CHICAGO — The feel-good energy the Rangers generated over the past two games partially dissipated after just one inning.
Facing the last-place Blackhawks, the Blueshirts scored two points in the final frame of their game against United on Friday night before restoring their reputation with Mika Zibanejad’s game-winning goal 2:37 into overtime. took the lead. center.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin and the Rangers allowed goals to Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson between 5:21 of the third period, forcing the Blackhawks to overtime and winning for the first time since Jan. 19. Earned a point.
Chicago was without prized No. 1 pick Connor Bedard (fractured jaw) for 13 straight games and had lost five straight entering Friday night’s contest.
During that time, the Blackhawks suffered three shutout losses and continued to sink further into the bottom of the NHL.
Not only was this game a must for Shesterkin, who was making his first start since a tough January, but it was also crucial for the Rangers to maintain the same level of play against a lower-ranked team.
For 40 minutes, they did so. But when the regulations reached their final stage, everything came back to a blank slate.
Both teams entered the game less than five minutes into the game, and the Blackhawks’ Alex Vlasic scored the first goal while Shesterkin was under heavy scrutiny.
The Rangers responded immediately after some strong puck movement in the offensive zone.
Quandre Miller’s backhand feed from the middle of the zone lifted Alexis Lafreniere for his 14th goal of the season.
Then, 1 minute, 27 seconds later, the Rangers took advantage of the home team’s dysfunction to take their first lead when Blackhawks forward Boris Katyuk lost his skate blade.
The puck flew into Chicago’s zone and Adam Fox pulled it up before dishing to Chris Kreider on the side of the net for an easy tap-in.
The third line of Will Quill, Johnny Brodzinski, and Kaapo Kakko has been the Rangers’ most consistent line in recent years, and the trio scored the club’s decisive goal at the 9:02 mark of the second period. This created a 3-1 lead.
Kakko powerfully carried the puck into the Blackhawks’ zone and put it on net, where Quill swooped and missed the goal, but Brodzinski buried his fourth goal of the season, a career high he set with the Kings in 2017-18. lined up.
The Rangers’ power play, which had been sluggish at 0-for-11 with just 11 shots in their previous five games, continued to slump despite the game’s first three-man advantage opportunity.
They struggled so much that head coach Peter Laviolette sent out the second unit to start the Rangers’ third power play, highlighting how underachieving the star-studded first group was. It was a rare event.
