New York Rangers’ winger Artemi Panarin took a shot, and he scored.
‘The Breadman’, as he is known, sent the Rangers straight to the second round with his shot 5:46 into the overtime period. After the Rangers led 1-0 in this game, then the Pittsburgh Penguins came back to tie and eventually take the lead, Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal late in the third period, to send the Garden into overtime hockey.
At that point, nearly 20,000 fans at Madison Square Garden and millions more at home, both in New York and Pittsburgh, were on their feet, nervously pondering what would happen. And for Blueshirts nation, things went right. After a largely sluggish game where it appeared the Rangers were tired and playing sloppy defense, they turned it on in overtime, and The Breadman delivered.
BREADMAN WINS IT!!! THE RANGERS ARE MOVING ON TO THE SECOND ROUND!!! #NOQUITINNY pic.twitter.com/MRkgSWhOAd
— Rangers on MSG (@RangersMSGN) May 16, 2022
“He’s the guy, when we went into overtime, I said to myself ‘I know who’s going to score if we score,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of Panarin following the epic win. “If we get the winning goal it’s going to be him.”
Among the crowd going wild after the Rangers’ win was Giants draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Jets’ quarterback Zach Wilson. “Rangers said GAME,” Wilson captioned the Instagram video.
Last night’s Rangers-Penguins game was the 46th NHL Playoff Game 7 to end in overtime, and the first since 2020, when the Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche. Interestingly, the 47th Game 7 to end in overtime came immediately after the Rangers’ win, when the aforementioned Dallas Stars lost to the Calgary Flames last night, also in thrilling overtime fashion.
Johnny Gaudreau wins it in OT! 🔥🚨
(🎥: @Sportsnet)
pic.twitter.com/bMYDndvl1v— theScore (@theScore) May 16, 2022
The Rangers advance to the second round to face the tough Carolina Hurricanes, a team that is made up of many former Rangers. It will be intriguing for those former players to visit the Garden once again. Meanwhile, the road for Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins has ended in 2022. While Crosby is still under contract until 2025, it could be the end of the core team that won two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, as multiple players may be leaving.
Game 1 of the second round between the Rangers and the Hurricanes will be on Wednesday night in Raleigh, NC. What did you think of the game last night, and are you excited for the next series? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
