Shesterkin dazzles with 41 saves as Rangers beat Stars 3-1 to end three-game losing streak

DALLAS (AP) Igor Shesterkin stopped 41 shots, including 23 on seven successful penalty kills, and the struggling New York Rangers beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 on Friday night to end a three-game losing streak.

The Rangers also scored on their penalty kill, Reilly Smith’s short-handed goal tying the score midway through the first period. Vincent Trocheck scored the tiebreaking goal and Chris Kreider added an empty-netter late in the third period.

Roope Hintz scored for the Stars, who completed a season-high six-game homestand at 3-3-0. Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots making his eighth consecutive start.

New York won for the fourth time in 18 games after allowing the first goal.

Eight of Shesterkin’s saves came during a five-minute elbowing penalty against Matt Rempe midway through the third period.

Hintz has four goals in the last six games and a team-high 16 this season.

Each team had a goal disallowed during the first 1:15 for offside.

Rangers: Artemi Panarin, who leads the team in goals and points, returned after missing two games with an upper body injury and assisted on Trocheck’s goal. Rempe, who was given a game misconduct, drew all three Dallas penalties.

Stars: They went in 31st in home power play and dropped to 10.3%

Smith took the puck from Thomas Harley, the lone defender on Dallas’ power play, near the Rangers’ blue line and broke in to tie the score after the Rangers fell behind early.

A matchup of the second-best penalty kills both home and road delivered no goals in 23 combined power play minutes.

Rangers host Carolina on Sunday, and Stars visit Utah on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL