NEW YORK (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored late in the third period to tie the game and scored the winner on penalties as New York guards came together to defeat New York Ilhéus 3-2 for a franchise-record 54th win on Saturday.
Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves, Braden Schneider scored a free kick and Vicente Trocheck ended the shootout with another goal as the Rangers moved closer to winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best regular season record.
Panarin scored to open the penalty shootout against Ilya Sorokin. After Kyle Palmieri hit the post and Brock Nelson was stopped by Shesterkin, Trocheck ended the thrilling game between the longtime rivals with a shot into the bottom corner of the net that ended the Islanders’ six-game winning streak.
Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period to put the Islanders ahead 2–1, but Panarin scored his 48th goal with 4:17 remaining to tie the game and help the Rangers end a two-game losing streak.
The Islanders are 8-2-1 in their last 11 games and are closer to clinching a playoff spot thanks to their late-season rise under Patrick Roy, who replaced Lane Lambert as head coach on January 20. The Islanders are third in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points and two games remaining.
Sorokin finished with 40 saves.
Schneider put the Rangers ahead with a shorthand goal early in the middle period, Nelson scored at 11:42 and put the Islanders ahead with 28 seconds left on the rebound. Palmieri and Hudson Fasching assisted on both goals.
Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech had a chance to score an insurance goal on a penalty kick with 6:56 left in the third, but was denied by Shesterkin, who also stopped Mat Barzal with a windmill save at the end of extra time.
Panarin leads the Rangers with 118 points and has points in a franchise-record 66 of the Rangers’ 81 games this season.
The Rangers lead the Carolina Hurricanes by three points in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers play their final at home on Monday against Ottawa, while the Hurricanes have two games remaining.
The Rangers were coming off a 4-1 home loss to Philadelphia on Thursday, after losing 4-2 to the Islanders at UBS Arena last Tuesday.
Palmieri has scored points in seven of his last eight games, including the game-winner in overtime against Montreal on Tuesday.
The Islanders were without their best defenseman Noah Dobson, who missed the game with an upper-body injury suffered in Tuesday’s overtime home win over Montreal. Dobson has played in all 79 previous games this season and leads the Islanders with 60 assists.
Rangers advance Matt Rempe was back in the lineup after being injured healthy in the previous two games and in six of the last eight games.
Next:
Rangers: Hosting Ottawa Senators on Monday
Islanders: Visiting New Jersey Devils on Monday
