Rangers take Game 2 in decisive fashion

The New York Rangers responded in Broadway fashion putting on quite the show for their faithful in Game 2 on Thursday night. Despite missing defenseman Ryan Lindgren and forward Barclay Goodrow, the Rangers got to their game early and never looked back.

The star of tonight's show was none other than the "bread man" himself, Artemi Panarin. He assisted on the Rangers' first goal of the game, scored by trade-deadline acquistion, Andrew Copp. Panarin added a timely second period assist, before capping his 3-point night with a behind the net, bank shot goal off of Penguins' defenseman Mike Matheson.

Battling through injuries, the Penguins' squad made an early push in the game, mostly on the shoulders of their top line, led by captain Sidney Crosby. He finished the night with 1 goal and 1 assist with 6 shots on goal.

The Penguins struggled to produce chances from other lines and went 0/2 on the power play. Penguins goaltender Louis Domingue finished the night with 35 saves, but his .875 save percentage was just not enough to get it done.

Down on the other end of the ice, Rangers' netminder Igor Shesterkin looked much more comfortable, stopping 39 of 41 shots for a .951 save percentage. Rangers' nation held their collective breath toward the end of the game after a collision between their Vezina-hopeful goalie and Penguins' forward Jeff Carter.

Injuries continue to play a role in this series. Rangers' coach Gerard Gallant indicated that forward Barclay Goodrow is considered week-to-week. As the series shifts to Pittsburgh for a Saturday night showdown, we can only hope these games remain as competitive as they've proven thus far. With Panarin heating up, and 50-goal scorer Chris Kreider scoring in both games this series, the Penguins' best hope might be the return of one of their NHL goaltenders.

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