Rangers Defeat the Penguins in Game 7 of Overtime

Time was running out in a season of unexpected success for the Rangers. They were losing by one goal and anxiety was rising in Madison Square Garden. It seemed like a great run was over.

But all season long, including the previous two playoff games, Rangers have found a way to come back to win, and on Sunday they did so at the most crucial time, in the most dramatic way.

Mika Zibanejad, who remained behind with a goal with less than six minutes left under the rules, shot him in the wrist to level the score. Then with 4 minutes and 45 seconds into overtime, Artemi Panarin took a power play to win Game 7 of the first-round playoff series 4-3, sending more than 18,000 fans at the Garden into delirium.

It has been a season where Rangers exceeded expectations and excited fans with their future potential. But the only thing unknown was his playoff experience and his ability to win on the biggest stage.

They definitely have it now, and it will come in handy when the Rangers face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs.

Faced with a three-game deficit, the Rangers recorded their first series win since 2017, while the Penguins lost their first 7-game away game after taking their first six wins in franchise history.

“We’ve been a resilient group all year and it hasn’t changed in this series,” Rangers winger Chris Kreider said in a televised interview after the game.

At the start of the match, there was great anticipation as to whether Sidney Crosby would play. It had been four days since Jacob Trouba. knocked him out from Game 5 With a crackling control, Trouba’s left elbow touches Crosby’s face. Trouba was not penalized in the game, and while it may seem deliberate at first, repetitions of certain angles indicated that Crosby may have kept his elbow high while playing the puck close to his feet.

Missing 115 games with concussions in his 17-season career, Crosby collapsed to the ground from the blow he received. After a short time, he left the game completely and did not play. Game 6, the Rangers won 5-3 at Pittsburgh. Before Sunday’s game 7, there were reports that Crosby had not been diagnosed with a concussion and may have been excluded for precautionary reasons.

About half an hour before Sunday’s game, a hum rose in the arena as Crosby skidded on the ice to warm up. Crosby is considered a villain to Rangers fans, partly due to his reputation for easily falling on the ice for punishment, and they mock his name with little sympathy for his illness.

But as a winner of three Stanley Cups, two regular season MVP awards, two playoff MVP awards, and multiple goal scoring trophies, there is little doubt about his talent and leadership. He was also the most menacing player for the Penguins in the first four games of the series before he got injured.

From the start of Sunday, Crosby convincingly smashed the ice, building teammates with penetrating passes and forcing Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin to do a stretch glove in the first period, except for a slap shot. In the second period, he assisted Jake Guentzel’s 201st playoff goal, tying him to Jaromir Jagr’s fifth-most games in NHL history.

Crosby was also the focus of a skirmish close to the Rangers’ stronghold late in the first period as he tried to separate the puck from Shesterkin. The Rangers didn’t appreciate this and Rangers defender Ryan Lindgren jumped on Crosby, which caused a minor commotion and resulted in matching penalties.

Rangers scored in the middle of the first period when Zibanejad and Kreider attacked on the ice for a two-on-one breakup. Moving down the left flank, Zibanejad passed over the ice to left-handed Kreider. and went to the castle, receiving an enthusiastic greeting from Kreider.

It was Kreider’s fifth goal in the series, his third in the last two games, and Zibanejad’s seventh assist. For Jarry, it was a nearly unstoppable shot and one of the first shots he had seen in the game in a month.

It was a calculated gamble when Penguins coach Mike Sullivan commissioned Jarry to kick off the game. Jarry has not played since April 14 due to an injury to his foot that is believed to be a broken bone. Third-row goalkeeper Louis Domingue played in the first six games for Pittsburgh, entering Game 1’s second overtime period and mostly solid. But the final goal, which saw Sullivan outrun Domingue, was not a great game for the keeper. Kreider’s game-winning shot from the spot with 1 minute 28 seconds left in Game 6 Hit Domingue’s fillbounced off his head and back into the goal.

Jarry is seen as a better goalkeeper, but there was no guarantee his reflexes would be sharp. But Sullivan was never afraid to make high-risk, high-reward moves.

With time running out in the first period, the Penguins leveled with a goal from Danton Heinen, which was awarded to the Penguins only after a re-examination. The teams also exchanged goals in the second period. Guentzel scored for Pittsburgh and K’Andre Miller tied the score for Rangers.

Later in the period, however, Evan Rodrigues scored a goal. remarkable backhand goal As the Penguins were leading 3-2 in the second break, a separation and tension escalated towards a gripping conclusion.