Post-game takeaways: Igor Shesterkin, PK fuels Rangers much-needed win

DALLAS – If the Rangers wanted to turn things around this season, they had to start somewhere.

Maybe that was Friday night in Dallas.

Things didn’t look pretty in the beginning and they took too many penalties overall, but the kill was excellent and they held on for a 3-1 victory over the Stars at American Airlines Center.

This ended a three-game losing streak and at least briefly stopped the bleeding after losing 11 of the last 14.

“It’s huge,” said Adam Fox, who again led the team with a time on the ice of 27:15, including 6:50 shorthanded. “It’s obviously not a secret. We didn’t like our game last month, shall we say. We spoke as a group. We know we have this within us. It takes everyone to make it. It’s not a single guy here and there.”

Matt Rempe: The Rangers are looking for a big rookie to make a splash

The Rangers (16-15-1) had won just three of 17 previous games when they conceded the first goal before recording their fourth comeback win of the season on Friday.

The penalty kill was the focus of those efforts, with the Blueshirts thwarting a total of seven power play opportunities for the Stars, including a five-minute major in the final period. That, along with 41 saves from Igor Shesterkin (including 21 shorthanded), helped them overcome a 42-30 deficit in shots and a 19-11 deficit in high-danger scoring opportunities, according to Natural Stat Trick.

It also gave them a gutsy win as they began a difficult stretch that has seen them face seven straight teams currently in the playoffs, with the Carolina Hurricanes next up at home on Sunday afternoon.

“We needed it,” said Reilly Smith, who scored a crucial shorthanded goal in the first period. “We have two more games coming up just before the (Christmas) break and we need to make sure we have that mindset for the next game. We have to try to collect as many points as possible before the break and then we will take stock. But for now we have to try to make up for lost time. We have lost a lot in the last few weeks so we really need to come together as a team and make sure we can get points.”

The penalty kill is huge

The first impression was that the Rangers were heading for another disappointment. They started the game flat and looked particularly relaxed on defense.

Roope Hintz beat Mika Zibanejad with a rebound in the slot to give the Stars a 1-0 lead at 1:46, but it could have been worse. The struggling Zibanejad was also the culprit moments earlier when Jamie Benn outmaneuvered him on another juicy rebound, but he was lucky when Rangers coach Peter Laviolette challenged the play for offside and the goal was overturned.

“A couple of sloppy plays,” Fox said. “The first hit was five feet offside. Yes, they scored a goal, but we didn’t really get much out of it. Obviously they scored shortly after, but I think it was good of us not to get demoralized and concede it. “The energy and execution was there, I think that really paid off for us.

Shesterkin made some difficult saves in the first ten minutes to limit the damage, keeping New York close enough to turn the momentum around on its first penalty shootout.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Rangers have looked their best when shorthanded this season. Their defense steps up in such man-down situations and their forwards have shown an attacking mentality that was missing in the five-on-five system.

“As a penalty killer, you have to be ready to go on offense,” Smith said. “Usually you have five guys on the other side trying to go on offense and they’re not too worried about missing opportunities. That’s not at the forefront of their mindset, so as soon as you turn the puck over, sometimes you can get the jump on a guy and create some weird rushes. We’re doing that well.

Smith turned the game around by converting a penalty kick at 10:44.

He pounced when Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley misplayed a puck at the blue line and turned it into a breakaway goal that tied the score at 1-1.

“It’s a big goalie, so just try to hit him low,” Smith said of Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger. “You don’t see much of the net, so sometimes you just try to force one past him.”

From that point on, the Rangers looked like a different team — “It just breathed life into the bench,” Laviolette said — and less than five minutes later, Vincent Trocheck scored the go-ahead with a long-range shot from the point.

They were outnumbered 33-16 overall over the final two periods, but finished 7-7 on PKs, meaning they are now No. 1 in the NHL with an 88% success rate. The Blueshirts used 13 different outfield players in shorthanded situations, including all six defenders.

“Seventeen minutes on the PK is pretty grim,” Trocheck said. “If things go like they did tonight, we can add a lot of momentum to our PK.”

Matt Rempe has a positive impact – until the end

For much of the game, Matt Rempe seemed to be a big bright spot.

In his first NHL appearance since November 25, the 6-foot-2 forward’s controlled aggression made a noticeable difference for the previously lethargic Rangers.

Rempe picked up the pace and converted three Dallas penalties in the second period alone. The Rangers failed to convert any of them, but the Stars had to deal with it all night long. That included some of his usual thunderous hits, including a couple of high-speed collisions with 6-foot-2 defender Lian Bichsel.

Laviolette said before the game that the Rangers needed more size, speed and physicality, and for more than two periods of play, Rempe provided all three.

“I thought he had a big impact on the game,” Laviolette said. “Our boys also worked hard for this.”

But with 12:47 to go he fell back into his old habits.

Rempe pushed Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen against the boards and allowed his right elbow to stick up too far, resulting in a five-minute major and a game-misconduct penalty.

His teammates had his back and finished him off, followed by an empty throw from Chris Kreider that sealed the win. But it was another example of the risk Rempe brings to the lineup.

The 22-year-old has now been ejected from four of his 22 career NHL games and could face additional disciplinary action for his latest violation.

“I don’t want him to stop being who he is,” Trocheck said. “You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but Remps is the guy that’s a tough forechecker, gets involved in the forecheck, hits guys, and that’s the way he builds his energy for the team. We won the game, so I don’t think he has anything to worry about.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more about his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared in Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Postgame takeaways: PK gives Rangers much-needed win