A miraculous comeback by the New York Rangers during their Stadium Series game against the New York Islanders ended with a goal by Artemi Panarin just as the puck drop arrived in overtime at MetLife Stadium.
But Panarin's goal will likely be talked about all week after it ended with some controversy.
When the referee dropped the puck for overtime, which was necessary after the Rangers scored two goals to one of the Islanders in the third period to tie the score at 5 apiece, Panarin stopped a pass from Isles defenseman Noah Dobson and had a perfect opportunity to finish it with a clear look at the net.
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Artemi Panarin (10) of the New York Rangers scores the winning goal against the New York Islanders during the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 18, 2024. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin tried to come out of his box to stop Panarin, and although he managed to get his leather on the puck once, it came back to Panarin, who had a clear eye on the thread.
However, as he went to shoot the puck, Dobson tried to slide in front of the net out of desperation with Sorokin off balance. As he did so, Dobson hit the right post off the ice and the net began to move.
During that process, Panarin shot the puck, which crossed the goal line. So, as the Rangers celebrated and the Rangers fans in the MetLife crowd began to cheer, the referees called it a good goal.
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Normally, when the net is deflected, the game is immediately stopped to be put back into place.
In this case, however, it was ruled that Panarin was in the process of throwing the puck before the net moved. By NHL rules, it's a good goal.
Artemi Panarin (10) of the New York Rangers scores the winning goal against the New York Islanders during the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 18, 2024. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
“Well, I think this goal is going to count,” former NHL referee Dave Jackson said on the ESPN broadcast. “It is because the player was in the act of shooting the puck. The net was knocked down by the defensive team, no matter whether it was intentional or accidental. It was the defensive team who knocked down the net, the player was in the act of shooting, “The puck went between where the goal posts should have been.”
The goal, Panarin's 32nd this season, gave the Russian star all three points for the match; he assisted on two other goals in this one. One of them was a power-play goal by Chris Kreider that brought the Rangers within one in the third period. Mika Zibanejad would tie the game with about 90 seconds left in the game, once again on the power play.
The Blueshirts are now 36-16-3 on the season, extending their winning streak to seven games.
Meanwhile, the Islanders aren't going to like blowing the 4-1 lead they had at the start of the second period after outscoring the Rangers, 3-1, in the first.
Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers is chased by Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders during the third period of the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on February 18, 2024 . (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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They are looking to make the playoffs, and their loss puts them further back in the wild card standings, where the Detroit Red Wings hold the second and final wild card spot.
