Schneider scores in NHL debut for Rangers in victory against Sharks

SAN JOSE --Braden Schneider scored in his NHL debut for the New York Rangers in a 3-0 win against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.

Ryan Strome set Schneider up with a pass from behind the net and the defenseman's wrist shot beat Sharks goalie Adin Hill on his stick side to give New York a 2-0 lead at 1:27 of the third period.
"The whole day I was quite jittery," Schneider said. "I couldn't really sit still. My nap wasn't too great. I came to the rink and same thing, I had nerves and I just tried to stay in the moment. When I got on the ice for warmup, it became a little bit more real. Then I don't think it hit me until my first shift of the game. I felt like after that I settled in and I got a little bit more confident as the game went on."

Chris Kreider scored twice to reach 200 NHL goals, and scored the first shorthanded goal of his NHL career, and Igor Shesterkin had a 37-save shutout after missing three games in NHL COVID-19 protocol for the Rangers (24-10-4), who lead the NHL with 14 road wins.
"A lot of the credit has to go to Shesterkin," Rangers coach Kris Knoblauch said. "There were a lot of Grade-A scoring chances and he came up with some big saves."
Knoblauch, coach of Hartford, the Rangers American Hockey League affiliate, filled in for Gerard Gallant, who was placed in protocol Sunday.
Hill made 28 saves for the Sharks (20-17-1), who had a three-game winning streak end.
"He's definitely giving us a chance every night," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "We've asked him to give us a chance to win every night and I think he's done that. Poised, calm. We need to get some offense for him."
Kreider made it 1-0 at 10:25 of the first period with his 199th NHL goal, his first shorthanded, off a pass from Mika Zibanejad.
"We know our special teams have to be better," Sharks forward Timo Meier said. "As a power play, you want to be out there to score goals and not allow them. Next game we're going to work harder to score them."

Kreider scored his 200th goal into an empty net at 19:32 of the third period for the 3-0 final.
"We've got to score to win," Boughner said. "Tonight I thought we played a good game. I didn't think we shot ourselves in the foot or get dominated. We fought hard, and the difference I think was giving up a shortie. ... We battled hard, we just couldn't find any offense. It wasn't from a lack of trying."
NOTES:Schneider, the No. 19 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, was recalled from Hartford on Tuesday. He is the seventh defenseman to score in his NHL debut in Rangers history and first since Thomas Pock on March 23, 2004. At 20 years old, he is the third-youngest Rangers defenseman to score in his NHL debut. Harry Howell in 1952 and Mario Marois in 1977 were each 19. ... The Rangers have won seven straight games against the Sharks, dating to Jan. 25, 2018, which is tied for their longest win streak against an opponent (seven, New Jersey Devils). ... Kreider tied Tomas Sandstrom for 18th place in Rangers history with 380 points. He has 200 goals and 180 assists in 611 games in 10 seasons with the Rangers. … Zibanejad has scored 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in the past 10 games. … Shesterkin has three shutouts this season and five in the NHL. … New York placed forward Alexis Lafreniere into protocol Thursday. … Forward Anthony Greco, playing his second NHL game, had five shots in 9:44 in his Rangers debut. He made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers in a 5-1 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 13, 2018. … Hill has a .947 save percentage against the Rangers this season but has lost twice, 1-0 and 3-0. … Sharks forward Andrew Cogliano played his 1,100th NHL game. … San Jose forward Rudolfs Balcers had two shots in 17:05 after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury. … The Sharks placed forward Alexander Barabanov into protocol Wednesday. … The Rangers will not play another game this season that is scheduled to start later than 8 p.m. ET.