Vincent Trocheck’s overtime goal lifts Rangers past Wild 5-4 for crucial victory

Vincent Trocheck’s goal 24 seconds into overtime capped a wildly — no pun intended — entertaining and crucial 5-4 victory for the New York Rangers over the Minnesota Wild at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

The victory pulls the Rangers (36-32-7) even in points with the Montreal Canadiens, though Montreal still is the second wild card in the Eastern Conference because it’s played one less game than New York. The Columbus Blue Jackets are two points behind, and have played one game less than the Canadiens and two fewer than the Rangers.

It was the second overtime victory for the Rangers in less than three weeks against the Wild. They also won 3-2 at Xcel Energy Center on March 13 on Braden Schneider’s goal in overtime. The Rangers are 3-7 in the five-minute overtime this season.

This time Trocheck was the hero, with a tip of the hat to Artemi Panerin, who made a slick pass from left wing to Trocheck outside the crease. It appeared Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson allowed the pass to slide under his pad, and Trocheck had an easy redirection for his 22nd goal this season, and fourth game-winner.

“Whole arena say, ‘Shoot!’ I’m like, ‘All right, I know better,” Panarin joked postgame.

“I don’t know if he was passing it or shooting it, but one way or another, it was a nice play,” Trocheck said about Panarin’s assist on the OT winner.

Getting that second standings point in this dizzying back-and-forth game was massively important for the Rangers. And likely a huge sigh of relief, considering they wasted three power-play opportunities to take the lead in the third period after allowing the Wild to tie the score less than a minute into the period.

Panarin had a goal and two assists to pace the offense. K’Andre Miller had an up-and-down night, but did score a goal and add an assist. Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Braden Schneider scored the other goals for the Rangers, who’ve won two in a row and have points in three straight games (2-0-1).

Gabe Perreault made his NHL debut for the Rangers and logged 13:38 TOI, skating on a line with J.T. Miller and Alexis Lafreniere and also receiving some power-play time. The 2023 first-round draft pick who signed his entry-level contract Monday was credited with three shots on goal.

Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves in the win. Gustavsson allowed five goals on 39 shots for the Wild.

Marcus Johansson had three points (one goal, two assists), and Brock Faber and Gustav Nyquist each had a goal and assist for the Wild. Marco Rossi also scored a goal.

Related: Will Cuylle named winner of Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award

New York Rangers 5 – Minnesota Wild 4 (OT)

The Rangers got off to a fast start, taking it to the Wild and forcing Gustavsson into several difficult saves in the opening minutes of the game. But a needless interference penalty by Lafreniere at 8:15 short-circuited the home team’s momentum and set the stage for the Wild to take a 1-0 lead.

A slew of miscues led to Nyquist scoring a power-play goal at 9:00. It was an easy tap-in off a 2-on-0 in front of Shesterkin after a terrible giveaway at the blue line by Trocheck and with K’Andre Miller fleeing the zone to get a new stick from the bench after his broke.

The Rangers regrouped and tied the game at 12:45 when Schneider hammered home a long rebound of Urho Vaakanainen’s booming shot off Gustavsson’s pads.

But the Wild answered right back to take a 2-1 lead at the 15-minute mark. Minnesota won a puck battle in the left-wing corner and Johansson worked it out to Faber. The Wild defenseman’s shot hit the stick of Perreault and puck went right between Shesterkin’s pads to give Minnesota two goals on their first four shots of the game.

The Rangers outshot the Wild 18-7 in the first period and had much the better of play. But they trailed by one at the intermission.

That changed early in the second period. K’Andre Miller snuck a shot from the bottom of the left circle past Gustavsson short side and over the shoulder for his seventh goal of the season, and second in four games. It was one Gustavsson would want back and it tied the score 2-2 at 2:51.

Again, the Rangers were all over the Wild, owning puck possession. But it took a terrible misplay by the Wild for the Rangers to grab their first lead of the night.

Minnesota defenseman Declan Chisholm, alone and under no duress whatsoever, coughed the puck up in front of his own net. It went off Gustavsson before Kreider swooped in to backhand it over the goal line at 7:21. It was Kreider’s 20th goal of the season, the 10th time in his career he’s reached that total.