Vladislav Gavrikov’s goal propels Rangers to OT home win over Stars
NY Post
The offseason signing of Vladislav Gavrikov became exponentially more important for the Rangers when Adam Fox was ruled out for the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday night, however, the Russian defenseman did what he’s done nearly all season long.
Gavrikov, after leading all Rangers defensemen with 22:29 of ice time, backhanded a long rebound in just over a minute into overtime to complete the Blueshirts’ fourth comeback win of the season and capture a 3-2 victory over the Stars at Madison Square Garden.
“I don’t know that we thought, 20-something games in, he’d have five goals,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Gavrikov, who has 12 points through 28 games. “Obviously, his core competency is his ability to defend. He’s hard to play against. He’s one of the better defending defensemen, we think, in the league. Having said that, we believe he has the ability to help our offense, whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line. I won’t lie, I’m surprised with how effective he’s been just with his instincts.”
Gavrikov’s fellow countryman, goalie Igor Shesterkin, countered: “He’s a great defenseman, and he can play offense. I’m not shocked he scored the OT goal.”
The 30-year-old blueliner has shown as much through his first few months as a Ranger, after he signed a seven-year, $49 million deal as a free agent from the Kings this past offseason.
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