TEMPE, Ariz. — Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists, and the New York Rangers defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 at Mullett Arena on Sunday.
Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere scored for New York (5-3-2), which was coming off a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
“We were trying to find a way to win and grind this one out, and we did,” Zibanejad said.
Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves and is 5-0-2 in seven starts this season. He made 30 saves in the win against Dallas.
“He looked great. Might do it again someday, you never know,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of Shesterkin playing in consecutive games. “It’s never easy, the back-to-back games … but it was a good, solid game by everyone.”
Video: NYR@ARI: Panarin squeezes a shot in on the short side
Lawson Crouse and Nick Bjugstad scored, Dylan Guenther had two assists, and Connor Ingram made 36 saves for Arizona (2-5-1), which has lost four of its past five games, including its home opener, 3-2 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
“[New York is] one of the best teams in the League, and we stuck around with them for 55 minutes,” Ingram said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but it’s a step forward, a step in the right direction, to show we can be competitive in this league.”
Lafreniere gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 1:31 of the second period, scoring off a pass from Panarin as he was crashing the net.
“When you play with players like that, you just go to the net and things happen, and he found me,” Lafreniere said. “It was a great play by him.”
Crouse tied it 1-1 on a power play at 6:45, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with Guenther and Matias Maccelli.
Bjugstad then gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead at 11:27 with a backhand after a Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren Couldn’t clear the puck in front.
“Ingram played unbelievable for us,” Bjugstad said. “We had our chances. We have to take the positives from it and keep growing as a team. That’s a really good team over there, but obviously we would have liked to have had this one.”
Panarin tied it 2-2 at 18:06, holding off a Coyotes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere for a wrist shot that deflected off Ingram’s left shoulder.
“We’ve got some high-end players, and when we play well, they come through for us,” Gallant said. “What I liked about our game tonight was that everybody, the third line, the fourth line, the so-called third pair defense. I thought they all played their role really well.”
Zibanejad put the Rangers back in front 3-2 at 12:56 of the third period, scoring backdoor on a power play off a touch pass. Chris Kreider.
“It was a great play [by Panarin] to get it to ‘Kreids,’ and for me, I’m just trying to hit the net and get the puck to go in,” Zibanejad said.
Video: NYR@ARI: Zibanejad’s PPG gives Rangers the lead
The Rangers have scored nine power-play goals in 10 games this season, tied for fourth in the NHL.
“To be honest, we were scared to death of their power play,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “They have elite players and they make plays. You give them a chance, that power play will make things happen.”
New York also broke a tie in the third period against Dallas, scoring three goals in a 2:07 span to end a four-game losing streak (0-2-2).
“Again, it was a tie game after two,” Lafreniere said. “`Shesty’ was really good, and we found a way to win.”
NOTES: It was the second time in his NHL career that Shesterkin has started back-to-back games. … Panarin, who turned 31 on Sunday, became the third player in Rangers history to record three points on his birthday in the last 30 years, joining Pavel Buchnevich (three goals on April 17, 2021) and Wayne Gretzky (three assists on Jan. 26, 1999). … Arizona is also tied for fourth in the NHL with nine power-play goals. … It was Guenther’s first multipoint game of his NHL career. The forward, who was selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, was playing in his seventh NHL game.
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