The New York Rangers’ home opener was nothing if not entertaining. But in the end, it was a loss, their first of the young season.
Clayton Keller scored at 4:05 of overtime to lift the Utah Hockey Club to a 6-5 victory over the Rangers, who never had a lead.
It was rough night for Igor Shesterkin, who was often abandoned by his defense. After posting a 29-save shutout in the season-opening 6-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, Shesterkin allowed six goals on 25 shots Saturday.
Keller had two goals and three points for Utah, which improved to 3-0-0 in its inaugural season. Goalie Connor Ingram made 29 saves.
Artemi Panarin scored twice for the Rangers and Adam Fox had three assists. K’Andre Miller, Braden Schneider and Will Cuylle also scored for the Rangers. A goalie interference call by Mat Rempe cost rookie defenseman Victor Mancini his first NHL goal.
“We were chasing the game the whole night,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said postgame. “Could never get ahead of it. Caught it a couple times, but could never get ahead of it. That’s frustrating.”
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Utah Hockey Club 6 – New York Rangers 5 (OT)
The Rangers chased Utah on the scoreboard, sometimes catching up but never able to pull ahead in a wild opening 40 minutes.
Barrett Hayton opened the scoring at 3:43 of the first period, after Keller found him all alone following a cross-ice pass to left wing. Somehow no one picked Hayton up defensively, when Jacob Trouba and Schneider ended up on the same side of the ice, their backs to Hayton.
Panarin tied it up with his first of the game — and of the season — at 8:38. After taking a drop pass from Alexis Lafreniere inside the blue line, Panarin wired a shot between the defenseman’s legs and past the glove of Ingram.
The Rangers had their best chance to take the lead later in the period, but Kaapo Kakko’s rebound attempt was stuffed by Ingram, and the teams headed into the first intermission tied 1-1.
Things really got wild in the second period, when Utah and New York combined for seven goals and one big brawl. It started just 1:48 into the second when Jack McBain scored off a scramble to give Utah a 2-1 lead.
The Rangers answered back when Panarin potted his second goal just 2:03 later. Alone in the left circle on the power play after a pass from Fox, Panarin skated to the dot and drove a shot past Ingram to tie the game.
But Utah scored consecutive even-strength goals just 2:36 apart to grab a 4-2 lead. First it was Keller scoring against a defenseless Shesterkin right after a Miller giveaway at 6:02. Then Kevin Stenlund scored off the rush, beating Shesterkin short side from right wing at 8:38.
But 30 seconds later, the Rangers caught a break when Miller’s dump-in from outside the blue line wound up in the back of the net after a crazy bounce and Ingram caught behind his own cage.
Five seconds after that goal, two fights broke out, and Rangers forward Adam Edstrom was assessed a game misconduct. With The Garden going bonkers, the Rangers failed to seize momentum. Instead, Cuylle and Miller took minor penalties shortly after the fights and it cost the Rangers.
Down two men, the Rangers killed off Cuylle’s penalty, but Dylan Guenther scored his League-leading fifth goal on the 5-on-4 to make it 5-3 at 13:59.
Schneider pulled the Rangers within one at 17:59, when he walked in alone on left wing to score his first of the season.
The Rangers settled down in the third period and began to take the game to Utah. Cuylle was credited with the tying goal at 12:56 when Fox’s rebound chip shot hit the forward in a scramble and caromed into the net.
That goal got the Rangers to overtime and a point in the standings. But even an incredible save by Shesterkin on Matias Maccelli’s 2-on-1 try with 2:05 remaining wasn’t enough for New York to secure that second point.
Keller ended this crazy game shortly after that huge save, when he came out from behind the net and roofed a shot past Shesterkin for the 6-5 final.
The Rangers look to regroup when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday in the first of a home-and-home set.
