TEMPE, Ariz. — At home, on the road, or in a college arena, the Rangers’ power play can change the course of a game — and that it did Sunday night against the Coyotes at Mullett Arena. 

Mika Zibanejad scored the game-winner off a stellar passing sequence with the man-advantage to give the Rangers a 3-2 win in their first game inside the Arizona State University barn that had the finishing touches put on it this month. 

The overwhelming presence of Rangers fans in attendance meant that the building echoed with the team’s celebratory goal song. 

With the score tied, 2-2, at the start of the third period, dueling chants for both teams echoed back and forth as players took the ice. And when Travis Boyd was called for interference to hand the Rangers a power play, the fans in blue rose to their feet. 

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Then, like clockwork, Artemi Panarin passed to Chris Kreider, posted at the top of the crease, before Kreider tipped the puck back to Zibanejad for an uncontested shot at 12:56 of the final frame. 

“It wins games like it did tonight,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said of the top power-play unit. “It was huge for us. We had a lot of good chances in the first period, five-on-five, but the power play scored [that] excellent goal tonight and obviously won the game.” 

There may have been dry heat and cacti outside, but there was a sea of blue that brought a New York state of mind which made it feel like a home game for the Rangers. The native New Yorkers who have ventured out west for the warmer weather, and the ones who just flew in for this specific occasion, let out a hearty “Let’s Go Rangers!” whenever they could. They even utilized the beat from the university band in attendance for their signature “Potvin Sucks” chant. 

And it got rowdy, as one would imagine a 5,000-seat arena would be. From the $25 bleacher seats known as the Inferno Student Section and all around the narrow concourse, it was impossible not to feel like you had gone back to college for a night. 

“I mean, it had to be 70-30 Rangers fans, right?” K’Andre Miller said after the win, which improved the Rangers to 5-3-2 on the season. “That’s pretty much a home game.” 

Panarin celebrated his 31st birthday on Sunday with a game-tying goal and two assists — his third game of the season with three or more points. He is just the third Rangers player in the past 30 years to record three points on his birthday, joining Pavel Buchnevich and Wayne Gretzky. After this three-point effort, Panarin’s 16 points are tied for third in the NHL, while his 11 assists are good for second. 

After setting up the Rangers’ first second-period goal from Alexis Lafreniere, Panarin made it a 2-2 game later in the frame with a tough-angled shot off the rush. 

As soon as they earned their first power play of the night, roughly halfway through the first period, the Rangers found their stride. In peppering Arizona goalie Connor Ingram with four shots, the top power-play unit was crisp and commanded the offensive zone. That continued through all three opportunities, and they capitalized when it mattered most. 

“All five of them are exceptional players,” Lafreniere said of the top unit. “When they move the puck around, I wouldn’t like to be on the PK on the other side. It’s fast. Everyone can shoot. Everyone can make plays. It’s really dangerous.”