The offseason signing of Vladislav Gavrikov became exponentially more important for the Rangers when Adam Fox was ruled out for the foreseeable future.
On Tuesday night, however, the Russian defenseman did what he’s done nearly all season long.
Gavrikov, after leading all Rangers defensemen with 22:29 of ice time, backhanded a long rebound in just over a minute into overtime to complete the Blueshirts’ fourth comeback win of the season and capture a 3-2 victory over the Stars at Madison Square Garden.
“I don’t know that we thought, 20-something games in, he’d have five goals,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Gavrikov, who has 12 points through 28 games. “Obviously, his core competency is his ability to defend. He’s hard to play against. He’s one of the better defending defensemen, we think, in the league. Having said that, we believe he has the ability to help our offense, whether it be with outlet passes or joining the rush or being active off the offensive blue line. I won’t lie, I’m surprised with how effective he’s been just with his instincts.”
Gavrikov’s fellow countryman, goalie Igor Shesterkin, countered: “He’s a great defenseman, and he can play offense. I’m not shocked he scored the OT goal.”
The 30-year-old blueliner has shown as much through his first few months as a Ranger, after he signed a seven-year, $49 million deal as a free agent from the Kings this past offseason.
It only took Gavrikov a few games to fully settle in alongside Fox before his defensive prowess really came through.
With five goals in the past 12 games, Gavrikov has chipped in on the offensive side of the puck as well.
Rangers players mob Vladislav Gavrikov after his game-winning goal in their 3-2 overtime win over the Stars on Dec. 2, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post
“It’s going to be probably on all of us, I would say,” Gavrikov said when asked if he’s thinking about how much he has to step up in Fox’s absence. “Every single one of the ‘D’ got to make a step in the game. Obviously, Foxy is big for our team, playing big minutes offensively, on the power play. So it’s hard to replace him, but we got to try and [that] responsibility [falls] on all of us.”
The Stars broke a 1-1 tie just under halfway through the third period, when captain J.T. Miller misplayed the puck at the other end of the ice.
The turnover sprung Dallas on a 2-on-1 rush. Wyatt Johnson then backhanded a feed around a sliding Gavrikov to Mikko Rantanen, who buried his 11th goal of the season on Shesterkin for the 2-1 lead.
In dumping 20 shots on Stars goalie Casey DeSmith through the final 20 minutes, the Rangers managed to notch the game-tying goal with an extra skater at the 17:47 mark.
Carson Soucy (24) is all smiles after scoring a first-period goal during the Rangers’ win over the Stars. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Will Cuylle corralled a rebound, turned around and banked it in off DeSmith to ultimately force overtime.
The two teams put forth a relatively even first two periods, even though the Stars lost Tyler Seguin early in the game to a collision with Gavrikov. Both scored one goal on 10 shots through the opening 20 minutes before posting another 11 shots on goal each in the second.
They also traded off power plays, with the Rangers technically earning five in total and three more stretches with the man advantage than the Stars.
Igor Shesterkin makes one one of his 23 saves during the Rangers’ OT win over the Stars. Jason Szenes / New York Post
The Rangers power play, which has gone with five forwards on the top unit in Fox’s absence, mustered just four total shots through their first three chances.
Despite racking up seven shots on goal during a four-minute power play, after Sam Steel drew blood from Alexis Lafrenière on a high-sticking penalty, the Rangers could not capitalize.
While the power play had on-and-off moments, the penalty kill was effective and aggressive.
The Rangers PK fended off both of the Stars’ power plays.
“After a poor performance on Saturday [against the Lightning], I think it shows some resilience in here,” Cuylle said. “Just bouncing back and being able to reset. Being proud of the way we play in front of our fans is really important to all of us. I’m glad we could put out a good effort today and get the win.”
