The duality to this Rangers team was encapsulated by Saturday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Canadiens.
Despite falling behind by three goals early, the Blueshirts rallied all game before captain J.T. Miller scored his second goal of the night with the extra skater 2:56 into the extra period to snag the second point from Montreal at Madison Square Garden.
“There was a lot of hockey left,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of the deficit his team faced early on in the win, which gave the Rangers a 2-0-2 record in their past four home games. “That’s what we talked about on the bench. That’s what we talked about in between periods, ‘Let’s not get overwhelmed here. Let’s just keep playing, keep playing the game. Let’s work for the next goal.’ And that’s what they did. Those moments, I think, they’re great opportunities for a group to grow and become a team. You face those types of adversities and you overcome them.
“I think that helps to galvanize a group, and it also provides evidence for our team that if we get in those situations again, what we’re capable of.”
J.T. Miller celebrates a goal during the Rangers’ overtime win Dec. 13. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post
Pulling even with the Canadiens and Penguins at 36 points in prime wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers did it all in front of a collection of the organization’s biggest names, who gathered at the Garden for the latest centennial theme night celebrating the New Garden era.
And in reaching overtime for the third time in the past four games, the Rangers finally emerged victorious.
The Habs scored on both of their first two shots of the game.
When Jake Evans sniped one from the circle for the 3-0 lead just 16:18 in, the game felt like it already was out of hand.
With 11 seconds left on the Rangers’ first power play, however, Noah Laba put in a rebound to stop the onslaught.
Attacking the net on a partial breakaway at the tail end of the opening frame, Artemi Panarin was awarded a penalty shot after Noah Dobson was all over him.
The star Russian wing put one past Habs goalie Jacob Fowler — appearing in just his second NHL game — to make it a one-goal game going into the first intermission.
It marked the first successful penalty shot by a Ranger since Dan Boyle in 2015 and Panarin’s first-career penalty-shot goal.
The Rangers had missed on their previous 11 attempts.
The Canadiens reestablished their two-goal lead thanks to Josh Anderson’s one-timer from the slot, but the home team grabbed the reins in the second period.
Will Cuylle celebrates a goal during the Rangers’ overtime win Dec. 13. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post
Will Cuylle got it started by banking the puck in off Fowler from a tough angle to make it a 4-3 game.
Just 35 seconds later, Miller collected a rebound and backhanded it in to even the score at four-all.
Early in the third period, the Rangers nearly took their first lead of the night when Sam Carrick jammed the puck in through a crowd.
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Upon review, however, it was deemed the puck was kicked in.
“I think we did a good job of staying mentally tough and in the moment,” Miller said. “Present, worried about the next shift and really turned the tide on them. They defended a lot of the night, I felt like. When we play like that, it’s the same speech every game: I think we’re a lot to handle.”