DALLAS – Igor Shesterkin turned in an impressive performance, recording 41 saves, which included 23 stops during seven penalty kills. This helped the New York Rangers clinch a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Friday night, effectively snapping their three-game losing streak.

The Rangers made a noteworthy impact even while short-handed, as Reilly Smith scored a shorthanded goal that leveled the game in the first period. Vincent Trocheck then netted the go-ahead goal, while Chris Kreider sealed the game with an empty-net goal in the final moments of the third period.

For the Stars, Roope Hintz managed to find the net, but their efforts resulted in a balanced 3-3-0 record for their recent six-game homestand. Meanwhile, Jake Oettinger was in goal for the eighth consecutive game, making 27 saves throughout the night.

New York has now only won four of their last 18 games when conceding the first goal. Shesterkin’s performance included eight crucial saves during a five-minute elbowing penalty called on Matt Rempe in the third period.

Hintz stands out for the Stars, having scored four goals in the past six matches, bringing his season total to a team-leading 16 goals.

Both teams saw their early efforts thwarted, as a goal each was disallowed in the first 1:15 due to offside calls.

Takeaways from the match highlighted Artemi Panarin’s return for the Rangers, who missed the previous two games because of an upper body injury. Panarin contributed an assist on Trocheck’s goal. Additionally, Rempe, who had a game misconduct assessed, was instrumental in drawing all three penalties against Dallas.

For the Stars, their power play struggles continued, as they entered this game ranked last at home and saw their success rate dip to a mere 10.3%.

A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Smith intercepted the puck from Thomas Harley, Dallas’ lone defender during their power play. He capitalized on the opportunity, scoring to equalize the game after the Rangers had fallen behind.

A noteworthy statistic from the matchup showed that both teams, statistically among the best in penalty killing, managed to neutralize each other effectively during 23 combined power play minutes without any goals being scored.

Looking ahead, the Rangers are set to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, while the Stars will travel to Utah for their next game on Monday night.