Grit, Guts, and Gavrikov: Rangers Rally Past Stars in OT Without Adam Fox
The Rangers knew life without Adam Fox was going to test them. Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, they got a full dose of that reality-and responded with the kind of resilience that says a lot about this team’s makeup.
Missing their top defenseman, who’s out until at least Christmas with an upper-body injury, the Rangers faced off against a Dallas Stars squad that entered the night with the second-best record in the league. It was a measuring-stick game, and the Blueshirts didn’t flinch.
In fact, they outplayed Dallas for long stretches, outshooting them 41-25 and dominating the third period with an 18-3 shot advantage. The final result?
A hard-earned 3-2 overtime win, punctuated by a gritty comeback and a game-winner from Vladislav Gavrikov.
And yes, the irony wasn’t lost-Fox’s usual partner stepped up in the biggest moment.
Cuylle Forces OT, Gavrikov Finishes It
With time ticking down and the Rangers trailing 2-1, head coach Mike Sullivan pulled Igor Shesterkin for the extra attacker. The gamble paid off.
Will Cuylle, parked near the crease, spun and fired a rebound that slipped past Dallas goalie Casey DeSmith with 2:13 left in regulation. Tie game.
Garden crowd alive.
Then came overtime. Just over a minute in, Artemi Panarin ripped a shot that DeSmith couldn’t control.
Gavrikov, crashing the net, pounced on the rebound and buried it. Game over.
Rangers win.
It was a fitting end for a team that had done just about everything right-except cash in on the power play.
Power Play Woes, But Plenty of Push
Without Fox quarterbacking the top unit, the Rangers' power play looked out of sync early, going 0-for-3 through two periods. The five-forward setup Sullivan leaned on didn’t generate much-just one shot on goal in those three chances. But when Dallas’ Sam Steel was hit with a double-minor for high-sticking Alexis Lafrenière early in the third, the Rangers got a four-minute window to flip the script.
They didn’t score, but the momentum shifted. The Rangers peppered DeSmith with shots, and even after the penalty expired, they stayed on the gas.
Sam Carrick nearly tied it on a redirect off the crossbar. The puck stayed out, but the tone was set.
New York wasn’t going away.
Defensive Response After Tampa Letdown
Coming off a flat 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay, the Rangers needed a bounce-back performance-and they delivered. The team defense was sharper, the effort was consistent, and the offensive zone time was noticeable. Through two periods, the shots were even (10-10 in the first, 11-11 in the second), but the Rangers were clearly generating more quality looks.
According to Natural Stat Trick, New York held a 40-39 edge in shot attempts through 40 minutes, but more tellingly, they had a 23-11 advantage in scoring chances and led 9-7 in high-danger opportunities. That’s the kind of underlying performance that usually leads to wins-and this time, it did.
Soucy Opens the Scoring, Dallas Answers
The Rangers struck first thanks to Carson Soucy, who made the most of his return from the penalty box. Just seconds after serving a cross-checking minor, he jumped into a two-on-one with Noah Laba.
Soucy fed Laba, whose shot trickled through DeSmith’s pads. Soucy followed it up and tapped it in to give New York a 1-0 lead at 6:51 of the first.
But Dallas answered quickly. Kyle Capobianco fired a shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic and past a screened Shesterkin at 9:04. Tie game.
Johnston, Rantanen Give Stars Late Lead
Dallas took the lead midway through the third on a textbook counterattack. Wyatt Johnston stripped J.T.
Miller at the Stars’ blue line and turned it into a two-on-one with Mikko Rantanen. Johnston fed Rantanen at the back post, and the winger lifted it over a sprawling Shesterkin to make it 2-1.
It was a gut punch-but not a knockout.
Seguin Injured Early
The Stars were forced to play nearly the entire game without veteran forward Tyler Seguin, who left just 1:44 into the first after taking a hard hit from Gavrikov into the boards. Seguin was helped off the ice, favoring his right leg, and did not return.
Final Word
This win won’t fix the power play, and it won’t bring Adam Fox back any sooner. But it showed something arguably just as important: the Rangers can grind out wins against elite teams even when key pieces are missing. They controlled play, stayed aggressive, and got timely contributions from depth players and defensemen alike.
They’ve now won four of their last five, and while their home record (3-8-1) still needs work, this one felt like a step in the right direction.
No Fox? No problem-for one night, at least.