Adam Fox netted the go-ahead goal and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves as the New York Rangers defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Sunday night.
The Rangers overcame a sluggish stretch to secure a franchise-record fifth road win in October, improving their season record to 6-2-1. This marks the most road victories New York has achieved in the first nine games of a season, largely thanks to Shesterkin’s stellar goaltending.
“We can sing his praises for days,” Fox said. “He keeps us in every game, and you never feel like you’re out.”
Chris Kreider and Barclay Goodrow also scored for the Rangers. Kreider’s goal at 3:38 in the first period tied him with Phil Esposito for the 15th-most goals in franchise history at 184.
Jordan Eberle scored for the Kraken, and Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves as Seattle fell to 3-5-1.
Goodrow initiated the scoring with a pass to Kreider, who launched a slapshot past Grubauer from 34 feet out on the rush. It was Goodrow’s first assist of the season.
Seattle increased their intensity afterward, but Shesterkin made several crucial saves as the Rangers struggled. The Kraken outshot the Rangers 13-2 in the second period and won 15 of 18 faceoffs. At one point, Shesterkin had to stop three shots after losing his stick behind the net.
Eberle tied the game in the second period with a backhander off a pass from Jaden Schwartz, catching Shesterkin off guard with 6:14 left. This goal ended Shesterkin’s streak of over 95 minutes without allowing a goal.
Shesterkin, who speaks limited English, emphasized focusing on the puck when playing without a stick.
“I faced some tough shots, but every time I see the puck, it was easy for me,” Shesterkin said.
Fox scored the deciding goal from the slot with eight minutes left in the third period, assisted by Artemi Panarin. Goodrow added an empty-net goal, his third of the season, with about two minutes remaining.
New York successfully killed four power plays, extending their streak to 22 out of the last 23 kills against the man advantage.
Seattle outshot New York 32-18. The loss ended Seattle’s two-game win streak but highlighted progress, as they went 2-2 during their first homestand.
“I think everybody’s heading in the right direction,” Grubauer said. “We’ve played a lot of minutes together and have certain standards to match every day or every game. Everything’s coming together.”
Game Notes
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant scratched D Nils Lundkvist without a detailed explanation, stating, “We just thought we’d dress what we thought was the 20 best players.” … F Max McCormick, recalled Saturday from Charlotte of the AHL after Seattle placed F Mason Appleton on injured reserve, played his first shifts for the Kraken on Sunday. He was forced into action after the team and assistant coach Paul McFarland put F Jared McCann in COVID-19 protocol. … Kreider has scored goals in three straight games played on Halloween.
UP NEXT
- Rangers: At Vancouver on Tuesday night.
- Kraken: At Edmonton on Monday night.
