Panarin and Zibanejad Lead Rangers’ Surge Against Short-Handed Bruins

The New York Rangers extended their streak on Friday afternoon, defeating the Boston Bruins 6-2 at TD Garden to collect their third consecutive win. The Rangers’ offense was electric, led by a spectacular four-point (1G, 3A) effort from Artemi Panarin and a two-goal performance from Mika Zibanejad, whose two power-play goals came just 45 seconds apart in the middle frame. Despite the decisive score, the Bruins demonstrated resilience while playing without key forwards David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. Forward Casey Mittelstadt scored in his return after missing nine games due to injury, and Morgan Geekie continued his hot streak by netting his 18th goal of the season, giving him an impressive six points in his last five games.

New York Rangers Lineup:

Panarin – Trocheck – Brodzinski
Cuylle – Zibanejad – Lafreniere
Sheary – Laba – Berard
Edstrom – Carrick – Raddysh

Gavrikov – Fox
Soucy – Schneider

Vaakanainen – Robertson
Shesterkin
Garand

Boston Bruins Lineup:

Steeves – Lindholm – Geekie
Mittelstadt – Khusnutdinov – Merkulov
Jeannot – Minten – Kastelic
Tufte – Kuraly – Eyssimont

Zadorov – Aspirot

Lindholm – Jokiharju
Lohrei – Peeke
Korpisalo
Swayman

Artemi Panarin found the back of the net early for New York at 16:32 of the opening frame for his eighth goal of the season after Will Cuylle had forced a turnover on the offensive blue line, creating a 2-on-1, and fed Panarin for a snap shot from the right circle, beating Joonas Korpisalo to put the Rangers in the lead 1-0. With an absolute beauty of a one-timer from the top of the left circle, Carson Soucy gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead at 7:58, beating Korpisalo high glove after a cross-ice pass from Vincent Trocheck ricochetted off the half wall. It was Soucy’s second goal of the season.

While Hampus Lindholm was in the box for a double minor for high-sticking, in a span of just 45 seconds, Mika Zibanejad collected a pair of goals late in the second period. His first of the two came at 5:38 when he took a pass from Panarin, firing a one-timer from the top of the left circle to make it 3-0. Zibanejad’s second goal came at 4:53 when he took, yet again, another pass from Panarin, scoring on a slap pass that went right past Korpisalo to make it 4-0 from the left circle.

Casey Mittelstadt cut the deficit to 4-1, preventing a shutout for Igor Shesterkin early in the third frame with 15:53 on the clock when he jammed in a loose puck during a scramble in front of the net past Shesterkin. This was Mittelstadt’s fifth goal of the season. For his 18th of the season, and his sixth in the past five games, Morgan Geekie redirected a point shot from Elias Lindholm from the point past Shesterkin to make it 4-2 not long after the first Boston goal at 14:11. With 3:24 on the clock, Alexis Lafreniere scored an empty-netter to give the Rangers a 5-2 lead, and then with 2:58 left to play, Vladislav Gavrikov put home his fourth goal of the season for the 6-2 final when he tipped in a shot from Trocheck.

Game Notes:

– Igor Shesterkin made a total of 19 saves for New York, and Joonas Korpisalo made a total of 30 saves for Boston.

– Adam Fox collected three assists. …For Artemi Panarin, this was his 19th career four-point game with the Rangers. He ties Jean Ratelle for the second most in team history behind Rod Gilbert (25).

– According to Sturm, both David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha are day-to-day and isn’t sure if they will play on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings.

– Before this game, Matej Blumel was placed on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury sustained on Wednesday in a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders.

– The Rangers are 13-11-2, and the Bruins are 14-12-0.

Kellaway tames England XI to prove his Test potential

PM Anthony Albanese may have missed his side face the England XI because he was getting married, but Test selectors will have liked Campbell Kellaway's 82

Campbell Kellaway has offered a glimpse of why he is regarded as a future Australian Test opener, with an eye-catching 82 for the Prime Minister's XI against England.

One year after Sam Konstas forced his way into the Test side with a century for the Prime Minister's XI, Kellaway threatened to make a similar score on Saturday.

But while his hopes of a century were ended with a superb one-handed reflex catch by Tom Haines at first slip, Kellaway still impressed at Manuka Oval.

The Victorian's runs helped the PM's XI declare at 8-308, before what is effectively an England Lions side went to stumps 0-30 against the pink ball.

Kellaway's runs are unlikely to have been seen by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday, given he was marrying his partner Jodie Haydon at the time.

But they will not have gone unnoticed by Australian selectors, with Kellaway this month labelled a ready-made Test player by Victoria coach Chris Rogers.

With England opting not to use the match as a warm-up game for the day-night second Test in Brisbane, Kellaway's runs still came against an attack that included Test-capped bowlers Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts.

Kellaway hit Tongue for two boundaries early behind backward square, and took on England left-armer Josh Hull when the tourists went short to him in the second session.

He hooked Hull for one six, cut him for another and hit a cracking pull shot to the boundary as he took 24 runs off two overs from the quick.

There was one chance when James Rew put Kellaway down on 22 at slip in the first session.

Kellaway's 82 followed a half-century against an NSW attack of Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood earlier this month, when he endured a roughening-up from Starc.

It was that innings that prompted Rogers to label Kellaway the long-term successor to Usman Khawaja as Australia's Test opener.

Meanwhile, Konstas had shown good signs early for the hosts in Canberra on his way to 36, with his shot of the day a drive to the long-on boundary off Tongue.

But any hopes of repeating last year's century ended when he used his feet to Haines and skied the spinner to mid-on, one ball after clipping the Englishman to the mid-wicket boundary.

Nathan McSweeney also hit 63 for the hosts and young prodigy Oliver Peake 54, before both were dismissed by Potts (2-40) in quick succession.

Potts was the pick of the tourists' bowlers, with he and Tongue vying to replace the injured Mark Wood in the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.

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