MOSCOW, May 6. New York Rangers beat Pittsburgh Penguins» in the second match of the series of the first round of the playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The meeting, which took place in New York, ended with a score of 5:2 (1:1, 2:1, 2:0) in favor of the hosts. The winners were scored by Andrew Kopp (7th minute), Ryan Stroom (23), Chris Kreider (33), Russian forward Artemiy Panarin (49) and Frank Vatrano (50). Jake Gunzel (9) and Sidney Crosby (39) scored for Pittsburgh. Artemy Panarin, who became the first star of the meeting, also chalked up two assists and caught up with Sergei Nemchinov in the number of points scored in NHL playoff matches in his career (31), sharing 23rd place with him among Russian players. Panarin also became the first Rangers player since 2016 to score three points in a single playoff game. Second star of the match, Blueshirts goaltender Igor Shesterkin saved 39-of-41 shots to become the first goaltender in NHL history to make a combined 100 or more saves in his team's debut two playoff games (118). The results from the 1955/56 season, when the league began to keep statistics of reflected shots, count. Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin made three shots on target and had two power moves without scoring points. The score in the four-game series became equal — 1-1. The third meeting will take place in Pittsburgh on the night of May 8, Moscow time.
