DENVER (AP) Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored shootout goals, Igor Shesterkin made 38 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout to lead the NHL-leading New York Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night.
Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko scored in regulation for New York, which won its fourth in a row to reach 102 points, tops in the league. The Rangersā last three wins have come after regulation.
āIt shows resiliency,ā New York coach Peter Laviolette said. āOur guys are playing hard and fight to the end for it. Itās been like that for the last six to eight games. Weāve been playing top teams and fighting hard for those points.ā
Casey Mittelstadt and Devon Toews had goals for Colorado, which has dropped two straight following a nine-game winning streak.
āIt was a good hockey game,ā Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. āOnce it goes to a shootout, you might as well flip a coin. I have no problem with the way we played.ā
Colorado center Nathan MacKinnon had his 19-game point streak ended when he went without a point at home for the first time this season. MacKinnon had at least one in the first 35 games, which is second in NHL history to Wayne Gretzkyās 40-game streak in 1988-89.
āItās not like he took the night off, he was still finding ways to generate,ā Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar said. āSometimes the bounces donāt go your way.ā
Coloradoās Alexandar Georgiev stopped 22 shots against his former team.
The Avalanche played without forward Valeri Nichushkin, who was scratched with an illness. Brandon Duhaime, acquired from Minnesota in a deadline deal, moved up from the fourth line to take Nichushkinās place on the second line.
Duhaime made the most of his opportunity when he skated into the New York zone, sent a drop pass to Mittelstadt coming down the right side and Mittelstadt beat Shesterkin to the far post at 19:27 of the second period. He has a career-high 17 goals.
Kakkoā tied it with an unassisted goal 2:59 into the third period, his 11th of the season.
New York went ahead midway through the third on Kreiderās power-play goal at 9:35. Colorado challenged that Kreiderās goal was off a hand pass, but his 34th of the season held up after a review.
āIt looked like to me it hit the elbow pad, it looked like it hit above the cuff,ā Laviolette said. āThose challenges are tough. Youāve got to make decisions in no time at all and that one went our way.ā
The Avalanche answered when Toewsā shot from the point was saved by Shesterkin, but Rangers defensemen Ryan Lindgren knocked it through his goaltenderās legs at 12:47.
āThey were taking it to us, but thankfully we have the best goalie in the league to help us with that,ā Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider said.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Visit the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night.
Avalanche: Host the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
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