LAS VEGAS — In an exciting encounter on Saturday night, Adam Edstrom scored the decisive goal, tipping Jonny Brodzinski’s shot into the net at 5:57 of the third period, leading the New York Rangers to a tight 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Rangers have been resilient, boasting a record of 4-1-1 following a rough stretch where they were outscored 19-6 during four consecutive losses. After a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over New Jersey on Thursday, they have now achieved back-to-back wins for the first time since a three-game winning streak in mid-November.
On the other hand, Vegas faced a second straight defeat after being shut out 4-0 by the New York Islanders just days before. This marks the first time since November 17-20 that the Golden Knights have dropped consecutive games.
In addition to Edstrom’s goal, Vincent Trocheck also found the back of the net for the Rangers during a power play, while their goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 29 crucial saves throughout the match. For Vegas, Mark Stone managed to score on a power play, and their goaltender Ilya Samsonov recorded 24 saves.
Ivan Barbashev made his return for the Golden Knights after a 10-game absence due to an upper-body injury. Despite his time off, he is currently tied with Brett Howden for the team lead with 15 goals. Barbashev wasted no time making his presence felt, launching a shot on goal just 17 seconds into the game.
Takeaways from the game reveal that Rangers’ star forwards Artemi Panarin and Trocheck are on a roll, with both players contributing at least one point over the last four games, totaling a remarkable 12 points combined (five goals and seven assists) during that stretch.
For the Golden Knights, it was a disappointing performance given that they entered the game ranked fourth in the league with an impressive average of 3.46 goals per game. However, they have struggled to find the net, managing a mere single goal in their last two losses.
A notable moment in the game was when the Rangers found themselves trailing 1-0 in the second period. A fortunate event occurred when the puck deflected off Mika Zibanejad’s stick and struck Trocheck in the stomach. In a remarkable display of skill, Trocheck managed to backhand the puck past the goalie, tying the game before heading to the locker room. Fortunately, he returned shorty after.
A key statistic from this matchup is that the Rangers have scored a total of four power-play goals in their last three games.
Looking ahead, the Rangers will face off against Colorado on Tuesday night, while the Golden Knights are set to host Minnesota on Sunday evening.
