday night’s Game 5 at the Garden.
Jarry, who struggled during the Penguins’ six-game loss to the Islanders in the first round last season but solidified his spot as the team’s No. 1 goalie this season by going 25-9-3 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, started his first game since April 14 as he recovered from a broken foot.
Jarry made 26 saves, none finer than denying Tyler Motte’s shorthanded breakaway at 8:39 of the third period with the Penguins holding a 3-2 lead.
“I think it is just being calm and putting your best foot forward,” Jarry said. “Being able to play, I was grateful for that and that they trusted to put me in.”
Zibanejad fed Chris Kreider — who scored the winner at 18:32 of the third period in the Rangers’ 5-3 victory in Game 6 on Friday night in Pittsburgh — on an odd-man rush for a one-timer from the right circle to make it 1-0 at 7:36. It was Kreider’s 29th career playoff goal, tying him with Mark Messier for second place in team history.
Danton Heinen tied it at 1 on the power play at 18:51 of the first period and Jake Guentzel gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead on the power play at 10:18 of the second period, kicking the puck into the air so he could swat it in.
Miller tied it at 2 at 11:23 as his shot from the left circle deflected in off defenseman Mike Matheson’s skate. Evan Rodrigues stole Filip Chytil’s cross-ice pass, raced up ice and gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead at 17:25 of the second period.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
