Rangers 3-1 Stars (December 20, 2024) Match Recap

DALLAS – Igor Shesterkin stopped 41 shots, including 23 on seven successful penalty kills, and the struggling New York Rangers defeated the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Friday night, ending a three-game losing streak.

The Rangers also scored in their shootout, with Reilly Smith’s shorthanded goal securing the equalizer midway through the first period. Vincent Trocheck scored the game-winning goal and Chris Kreider added an empty-net goal late in the third period.

Roope Hintz scored for the Stars, who went 3-3-0, a season-high six home games. Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots, making his eighth straight start.

New York won for the fourth time in 18 games after allowing its first goal.

Eight of Shesterkin’s saves came during a five-minute elbow penalty on Matt Rempe midway through the third period.

Hintz has scored four goals in his last six games and has a team-best 16 goals this season.

Each team had a goal disallowed for offside in the first 1:15 minutes.

Takeaways

Rangers: Artemi Panarin, who leads the team in goals and points, returned after missing two games with an upper-body injury and assisted on Trocheck’s goal. Rempe, who was given a game misconduct penalty, drew all three Dallas penalties.

Stars: They finished 31st in power play at home, falling to 10.3%.

Key moment

Smith took the puck from Thomas Harley, the lone defenseman on Dallas’ power play, near the Rangers’ blue line and broke in to tie the score after the Rangers fell behind early.

Key statistics

A home-and-away second-best penalty shootout duel yielded no goals in 23 combined power play minutes.

Next

The Rangers host Carolina on Sunday and the Stars visit Utah on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL