Zibanejad scores late in 3rd, Rangers rally for shootout win against Flyers

NEW YORK -- Mika Zibanejad scored a game-tying power-play goal with 2:34 left in the third period and had an assist, helping the New York Rangers rally for a 5-4 shootout win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Zibanejad scored his first goal in five games with a one-timer from the left circle to make it 4-4.

New York forced the shootout after killing two penalties in overtime.

"Honestly, I'm just happy that we won today," Zibanejad said.

Artemi Panarin scored twice and got the game-deciding shootout goal, and Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves for the Rangers (18-15-4), who lost their previous two home games and only scored once.

New York is 5-10-3 at home. It was only the sixth time in 18 home games it scored three or more goals.

"Yeah, we need this win for sure, especially at home," Panarin said. "Everybody knows how we've played at The Garden this year. It's nice to have this win, especially with that comeback."

Travis Sanheim scored on the power play and had an assist, and Denver Barkey had two assists in his NHL debut for the Flyers (17-10-7), who went 1-1-2 on a four-game road trip. Samuel Ersson made 23 saves.

Philadelphia scored two power-play goals in the second period, its first goals with the man-advantage in eight games. It went 0-for-16 in the previous seven.

However, the Flyers went 0-for-2 in overtime, failing to cash in after penalties to Panarin and Scott Morrow.

"Too slow with the 4-on-3," Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. "I thought we were moving the puck; we just have got to learn how to handle pressure. It's something we knew at the beginning of the year we'd have to learn how to do. Take the point when we thought we should have had two."

Panarin gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 19:24 of the first period, but Sanheim got the Flyers started in the second with a power-play goal from the left face-off circle off a pass from Barkey at 6:42 to tie it 1-1.

Barkey then set up Owen Tippett for a goal 23 seconds later at 7:05, a low-blocker shot from high between the circles to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

Tocchet was impressed with Barkey, who has 16 points in 26 games with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League this season. He played 15:18.

"The way he played, the way he competes, yeah, I'm going to fight for him," Tocchet said.

Trevor Zegras scored a power-play goal at 10:18 to extend the lead to 3-1. Noah Cates won the face-off in the left circle back to Jamie Drysdale, who quickly moved it to Zegras for a one-timer from the top of the right circle.

Panarin cut it to 3-2 with a shot from the right circle that beat Ersson on the far side at 12:23, but Rodrigo Abols scored a short-handed goal off a 3-on-1 rush at 14:36 to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead.

It was the Flyers’ first short-handed goal this season.

"We went in the second period without a goalie," Shesterkin said, blaming himself for the four goals allowed on 11 shots. "They were easy goals. I was upset, but I just tried to come back and give us a chance to win.

“We played so well in the offensive zone today. I owe dinner for everyone."

Shesterkin said the Rangers talked about belief while in the dressing room during the second intermission.

"Everyone went to the rink, stepped on the ice with the same mindset," Shesterkin said.

Trocheck sparked them by scoring off his own rebound to cut it to 4-3 at 9:13 of the third.

"That gave us a little more energy," Zibanejad said. "It's one thing to believe, but you've got to get something out of it too. You've got to get something to rally around it and get that energy, and we got that energy from that goal. That was huge for us. After that, you're trying to do everything in your power to get another one. And we did, so that was good."

New York tied it after Rasmus Ristolainen went to the box for a delay-of-game penalty at 17:00. Morrow set up Zibanejad for the one-timer.

"I've hit better one-timers than that and they haven't gone in," Zibanejad said. "At that time during the game, it's nice to see that one go."

Panarin and Trocheck scored in the first two rounds of the shootout, and Shesterkin stopped Zegras and Travis Konecny.

"I mean, two 4-on-3s in overtime, you've got to come up with a goal for the team there," Zegras said. "Just not good enough."

NOTES: Rangers forward J.T. Miller left the game with an upper-body injury he sustained from a hit to the right shoulder by Nick Seeler at 9:56 of the third. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said after the game that Miller was being evaluated, but he did not have a further update. … Zibanejad's goal was his 115th power-play goal with New York, one shy of the team record held by Camille Henry and Chris Kreider. … Zegras extended his point streak to seven games (nine points; five goals, four assists). … Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.