Zibanejad leads second period charge as Rangers beat Sharks

NEW YORK (AP) — Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Vincent Trocheck each scored in the second period and the New York Rangers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night.

Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves as the Rangers rebounded from Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to league-best Winnipeg and got their fourth win in six games.

Timothy Liljegren and Fabian Zetterlund scored for the Sharks, who have lost four of six (2-3-1). Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 32 shots.

Liljegren was credited with the game’s first goal at 2:51 of the opening period when the puck caromed off several players in front of Shesterkin and into the net.

Zibanejad tied it with 9:19 left in the middle period. Vesey put the Rangers ahead with 6:45 left in the period, and Trocheck made it 3-1 with 3:39 to go..

Zetterlund closed the gap with a power-play in the final minute.

Takeaways

Sharks: Barclay Goodrow, who played three seasons with the Rangers and scored six playoff goals last spring, received an ovation during a first-period stoppage when he was shown on the giant screen above center ice.

Rangers: Forward Filip Chytil left the game during the second period after colliding with teammate K’Andre Miller. Chytil, who has a history of suspected concussions, headed to the dressing room. He returned for one shift in the second but did not play in the third.

Key moment

Shesterkin denied Goodrow at 9:04 of the second on a close-in shot from the faceoff circle to keep it a one-goal game. He stopped Goodrow again point-blank with seven minutes left in the third.

Key stats

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin had an assist on Trocheck’s goal, giving him a team-leading 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists). He has a point in 14 of New York’s 15 games this season.

Up Next

Sharks visit Pittsburgh on Saturday to complete a four-game trip, and Rangers visit Seattle on Sunday to begin a four-game trip.

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