Rangers Beat Golden Knights 2-1 in Hard Fought Contest – The Hockey Writers New York Rangers Latest News, Analysis & More

The New York Rangers traveled to Las Vegas to face the league-leading (by points percentage) Vegas Golden Knights in a highly anticipated matchup. Despite struggling for much of the season, the Rangers have found some momentum lately, earning points in four of their last five games, and seem to have turned a corner.

Game Recap

The first period was tightly contested, with neither team able to find the net. Both the Rangers and Golden Knights had their chances, but strong goaltending from Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Samsonov kept the game scoreless. Neither team was penalized during the frame. The Rangers dominated the shot count, outshooting Vegas 12-6, and appeared to be the more effective team as they controlled much of the play through the opening 20 minutes.

The second period brought more action, beginning with a penalty to Vincent Trocheck, just over five minutes into the period, for holding—a call he vehemently disagreed with—sending him to the box for two minutes. Just moments into Vegas’ power play, Mark Stone capitalized, finding the back of the net and giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.

The Rangers responded quickly, pushing back after allowing the goal. K’Andre Miller drew a tripping penalty from Keegan Kolesar, sending the Rangers to the power play. New York capitalized when Mika Zibanejad fired a one-timer that struck Trocheck, who had turned around to position himself in front of the net. Despite being visibly hurt, Trocheck managed to score, tying the game at 1-1.

With the game now even, the pace picked up as time wound down. Jack Eichel found himself alone in front of Igor Shesterkin but rang a shot off the crossbar, narrowly missing a go-ahead goal. In the final moments of the period, a mad scramble in front of Shesterkin ensued, and the puck crossed the line just after the buzzer sounded. The second period ended with the shots even at 12 apiece, reflecting a more balanced and intense back-and-forth between the two teams.

The teams entered the third period tied, but the deadlock was broken just over five minutes in when Adam Estrom scored on a spinning deflection, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Shortly after, Reilly Smith was called for tripping, putting Vegas on the power play. However, the Rangers’ penalty kill stood strong, successfully shutting down the Golden Knights’ advantage and maintaining their one-goal lead.

With just over two minutes left, Urho Vaakanainen was sent to the penalty box for hooking William Karlsson. The Rangers’ penalty kill stood tall, and the Rangers would hold on to win their second straight game, improving their record to 20-20-2, while the Golden Knights fell to 28-11-3.