Rangers rally past Islanders 6-4, but Lindgren, Panarin injured in preseason win
There was a little New York Rangers magic on display in the third period at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. And as a result, the Rangers erased a 4-1 deficit to rally past the New York Islanders 6-4 in their preseason home opener.
The Rangers scored all six goals in the third period, including five straight, and four in a span of 2:01. Zac Jones and Chris Kreider each had two goals and one assist to lead the comeback. Adam Edstrom scored the game-winner on a deflection with 38 seconds remaining in regulation, and also had an assist.
Adding to the feel-good mood was a third-period goal by Filip Chytil, who was knocked out of the game for an extended stretch in the first period following a thunderous open-ice hit by Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield.
However, defenseman Ryan Lindgren lasted only two shifts before he sustained an upper-body injury that forced him to miss the rest of the game.
Lindgren was cut and hurt in a fight with Mayfield after Chytil was steamrolled at center ice, less than six minutes into the first period. Chytil had to be helped off the ice and to the dressing room in a scary scene, considering his recent injury history.
Fortunately for Chytil — who favored his left leg coming off the ice — and the Rangers, the 25-year-old center returned to the game before the first period ended. However, Lindgren didn’t come back.
Then late in the third period, Artemi Panarin exited the game with a lower-body injury.
Jacob Trouba had two assists and Vincent Trocheck was plus-four in the win for the Rangers, who are 2-0-0 in the preseason. Mathew Barzal scored two goals and Anthony Duclair had two assists for the Islanders, who are 1-1-0.
Related: Matthew Robertson sidelined by injury, could hurt slim chance for roster spot
New York Rangers 6 – New York Islanders 4
After a scoreless first period when the Rangers were outshot 9-7, they allowed three goals in the second period to fall behind 3-0.
A Rangers turnover early in the period led to a 2-on-1 break for Barzal and Duclair, who signed with the Islanders this offseason. Barzal buried the give and go with only Ben Harpur back to put the Islanders up 1-0 at 3:41.
Forty seconds later, it was 2-0. Grant Hutton’s right-point shot deflected off Mika Zibanejad and redirected past Igor Shesterkin at 4:21. Shesterkin allowed two goals on 18 shots before being replaced by Jonathan Quick at 10:25 of the second period.
The Rangers came close to cutting into the deficit against Tikkanen, who replaced starter Semyon Varlamov halfway through the middle stanza. However, Tikkanen made a good save on Trouba’s blast, and then Zibanejad rang a shorthanded shot off the post at 12:01. Not surprisingly, that Zibanejad scoring chance was set up by Kreider on one of their patented shorthanded rushes up ice.
Barzal scored again off the rush, when his right-wing shot hit the near post, then caromed off the back of Quick and over the goal line at 15:48 to make it 3-0.
The Rangers finally broke through at 6:09 of the third period when Jones made a slick move on a breakaway to slip the puck between Tikkanen’s pads. Edstrom picked up the lone assist, making a perfect lead pass from his own end to spring Jones.
After Bo Horvat scored at 7:24 to make it 4-1, Chytil snapped a power-play shot past Tikkanen at 13:50 to get the Rangers within two. Then Jones scored again with 2:12 to play to make it a one-goal game.
Kreider pulled the Rangers even at 18:41, scoring on a snap shot from the bottom of the right circle, after a pretty pass from Alexis Lafreniere. Forty-one seconds later, Edstrom deflected home a shot by Trouba, and then Kreider iced it with an empty-net goal at 19:49.
The Rangers are home again to host the Boston Bruins in their preseason game on Thursday night.
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