Panarin, Shesterkin help Rangers defeat Bruins, win third straight

BOSTON -- Artemi Panarin scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and Igor Shesterkin made 34 saves when the New York Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins 5-2 in the 2021 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown at TD Garden on Friday.

Panarin redirected Julien Gauthier's pass in front of the crease at 11:35 to make it 3-2.
Panarin, Ryan Strome and Dryden Hunt each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers (13-4-3), who won their third straight game. Gauthier and Adam Fox each had two assists.
"I thought we played a pretty good game," Strome said. "I thought we got better as the game went on, and I think those are [a] well-deserved two points. … I think we've done a great job of sticking to our structure and trusting each other. … I just thought we worked really hard."
Craig Smith and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins (10-7-0). Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves.
"It was a pretty back-and-forth game. … We didn't play winning hockey for whatever reason," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. "As a group, we have to do a better job of that, understanding where you are in the game. … That's when we get away from our identity, when we start having those breakdowns that are, to me, pretty straightforward."

Smith scored at 14:46 of the first period to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Jacob Trouba turned over the puck in the high slot, and Smith recovered it before shooting blocker side.
Strome scored with six seconds remaining to tie it 1-1 on a one-timer in front of the crease. He has scored 10 points during an eight-game point streak (two goals, eight assists).
"That was a huge goal for Strome at the end of the period there, so that was big for our team," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "After that I thought we played real good hockey. We had a little bit of a slow start in the second, but after the first three or four shifts I thought we played great the rest of the way."
Bergeron gave Boston a 2-1 lead at 6:51 of the second period, finishing a tic-tac-toe passing play with Matt Grzelcyk and Brad Marchand.
Hunt scored at 12:33 to tie it 2-2. Swayman saved Ryan Lindgren's slap shot before Hunt scored on the rebound.
Mika Zibanejad nearly gave the Rangers the lead 28 seconds later, but Swayman made a save with the paddle of his stick.
"That's just trying to be in the right spot at the right time," Swayman said. "Definitely a lucky save, so I'm happy with that."

Chris Kreider appeared to give the Rangers the lead at 7:28 of the third period with a lacrosse-style move from behind the net, but video review overturned the call on the ice.
"I got a piece of that," Swayman said. "Guys try it (in practice). It's one of those saves where anything goes, and you try to save it."
Alexis Lafreniere scored on a 2-on-1 with Gauthier to give New York a 4-2 lead at 16:22 of the third, and Trouba made it 5-2 with an empty-net goal at 19:48.
"I thought after the second period we said that the last 10 minutes of the second were really good and let's just keep playing like that," Strome said. "I just thought we worked really hard. ... Good results."
NOTES:Panarin and Marchand each received a misconduct penalty with 12 seconds remaining after Panarin threw his glove from the Rangers bench at Marchand on the Bruins bench. ... Strome tied the second longest point streak of his NHL career. He had an 11-game point streak from March 13 to April 1, 2021 (two goals, 14 assists). … Fox, who leads NHL defensemen with 21 points in 20 games, is the first Rangers defenseman to score at least 21 points by his 20th game in a season since Brian Leetch (15 games in 2000-01). … New York is off to its best start through 20 games since it was 14-5-1 in 2016-17. … Bergeron scored his 23rd regular-season goal in 59 games against the Rangers. He has more goals against three teams: the Ottawa Senators (28 in 74 games), Florida Panthers (25 in 60 games) and Toronto Maple Leafs (24 in 70 games).