Kakko, Shesterkin spark Rangers in win against Kraken

NEW YORK -- Kaapo Kakko scored his first goal since Nov. 20, and Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves in the New York Rangers’ 5-2 win against the Seattle Kraken at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

Kakko played his second game after missing 21 with a lower-body injury he sustained Nov. 27. He had two goals in 20 games before the injury.

"I kind of take it like it's never good to be out of the games, getting hurt,” Kakko said, “but I think I didn't play good, so if that should happen it's kind of a good time for that. I got some time off, work out, think about my game, and I'm back right now and hopefully better than before." 

Shesterkin has won two straight starts, allowing three goals on 56 shots, including one on 25 shots in a 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals on Sunday. He had lost his previous two with nine goals against on 44 shots.

"I finally started seeing the puck," Shesterkin said. 

Blake Wheeler scored two goals, and Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox each had two assists for the Rangers (28-13-2).

Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann each had a goal and an assist, and Chris Driedger made 18 saves for the Kraken (19-16-9), who have lost two in a row (3-0 at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday) after winning nine straight and getting a point in 13 consecutive games (11-0-2).

"[The] difference really was the second period, we had great opportunities," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "We didn't execute on the 2-on-1, Shesterkin made the save on [Kailer Yamamoto], and the 3-on-1 we just didn't execute. So, really, that's the difference in the hockey game. We weren't able to capitalize on our opportunities."

The Kraken played their second straight game without defenseman Vince Dunn (undisclosed) and forwards Matty Beniers (upper body) and Andre Burakovsky (lower body). All three are day to day.

In addition, Hakstol and McCann said some Seattle players are sick.

"We've still got a lot of guys that are fighting through things and that doesn't just clear up in a day, unfortunately," Hakstol said. "Some of the effects on the guys who had to play big minutes [Monday], that wears on you a little bit tonight. But we had jump."

The Kraken have one game remaining on a six-game road trip, their longest of the season: at the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

"This ground that we've made up the last month, it slips away pretty quickly if you start losing games," Eberle said. "The next game obviously is a must win for us. We have to find a way to get healthy first of all, but find some jump, some energy and take it into Edmonton."

Vincent Trocheck gave New York a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 8:22 of the first period.

However, Trocheck's neutral-zone turnover during a Kraken power play led to Eberle scoring off the rush at 10:41 to make it 1-1.

Erik Gustafsson scored 28 seconds later, giving New York a 2-1 lead at 11:09 with a high blocker-side wrist shot from above the circles.

"The response right after their first goal, to go out there and score another goal is huge," Wheeler said. "It stymies their momentum, gets our crowd back into it."

Wheeler made it 3-1 at 12:32 of the second period with a netfront deflection of Jonny Brodzinski's shot.

Kakko extended the lead to 4-1 at 17:01 with a one-timer from between the hash marks off a pass from Zibanejad.

Zibanejad started the rush behind New York's net and moved the puck up to Chris Kreider on the wall between the benches. Kreider tipped it ahead to Zibanejad, who skated into the left face-off circle before finding Kakko in the slot.

"That was a really nice play by Mika off the rush," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "He attacked it, pushed people back and as he pushed back I thought 'Kaap' did a good job of finding some space in the center of the ice and got the shot off quick. It's nice to get him on the board and feeling that as well. It's good to have him back."

Kakko said he thinks the goal could jump-start him.

"Especially right now," he said. "I got some chances last game and today even before the goal. Those are good things, but at some point you need the goal also. It felt really good and [gave me] more confidence."

McCann's power-play goal at 14:24 of the third period made it 4-2, but Wheeler scored an empty-net goal at 17:22 for the 5-2 final.

NOTES: Artemi Panarin got an assist on Trocheck's goal and has 60 points (27 goals, 33 assists) in 43 games, matching the pace he had in 2019-20, when he finished with 95 points (32 goals, 63 assists) in 69 games before the season was paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The only Rangers player to score 60 points faster than Panarin in the past 40 years is Jaromir Jagr, who did it in 39 games in 2005-06. … Fox has 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists) and is the third defenseman in New York history to reach the mark in each of his first five seasons with the team (Reijo Ruotsalainen, 1981-86; Barry Beck (1979-84). … Kraken forward John Hayden made his season debut, finishing with one shot on goal in 9:00 one day after he was recalled from Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League.