February 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Vladislav Gavrykov (44) and Pittsburgh Penguins right winger Brian Rust (17) chase the puck during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Vincent Trocheck scored in the first round of the shootout Saturday afternoon as the New York Rangers snapped their fifth straight loss with a 3-2 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers had a 2-0 deficit after allowing goals to Anthony Mantha and Ryan Shay in the opening three minutes of the opening two periods.
Trocheck scored the only goal of the shootout when he cut out from the bottom edge of the left circle, his shot beating goalie Stuart Skinner toward the glove.
Mika Zibanejad started the comeback with a power-play goal with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, and Taylor Raddysh tied the game 2:57 into the third quarter.
Igor Shesterkin made five of his 32 saves and stopped Evgeni Malkin twice late in the third quarter and twice in overtime. He also stopped rookie Egor Chinnakov in the second round of the shootout, and Rangers sealed the win in the third when Tomas Novak’s attempt went wide.
Mantha scored a power-play goal 2:08 into the first period and Shea had a 1:59 mark in the second, but the Penguins fell to 9-1-3 in their last 13 contests and failed to secure their third win over the Rangers this season.
Trocheck’s game-winner improved the Rangers to 3-11-2 in their last 16 games and 2-6-1 in their last nine home games.
Skinner stopped 23 shots before losing to Trocheck.
The Penguins looked primed for a rout just minutes into the contest and took a 1-0 lead when Mantha tipped in Erik Karlsson’s shot from the right spot on Shesterkin.
The Penguins appeared to be up 2-0 after 52 seconds, but Bryan Rust’s goal was disallowed when the Rangers successfully challenged Mantha’s skate after he caught Shesterkin in the crease, resulting in goalie interference.
Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead when Shea’s shot from the top of the slot weaved through traffic and eluded Shesterkin.
Zibanejad cut the deficit in half with a one-timer from Skinner after catching a pass from Trocheck with 10 minutes left in the second, and then Raddysh’s Vladislav Gavrikov’s deflection pass caught Skinner’s pad to break the 2-2 stalemate.
–Field level media
