Penguins at Rangers | Recap

NEW YORK -- Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck each had three points, and the New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Earlier Friday, the Rangers traded defenseman Jacob Trouba, who was their captain, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

“Yeah, it was tough,” Trocheck said. “I mean, every team you go to you build relationships with everybody on the team and as cliché as it sounds you become brothers with these guys. It’s always tough to see anybody go, but ‘Troubs’ I’ve known for a long time and for him to go as one of the big leaders on our team it’s always tough. It was a tough morning, obviously. We knew we had to come in here tonight and really show up.”

Reilly Smith’s third-period goal was the game-winner. Panarin scored two goals and had an assist. Trocheck added a goal late after already picking up two assists. Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for the Rangers (14-10-1), who had lost six of seven, all in regulation, coming into Friday.

“It's a starting point,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Like I said this morning, it’s a different direction and it’s a starting point for that. Yeah, a win is the way to start. If you’re going to start something in a different direction you’d like to get out with a win, you’d like to get out feeling like you played well in the game, and I think we accomplished that.”

PIT@NYR: Smith buries it to grab the lead

Blake Lizotte and Philip Tomasino scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves for the Penguins (11-13-4). Sidney Crosby played in his 1,300th NHL game.

Pittsburgh had a four-game winning streak end.

“Probably the worst game we’ve played in a month maybe,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Everything we talked about before the game we did the complete opposite. We talked about managing the puck; we gave up six 2-on-1s and a breakaway. We talked about bringing physicality to the game; we didn’t touch anybody. It’s hard to win when you do things like that.”

Sullivan had no answer when asked if there were any signs that a game like this could happen on the heels of a four-game winning streak.

“Our intentions have to be different,” Sullivan said. “We have to have a willingness to play the game the right way. We didn’t manage the puck. We were on the wrong side of the puck all night long. We didn’t win a puck battle. There wasn’t collective effort. Our intentions weren’t in the right spot from the drop of the puck. That’s my observation.”

Lizotte put the Penguins ahead 1-0 at 6:19 of the second period when he scored on Shesterkin with a shot into the far side of the net from above the left hash marks.

Panarin, though, tied it 1-1 at 7:28.

Trocheck led a breakout to Alexis Lafreniere on the left side of the offensive zone. Trocheck cut to the net and Lafreniere found Panarin trailing into the zone. He scored with a glove-side shot from above the right hash marks.

“More decisive, yeah,” Trocheck said. “That’s what we’re trying to get to; more decisiveness on the breakouts.

Panarin beat the buzzer before the second intermission to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead, scoring with a wrist shot from the right circle at 19:58.

He said he didn’t know how much time was on the clock when he got the puck.

“I have so much speed I feel like,” Panarin said. “I don’t know how it looked, but I just take it to the middle and tried shooting. I didn’t know how many seconds.”

The goal was the result of another clean breakout, with Braden Schneider moving the puck up to Trocheck, who found Panarin behind him with speed coming into the zone. Panarin attacked the Penguins defense, went into the circle and scored.

“I don’t think the second one was the best shot,” Nedeljkovic said. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t really on the puck, I was just a little bit on his body. If I make one more shuffle to my left it honestly probably gets me in the elbow. That was a tough one to swallow especially the timing of it.”

PIT@NYR: Trocheck, Panarin team up for the lead

Tomasino tied it 2-2 at 8:29 of the third period, getting the puck from Michael Bunting off the rush and scoring from between the circles 11 seconds after a Pittsburgh power play expired.

But Smith gave New York the 3-2 lead at 9:53, scoring on the second rebound after a 2-on-1 rush with Chris Kreider. Smith had the first shot and Mika Zibanejad trailed into the play for the second shot that Nedeljkovic got with his left skate. But Smith scored on the rebound.

“Chris pushes the ‘D’ back and then Mika jumps into the play and is able to keep it going,” Smith said. “It makes a huge difference. It’s the only reason it went in.”

Trocheck scored on a 2-on-1 rush with Lafreniere at 18:22 for the 4-2 final.

“There has been a cloud over our heads for a little while and when you lose games that’s what happens,” Trocheck said. “It takes wins like this and more passion, emotion out of everybody to get rid of that.”

NOTES: Smith’s goal was his fourth of the season and first since Nov. 9, a span of 11 games. … Smith also led the Rangers with six shots on goal. … Rangers defenseman Victor Mancini played 10:58 after being recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Friday. He replaced Trouba on the roster and in the lineup.

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