Rangers win second straight as defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov scores again
Rangers' Mika Zibanejad, right, celebrates his goal with teammate J.T. Miller against the Senators during the first period on Thursday in Ottawa. Credit: AP/Spencer Colby
OTTAWA, Ontario – After he scored the winning goal in overtime Tuesday against the Dallas Stars, Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov said the Blueshirts were going to need all of their defensemen to step up and try to help make up for the absence of the injured Adam Fox.
Against the Ottawa Senators Thursday, for the second straight game, the Rangers got two goals from defensemen, with Gavrikov scoring for the second consecutive game, and the unlikely Will Borgen getting the game-winner in what turned out to be a 4-2 win, their second straight and fifth in the last six games.
Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin (into an empty net, with 44.0 seconds remaining) scored the Rangers’ other goals, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin had 25 saves to get the win. Panarin’s goal was his 900th career point.
Shesterkin had to stand tall in the third period after the Rangers entered the period with a 3-1 lead, but surrendered a power-play goal to Drake Batherson at 13:08.
The victory lifted the Rangers’ road record to 12-4-1, and their overall to 15-12-2. They are 2-0 without Fox, who is on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
They took an early lead when Panarin’s backhand clearing pass sent J.T. Miller and Zibanejad on a two-on-one break, and Miller passed to Zibanejad, who finished at 3:19 of the first period for his team-leading 10th goal. Gavrikov’s goal, his third in the last four games, at 9:45, made it 2-0.
The goal was Gavrikov’s sixth of the season, tying his career high, set in 2023-24 with the L.A. Kings.
Will Cuylle’s holding penalty with 2:17 left in the period put Ottawa on the power play, and the Senators cashed in with a goal by Dylan Cozens at 18:30. Cozens took a pass from Drake Batherson in the upper part of the left wing circle and whipped a shot past Shesterkin at 18:30.
But the Rangers dominated play in the second period, and went up 3-1 on a goal from Borgen, who took a no-look, backhand, cross-ice pass from his defense partner Carson Soucy at the right point, walked down to the high slot and whipped a shot through traffic and past goalie Leevi Merilainen at 7:24.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
More Rangers
