On Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Kings put up an LA Story in a win over the Boston Bruins.
On Sunday afternoon, th4 New York Rangers went one better with a Broadway opening in in the Meadowlands of New Jersey.
Trailing 5-3 to the Islanders in the back half of the Stadium Series games, the Ranges rallied with three goals in a span of 4:18 of game time to take a 6-5 win in extra time.
With the score at 5-3 at 15:52 of the third period, Chris Kreider deflected a shot by Artemi Panarin on the power play to pull the Rangers to within one, at 5-4.
Mika Zibanejad forced the extra session when he slapped home the tying goal from deep below the left circle for a 5-5 tie. The goal was also off the power in a 6-on-4 skating.
“This is a game we’ve been looking forward to,” Zibanejad said. “The atmosphere was incredible and to win in the way we did was incredible. … This is definitely on top of my list of experiences as games and memories I will take with me forever.”
Panarin won it with 10 seconds gone in the extra session, when he stole the puck in the slot, and went right, and Islanders player knocked the net off the posts as he was shooting. The pucj crossed the goal line.
After review, it was called a good goal for the win.
“Honestly, I don’t remember that goal very well at this point just because I got flooded with a wave of emotions, excitement,” Panarin said. “… The atmosphere was just exactly what we needed to secure that win.”
Igor Shesterkin was pulled on the Zibanejad goal for the extra skater, he made 35 saves in the win.
Vincent Trocheck hit for a double in the win.
The Rangers improved to 36-16-3, and are 5-0-0 in outdoor games.
The Rangers took a 1-0 lead with 88 seconds gone in the game off a shot from the point.
The Islanders then took control of the first period, and the game, when they potted three goals in the opening stanza.
“We got really good players, and a really good power play,” the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba said. “We were just as excited as everyone else in the place. As a team, that is a really fun game to play. … I think you have so many memories as a kid playing outside. … That’s such a dream. We’re all little kids at heart.”
Brock Nelson scored at 4:20 of the first to tie the game, 1-1. tied it 1-1 off a shot from the right side that eluded Shesterkin.
Bo Horvat abused the Rangers defense at 7:18 to score for a 2-1 lead to the Isles.
The Islanders’ Matthew Barzal hit off the power just 16 seconds later for 3-1 lead the Islanders headed to the middle frame.
The Islanders dropped to 22-18-14.
In the middle frame, Anders Lee hit off the power for the Islanders with 63 seconds gone in the frame for a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 advantage.
“This was a massive game for us as a group and I thought we played a really good game,” the Islanders’ Casey Cizikas said. “I thought we took it to them for 50-55 minutes and we just couldn’t get it done in the end.”
Trocheck scored his double in the middle frame to get the Rangers to within 4-3 headed to the third period.
“The first period, I thought we came in, we were a little sluggish and down on ourselves for the way we played,” Trocheck said. “And then at 4-1 in that second period, I thought we were playing well. So, I don’t think anybody had any ill feeling toward just the way that we’re playing, and it was just a matter of us sticking with it. Showing some urgency and I think we did that.”
His first came off the power play at 14:24 of the second to trim the deficit to 4-2. The goal came off a deflection of a shot by Panarin, with the puck being tipped by Trocheck’s blade and into the net for the goal.
He collected his double at 18:24, scoring off a scramble for the puck at the net.
“We found ourselves in the box, weren’t able to get the kills tonight against a really good power play,” Lee said. “… Minus the way that game ended, it was a pretty great experience. Both sets of fans were great, the building was great, saw a great hockey game, but that’s a sour ending for us.”
The Islanders reclaimed a two-goal lead when Alexander Romanov scored at 1:53 of the the third.
“Obviously when you have a 2-3 goal lead like we did, you have to find a way to get the two points and get the job done, and we just got to be a lot better,” the Isles’ Noah Dobson said.
Despite the deficit, all the game was a stage, and skaters were merely players; They have their exits and their entrances,
Apologies to the Bard for the paraphrase.
“Obviously it’s a big goal by Panarin, but it was an unbelievable game,” said Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, who won for the first time in five outdoor games coached (1-3-1). “When the game is coming down to it, and your best players on the ice get opportunities, power play, goalie pulled, and they needed to deliver to fight back in this game, and I just likely the resiliency.”
The Rangers’ rally belied their earlier efforts, but it was worth a curtain call.
Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves in the loss.