NEW YORK — You wouldn’t call that a clean win. Or even a dominating one, though the New York Rangers had the puck an awful lot and held a 30-9 shot advantage midway through the second period against the Minnesota Wild.
The Rangers did just enough wrong to have to sweat this one out, with a few ghastly turnovers, a short-handed goal against and another o-fer on the power play, which is now 2 for its last 41.
Advertisement
But with a handful of games to go and the team still in the playoff hunt, the only thing that matters is the two points. The Rangers secured one getting to overtime then got the other on Vincent Trocheck’s tap-in of Artemi Panarin’s pass 24 seconds into OT, a 5-4 win that won’t go down as a thing of beauty but does put the Rangers back on the Canadiens’ heels in the chase for the last playoff spot.
ARTEMI PANARIN TO VINCENT TROCHECK!
RANGERS WIN IN OVERTIME!#NYR pic.twitter.com/EY7kDlufrR
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 3, 2025
Both teams have 79 points, with the Canadiens playing their game in hand on Thursday against the Bruins. The Rangers have seven games to go and there’s no time for breaking down film or harping on the mistakes.
“We’re doing anything we can to get those wins in our column right now,” K’Andre Miller said.
Some takeaways, including Gabe Perreault’s NHL debut and the incredibly shrinking power play:
A solid attack
The Rangers were on their toes through most of this one, with 11 of the game’s first 12 shots on Filip Gustavsson. Peter Laviolette was encouraged that, with Perreault’s addition to the lineup, the Rangers had four pretty balanced lines that all contributed — even Chris Kreider, dropped to the fourth line, scored his 20th of the season, giving him seven consecutive years of 20-plus goals and 10 of the last 11 seasons with 20 or more.
The shot attempts for the game were 78-52 in the Rangers’ favor. Even being down a goal following a lopsided first period didn’t faze them.
“We knew what type of game we were having and what this game meant to us,” Miller said. “Just had to stick with it and finish it.”
But oh, those turnovers
This year’s Rangers team does have a knack for finding new and different ways of breaking down in its own end. Twice on Wednesday, once on a first-period Wild power play and once in the opening minute of the third, two failed zone exits resulted in Minnesota having a two-on-none from the hash marks down. Gustav Nyquist converted the first one after Trocheck flubbed a clear and Marco Rossi converted the second and Miller had the puck taken off his stick.
Advertisement
Between those and Marcus Johansson’s short-handed goal in the second, which came after Trocheck got caught twisting and turning in the neutral zone under pressure from Nyquist and the other four power-play members were standing still near the Minnesota blue line, the Rangers’ sloppiness bit them seemingly every time it cropped up. Igor Shesterkin only made 20 saves on the night and it was hard to fault him on any of the Wild goals.
“There’s always a thing or you’d like to take back in a game. If we could take back five things tonight, we would,” Laviolette said. “It wasn’t like we overloaded (on breakdowns), we made mistakes and they cost us.”
The Wild is a pretty fragile team right now too, having coughed up a pretty nice cushion over the last six weeks — Minnesota was nine points clear of the second wild-card spot on Feb. 22 and now it’s holding onto the first wild-card spot by a tiebreaker over the Blues — so the Rangers could have driven Minny deeper into a hole without those egregious errors.
And oh, the power play
Imagine a recent season in which the Rangers, in a tie game, get three power plays over the final 9:14 of regulation, including a 24-second five-on-three. Game over, right?
Not this year. The flailing power play was 0-for-4 on Wednesday and produced five total shots with the advantage; the best scoring chance of those three third-period power plays was Matt Boldy’s short-handed try for Minnesota.
The Rangers’ power play is 2 for its last 41 now and sits 27th in the league at 17.4 percent. It was a 23.3 percent effective power play through the end of November and, again, it’s not as if GM Chris Drury’s trades have removed key pieces from the group. To the contrary: Adding J.T. Miller was supposed to make the power play even more potent.
Laviolette switched up a couple of players from the two units mid-game on Wednesday, moving J.T. Miller up and dropping Trocheck. Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have shifted around, too. Perreault got time on the second unit in his debut. Nothing has worked in the last 15 games.
Advertisement
“It’s not like we’re sitting here stuck on one thing,” Laviolette said. “We’re moving it around. We’re trying different options and we work on it in practice. It’s an opportunity to make a difference in a game like tonight. There’s no question special teams can factor in the game. They’ve been a real positive for us for a long time. But we’re in a little bit of a funk right now with it.”
Perreault with a solid start
Perreault got the rookie lap at the Garden on Wednesday and couldn’t contain a smile when he saw a slew of his Boston College teammates on the glass roaring for him, as that same group did a night earlier in Boston for another NHL debut, that of Caps forward Ryan Leonard. Drew Fortescue, also a Rangers draft pick, was with the boys at the Garden.
Perreault played 13:38 and wasn’t skipped at all at five-on-five or on the power play, where he got 3:01. He had three shots and a couple of nice passes, including one early in the game that caught Alexis Lafrenière so off-guard that he ended up falling down with an open look. Perreault also got a stick on Brock Faber’s point shot, unfortunately, redirecting it through Shesterkin’s pads for a 2-1 Wild lead in the first.
All in all, a very solid debut. Perreault didn’t look at all out of place and the Rangers could very much use what the 19-year-old can bring down the stretch here.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Španělé ze Skotska! Ostrovní soupeř překvapil kapitána Sparty
Sparta, stejně jako před každým zápasem, absolvovala několik sezení u videa. Realizační tým vrýval hráčům do hlav poznatky třeba o způsobu výstavby hry. No, a ten by mohl leckoho překvapit.„Možná byste od skotského týmu čekali, že bude hrát ostrovní fotbal. Od stopera kopne vysoký balon na útočníka. Ale z videa to skoro vypadalo, jak kdybychom hráli s nějakými Španěly,“ vykládal Haraslín.„To zase ne, pořád jsme skotský mančaft,“ reagoval na jeho slova s úsměvem kouč Aberdeenu Jimmy Thelin. Zkusí to i na Letné hezky po zemi odzadu? Možná by se to nabízelo, jeho svěřenci už vzhledem k zisku pouhých dvou bodů neživí ani teoretickou šanci na místenku do pohárového jara.„Snažíme se na výstavbě hry pracovat, zlepšovat se v rozehrávce. Bude to zajímavá konfrontace, protože Sparta je skvělá v presinku,“ tuší Thelin. Trenér Aberdeenu, mimochodem, během tiskové konference několikrát pochválil realizační tým svého čtvrtečního soka. V čele s Brianem Priskem.„Sparta má velmi dobrého trenéra. […]
Vejmelka znovu zářil. Utahu vychytal patnáctou výhru a vládne celé soutěži
Mužstvu ze Salt Lake City patří v Západní konferenci devátá příčka, má stejný počet bodů jako Los Angeles a San Jose. Detroit je na Východě nadále třetí.Jediným hráčem, kterému se devětadvacetiletého Vejmelku podařilo překonat, byl v 50. minutě v početní převaze Emmitt Finnie, jenž snížil na 1:2.Do dvoubrankového vedení poslali Mammoth během druhé třetiny kapitán Clayton Keller a Jack McBain, jehož gól byl nakonec vítězný. V poslední pětiminutovce úspěch hostů pojistili Dylan Guenther a Kevin Stenlund, jejichž branky dělilo pouhých 31 sekund.NHL:Florida - Los Angeles 3:2Detroit - Utah 1:4St. Louis - Winnipeg 1:0Nashville - Carolina 1:4Utkání Vegas - New Jersey se ještě hraje.
Zach Wilson ‘frustrated’ after Dolphins pick Quinn Ewers as starter over him after Tua Tagovailoa benching
It wasn't exactly a surprise when the Miami Dolphins announced Wednesday they were benching starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That had been a long time coming.It was, however, somewhat unexpected when the team tapped seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers as the new starter and not the more experienced Zach Wilson. Especially for Wilson, apparently.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking with the Miami Herald after Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced the change under center, Wilson reportedly said he was "frustrated" and maybe a little confused as well" about being passed over for starting duties this coming Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.He did wish Ewers well, though, via the Herald:"Of course I would love to play," Wilson said. "...I can't control that. My job is to go out and do the best I can. Keep preparing, .... getting better, supporting Quinn. Excited for him to get his first […]
Olivier Rioux, Florida’s 7-foot-9 center, makes college basketball history with first career field goal
Getty Images Florida center Olivier Rioux made history on Wednesday during his team's 102-61 win over Saint Francis. Rioux, who stands at 7-foot-9, became the tallest player in college basketball history -- at any level -- to score a basket. His lone points of the game came with 42 seconds remaining, when he threw down a two-handed flush.Rioux, 19, had previously appeared in two games this season for the reigning national champions. Rioux logged two minutes against North Florida last month and scored the first points of his college career against Merrimack two weeks later. The center from Canada logged three minutes in that game and went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.Here is Rioux's basket against Saint Francis that made history. In 2021, Guinness World Records declared Rioux the tallest teenager in the world at 7-foot-5. When he […]
Florida’s Olivier Rioux, who stands 7-foot-9, sets college basketball record with first career dunk
Olivier Rioux made even more history on Wednesday night during No. 23 Florida’s 102-61 win over Saint Francis.The 7-foot-9 center threw down an incredibly easy dunk in the final minute of the blowout win at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, on Wednesday, which made him the tallest player in college basketball history to ever make a field goal. Naturally, the Gators’ bench lost it.Rioux, who actually has a spot in the Guiness World Records book as the world’s tallest teenager, redshirted last season with the Gators. He played his first minutes last month against North Florida, which set a different record for the tallest person to ever play in a college basketball game, and then went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line against Merrimack.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinally, on Wednesday night, he hit his first field goal — which looked like it […]
Seahawks vs. Rams odds, predictions: Best bets, player-prop wagers for Thursday Night Football
This is one of the toughest Thursday Night Football previews I have written this season, because the largest looming factor over this game is the weather report.All week there has been a projected 90% chance of rain in Seattle. The biggest move in the betting market has been on the game total, dropping from an opener of 45.5 all the way down to 42 now. I was lucky enough to identify this in my Tuesday article and recommend an under 44.5.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut at this point in the betting cycle — and truthfully at this point in the betting legalization era — sportsbooks have gotten incredibly sharp when it comes to factoring in weather conditions. The expected sustained wind of 13 mph with gusts north of 20 mph is priced into everything from the game lines to the passing and kicking player […]
Related
Španělé ze Skotska! Ostrovní soupeř překvapil kapitána Sparty
Sparta, stejně jako před každým zápasem, absolvovala několik sezení u videa. Realizační tým vrýval hráčům do hlav poznatky třeba o způsobu výstavby hry. No, a ten by mohl leckoho překvapit.„Možná byste od skotského týmu čekali, že bude hrát ostrovní fotbal. Od stopera kopne vysoký balon na útočníka. Ale z videa to skoro vypadalo, jak kdybychom hráli s nějakými Španěly,“ vykládal Haraslín.„To zase ne, pořád jsme skotský mančaft,“ reagoval na jeho slova s úsměvem kouč Aberdeenu Jimmy Thelin. Zkusí to i na Letné hezky po zemi odzadu? Možná by se to nabízelo, jeho svěřenci už vzhledem k zisku pouhých dvou bodů neživí ani teoretickou šanci na místenku do pohárového jara.„Snažíme se na výstavbě hry pracovat, zlepšovat se v rozehrávce. Bude to zajímavá konfrontace, protože Sparta je skvělá v presinku,“ tuší Thelin. Trenér Aberdeenu, mimochodem, během tiskové konference několikrát pochválil realizační tým svého čtvrtečního soka. V čele s Brianem Priskem.„Sparta má velmi dobrého trenéra. […]
Vejmelka znovu zářil. Utahu vychytal patnáctou výhru a vládne celé soutěži
Mužstvu ze Salt Lake City patří v Západní konferenci devátá příčka, má stejný počet bodů jako Los Angeles a San Jose. Detroit je na Východě nadále třetí.Jediným hráčem, kterému se devětadvacetiletého Vejmelku podařilo překonat, byl v 50. minutě v početní převaze Emmitt Finnie, jenž snížil na 1:2.Do dvoubrankového vedení poslali Mammoth během druhé třetiny kapitán Clayton Keller a Jack McBain, jehož gól byl nakonec vítězný. V poslední pětiminutovce úspěch hostů pojistili Dylan Guenther a Kevin Stenlund, jejichž branky dělilo pouhých 31 sekund.NHL:Florida - Los Angeles 3:2Detroit - Utah 1:4St. Louis - Winnipeg 1:0Nashville - Carolina 1:4Utkání Vegas - New Jersey se ještě hraje.
Zach Wilson ‘frustrated’ after Dolphins pick Quinn Ewers as starter over him after Tua Tagovailoa benching
It wasn't exactly a surprise when the Miami Dolphins announced Wednesday they were benching starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That had been a long time coming.It was, however, somewhat unexpected when the team tapped seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers as the new starter and not the more experienced Zach Wilson. Especially for Wilson, apparently.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSpeaking with the Miami Herald after Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced the change under center, Wilson reportedly said he was "frustrated" and maybe a little confused as well" about being passed over for starting duties this coming Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.He did wish Ewers well, though, via the Herald:"Of course I would love to play," Wilson said. "...I can't control that. My job is to go out and do the best I can. Keep preparing, .... getting better, supporting Quinn. Excited for him to get his first […]
Olivier Rioux, Florida’s 7-foot-9 center, makes college basketball history with first career field goal
Getty Images Florida center Olivier Rioux made history on Wednesday during his team's 102-61 win over Saint Francis. Rioux, who stands at 7-foot-9, became the tallest player in college basketball history -- at any level -- to score a basket. His lone points of the game came with 42 seconds remaining, when he threw down a two-handed flush.Rioux, 19, had previously appeared in two games this season for the reigning national champions. Rioux logged two minutes against North Florida last month and scored the first points of his college career against Merrimack two weeks later. The center from Canada logged three minutes in that game and went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line.Here is Rioux's basket against Saint Francis that made history. In 2021, Guinness World Records declared Rioux the tallest teenager in the world at 7-foot-5. When he […]
Florida’s Olivier Rioux, who stands 7-foot-9, sets college basketball record with first career dunk
Olivier Rioux made even more history on Wednesday night during No. 23 Florida’s 102-61 win over Saint Francis.The 7-foot-9 center threw down an incredibly easy dunk in the final minute of the blowout win at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, on Wednesday, which made him the tallest player in college basketball history to ever make a field goal. Naturally, the Gators’ bench lost it.Rioux, who actually has a spot in the Guiness World Records book as the world’s tallest teenager, redshirted last season with the Gators. He played his first minutes last month against North Florida, which set a different record for the tallest person to ever play in a college basketball game, and then went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line against Merrimack.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFinally, on Wednesday night, he hit his first field goal — which looked like it […]
Seahawks vs. Rams odds, predictions: Best bets, player-prop wagers for Thursday Night Football
This is one of the toughest Thursday Night Football previews I have written this season, because the largest looming factor over this game is the weather report.All week there has been a projected 90% chance of rain in Seattle. The biggest move in the betting market has been on the game total, dropping from an opener of 45.5 all the way down to 42 now. I was lucky enough to identify this in my Tuesday article and recommend an under 44.5.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut at this point in the betting cycle — and truthfully at this point in the betting legalization era — sportsbooks have gotten incredibly sharp when it comes to factoring in weather conditions. The expected sustained wind of 13 mph with gusts north of 20 mph is priced into everything from the game lines to the passing and kicking player […]
Be the first to leave a comment