Vitali Kravtsov made his NHL debut Saturday night in Buffalo, another piece of the Rangers reconstruction puzzle falling into place.
Artemi Panarin, who signed the biggest contract in the franchise’s history less than two years ago to speed up the reconstruction, showed the long-awaited expectation of how it is done, by scoring two goals.
But a goal at the end of the Sabers ‘third period for the second consecutive game tied the score and Kravtsov’s debut was spoiled, with Rangers losing 3-2 on penalties – the Sabers’ second victory in three games after an 18-game defeat. wave.
Rangers had a slight advantage of a goal with 3:41 remaining in regulation when Victor Olofsson drew 2-2, sending both teams into overtime again after having played the extra period on Thursday (which ended with a win) of the Rangers by 3 to 2)
After both teams failed to score in the extra session, Rangers failed to score in the tiebreak against Linus Ullmak. Sabers’ Tage Thompson, meanwhile, scored Igor Shesterkin to give Buffalo victory.
Despite the defeat, Kravtsovv’s debut gave the Rangers youth movement another addition, and the squad now has five Blueshirts picks in the first round of the last four NHL draft: Filip Chytil of 2017, K’Andre Miller and Kravtsov of 2018, Kaapo Kakko of 2019 and Alexis Lafreniere of 2020.
Kravtsov fit into the third line of the Rangers, bringing new meaning to what has been commonly referred to as the children’s line. Along with Lafreniere (19) and Chytil (21), the 21-year-old recorded 10:45 of the time on ice, with three shots on goal.
The average age of the active Rangers squad is now 25.2 years. Is it still necessary to stress that they have the youngest team in the championship?
Not every NHL debut can be special, but Kravtsov’s presence did that for Rangers. And when he almost won the game with a dip just after the Sabers’ tie record, it was almost a dream debut. After Kravtsov’s special appearance in five games in last year’s pre-season, in which he scored a goal and an assist, the Russian has now proved that he is ready for the NHL.
Rangers, after a hyperactive start in the first period, slowed the game of strength when Sabers striker Taylor Hall went into the area by interference. Panarin scored Rangers’ first goal in one man’s lead in the last two games, with a well-aimed shot that deflected Ullmark to a 1-0 lead.
But Casey Mittelstadt drew less than three minutes later, converting a 2-to-1 with an evil wrister who beat Shesterkin stick-side.
The Sabers maintained their advantage for most of the second period, retaining possession in the offensive zone after Rangers suffered consecutive penalties early in the game. Shesterkin kept Rangers there, deflecting all 10 shots on goal that he faced in the middle of the screen.
As Shesterkin rose, the Rangers gave the title to the ice after Panarin scored his second goal of the night, scoring the puck on Ullmark with just over two minutes remaining in the second period to retake the lead. The Sabers challenged by impediment, but lost and were forced to go to the death penalty to end the period.
Jacob Trouba almost gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead to enter third place, but time ran out before the defender put the puck on.