Blake Wheeler of the New York Rangers being acknowledged by the fans of his former team, the Jets, in Winnipeg. Photo via Rangers PR
An overtime win in Winnipeg last night sealed the deal for the New York Rangers.
For the first time in their 97-year history, the Rangers swept a five-game road trip. The team had five games on the road in Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg, and won them all. Ten points in five games is exactly what the red-hot Rangers will take.
Tied in Winnipeg
Last night’s game in Winnipeg may have been the most thrilling of the wins. Tied 2-2 going into overtime, the Rangers fought off a brutally fishy tripping penalty which cost them a skater for the first two minutes of the extra period. Then, with 25.4 seconds left in overtime, Mika Zibanejad scored to win the game and seal the deal for the historic five-game stretch.
“We were determined to finish it off in the right way, and I thought we did,” Zibanejad said. “Just battle through it and try to get these two points. This one feels really good.”
“It’s awesome to be a part of a team that’s winning and finding ways to win,” Blake Wheeler said, who received a video tribute in Winnipeg after playing there for many years. “I don’t think we’ve necessarily hit our stride in terms of what we’re capable of yet, but to find ways to win games, that’s a great sign early in the season.”
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is in the midst of an amazing season thus far, had 20 saves in the game, including 5 in overtime. His record this season rose to 5-2-0 after the win. Artemi Panarin, the Breadman, also scored a goal on his 32nd birthday and extended his point streak to nine games.
“Four-on-threes on the power play are tough,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought our penalty kill did a really good job. They were in lanes and didn’t allow really much of anything. I thought they did an excellent job on the kill and got us to a point where we can come out of it and then get back to playing three-on-three.”
The Rangers will face the Carolina Hurricanes on home ice at the Garden on Thursday.
