Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Vincent Trocheck each scored in the second period and the New York Rangers defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night.
Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves as the Rangers bounced back from Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to league-best Winnipeg for their fourth win in six games.
Timothy Liljegren and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks, who lost four of six (2-3-1). Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 32 shots.
Liljegren was credited with the game’s first goal at 2:51 of the opening period, when the puck deflected into the net from several players in front of Shesterkin.
Zibanejad tied the score with 9:19 left in the middle period. Vesey put the Rangers ahead with 6:45 left in the period, and Trocheck made it 3-1 with 3:39 to go.
Zetterlund closed the gap with a power play in the final minute.
Takeaways
Sharks: Barclay Goodrow, who played three seasons with the Rangers and scored six playoff goals last spring, received an ovation during a first-period stoppage when he appeared on the giant screen above center ice.
Rangers: Forward Filip Chytil left the game during the second period after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller. Chytil, who has a history of suspected concussions, went to the locker room. He returned for one shift in the second, but did not play in the third.
Key moment
Shesterkin denied Goodrow at 9:04 of the second on a close-in shot from the faceoff circle to keep it at one goal. He stopped Goodrow scoreless again with seven minutes left in the third.
Key statistics
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin had an assist on Trocheck’s goal, giving him 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists). He has a point in 14 of New York’s 15 games this season.
Next
Sharks visit Pittsburgh on Saturday to complete a four-game trip, and Rangers visit Seattle on Sunday to begin a four-game trip.
