Korpisalo Wins Rangers Debut, Holds Off Kraken

Joonas Korpisalo shut out the Seattle Kraken for 40 minutes in his first game as a New York Ranger, then survived a third-period storm. He made 25 saves and the Rangers won 4-3 at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, NHL.com reported.

It is three straight wins for New York, which improved to 10-7-1. Korpisalo had not played this season because of a lower-body injury after coming over from Boston in a July 1 trade. Dylan Garand had started 10 straight games since Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury on Oct. 9.

Four Goals Before Seattle Woke Up

Gabe Perreault one-timed a Mika Zibanejad feed over Joey Daccord’s shoulder 1:35 into the game. Tye Kartye, claimed off waivers from Seattle in February, had one goal waved off for a kicking motion, then tipped an Adam Fox point shot over Daccord’s glove on the power play 40 seconds later.

Jaroslav Chmelar made it 3-0 at 13:53 and Daccord was pulled. Pavel Dorofeyev beat Philipp Grubauer with a forehand-to-backhand move at 12:46 of the second for a 4-0 lead. Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere each finished with two assists.

The Kraken Push Back

Seattle had 15 shots through two periods and 13 in the third. Kaapo Kakko ended the shutout bid with a wraparound at 1:50, catching Korpisalo still sliding across. Jordan Eberle scored on the power play at 6:38 and Vince Dunn rang a one-timer in off the post at 15:02 to make it 4-3.

Seattle did not get another shot on goal after that. Berkly Catton, who had two assists to stretch his point streak to eight games, took a holding penalty at 17:34 and the Rangers ran out the clock. The Kraken fell to 9-6-1 and now head to Finland to face Carolina twice in the Global Series.

What It Means for New York

Garand had carried the load for a month. Now the Rangers have a veteran option again, and Korpisalo looked sharp for two periods before Seattle found the range. New York is 5-0-1 all time at Climate Pledge Arena.

Kartye’s goal was his sixth of the season, and Dorofeyev has scored in two straight games. The Rangers continue a four-game West Coast swing at Edmonton on Monday.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Mika Zibanejad points at Edmonton on Monday. He set up both Perreault’s opener and Dorofeyev’s eventual winner on Saturday and is driving the line with Lafreniere. If New York’s power play goes quiet, keep the lean on Zibanejad assists rather than goals, since he has been the passer on this streak.