BY ALLAN KREDA
Vincent Trocheck scored the shootout winner and Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves and the New York Rangers rallied to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Saturday.
After an overtime in which each team had several good scoring chances, Trocheck beat Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner with the only goal of the shootout as the Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak. Shesterkin made five saves in overtime.
Mika Zibanejad and Taylor Raddysh also scored for the Rangers. The last-place Rangers are 7-15-5 at home this season.
Anthony Mantha and defenseman Ryan Shea scored for the Penguins, who had their two-game winning streak stopped. Pittsburgh is 8-1-2 since Jan. 17.
Mantha beat Shesterkin at 2:08 of the first with his 21st goal of the season. Shea made it 2-0 at 1:59 of the second with his fourth goal.
Zibanjead scored his team-leading 24th goal on the power play at the 10-minute mark of the second.
Raddysh tied it with his ninth at 2:57 of the third with assists to Vladislav Gavrikov and Brendan Brisson. It was Brisson’s first point as a Ranger.
Forward Tye Kartye, claimed off waivers from Seattle on Friday, made his Rangers debut.
Shesterkin made his second straight start since returning for Thursday’s 3-2 home overtime loss to Philadelphia. Shesterkin had suffered a lower-body injury suffered on Jan. 5
Skinner made 23 saves in defeat.
The Penguins under first-year head coach Dan Muse – a former Rangers assistant — lead the Rangers by 20 points in the Metropolitan Division.
The Rangers, coached by former Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, are last at 23-29-7.
The Penguins were without captain Sidney Crosby who suffered a lower-body injury at the Winter Olympics in Milan. The 38-year-old center leads Pittsburgh with 27 goals and 59 points. He is expected to miss four weeks.
Up next
Rangers: host Columbus on Monday.
Penguins: host Vegas on Sunday.
