The New York Rangers showcased their determination on Saturday afternoon, embodying the grit they’ve been striving for all season. Despite their valiant efforts, they walked away with just a single point.

Facing off against the formidable Colorado Avalanche, leaders of the NHL, the Rangers delivered a tight and tenacious 60-minute performance. Their resilience pushed the game into overtime at Madison Square Garden, where Nathan MacKinnon clinched a 3-2 victory for the Avalanche 2:46 into the extra period.

In a dramatic conclusion to regulation play, Artemi Panarin fired in his 10th goal of the season from the top of the zone with just 40.9 seconds left on the clock, securing the Rangers at least one point with the help of an additional skater on the ice.

The Rangers came out strong from the start, determined to challenge the Avalanche, who had only recently seen their impressive 17-game point streak snapped by a 6-3 defeat at the hands of the Islanders.

By the midway point, the Rangers had doubled the Avalanche’s shots on goal and narrowly missed scoring on two occasions, hitting the post during their first power play opportunity. Their performance was a testament to their growing tenacity and skill, even against one of the league’s toughest opponents.

Colorado tilted the ice in the second half to close the shots gap, but neither team found the back of the net through the opening 20 minutes. 

Play was in the Avs’ control for a majority of the second period, in which Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin made 12 saves on the way to 38 on the day. 

It led to Parker Kelly tipping in a Sam Malinski shot for the 1-0 lead at the 7:06 mark of the middle frame. Shesterkin had otherwise stood tall in the face of a flurry of Colorado shots. 

Despite a somewhat lopsided second period, the Rangers stayed within striking distance. 

Conor Sheary then scored his first goal as a Ranger to even the score at one-all just under 4:30 into the final frame. Splitting two Avalanche players thanks to a feed from Vincent Trocheck, Sheary skated in with conviction before snapping it past Colorado netminder Mackenzie Blackwood.