Rangers' Mika Zibanejad gets on stat sheet with two assists, empty-netter in win over Red Wings
Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers fights for the puck with Simon Edvinsson (77) in first period play against the Detroit Red WIngs at Madison Square Garden. October 14, 2024. Credit: Ed Quinn
The Rangers, coming off a sloppy overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday, cleaned up their act on Monday night at the Garden in a 4-1 victory over the Red Wings, that featured a bounceback performance from goaltender Igor Shesterkin, a three-point performance from Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith's first goal as a Ranger.
After allowing six goals on 25 shots in Saturday’s loss, Shesterkin made 31 saves against Detroit to earn his second win of the season.
Meanwhile, Smith, who was acquired by the Rangers in a trade with Pittsburgh over the summer, scored off a faceoff win by Mika Zibanejad (one goal, two assists) at 4:51 of the third period, adding an important insurance goal after Chris Kreider’s power-play goal late in the second period had broken a 1-1 tie and given the Rangers the lead.
All three members of the first line ended up scoring, as Zibanejad added an empty-netter at 18:38.
The two teams will play each other again Thursday in Detroit when the Rangers start a three-game trip.
Alexis Lafreniere’s second goal of the season, a sweeping one-timer from the right wing faceoff dot off an Artemi Panarin feed that Detroit goalie Alex Lyon probably would want to have back, opened the scoring at 11:45 of the first period. But the Red Wings tied it when Dylan Larkin beat the buzzer to end the period, poking in a pass from Justin Holl with 1.1 seconds left.
The Red Wings had the better of possession and had the edge territorially for most of the second period until an energetic shift by the Will Cuylle-Filip Chytil-Kaapo Kakko line seemed to get the Rangers started with about five minutes to go. Suddenly, the momentum shifted to the Blueshirts, who got a nifty tic-tac-toe sequence between Lafreniere, Panarin and Vincent Trocheck that led to a great glove save by Lyon with 3:55 to go.
Fifty-eight seconds later, Holl was sent off for a high sticking penalty against the Rangers’ 6-6 Adam Edstrom, giving the Rangers their fourth power play. And seven seconds into it, they cashed in, when Zibanejad’s diagonal pass was expertly deflected in by Kreider at the back post for his third goal of the season, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 17:05.
Shesterkin made a brilliant glove save to rob J.T. Compher of a goal from right on the crease with 1:58 left in the period, keeping the Rangers in front. They nearly extended their lead when Adam Fox backhanded a shot between Lyon’s pads with time running down. Unfortunately for the Rangers, this one did not beat the buzzer and the referees waved it off immediately as no goal.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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