NHL Game Summary - NY Rangers at New Jersey
Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Klein's goal with 2:18 remaining in overtime capped a furious New York Rangers comeback that produced a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
The Rangers trailed 3-1 nearing the midway mark of the third period before forcing overtime on goals by Chris Mueller and Rick Nash. Henrik Lundqvist also helped bring on the extra session with a 28-save effort that included several key stops late in regulation.
"I am just really happy the way we came back," Lundqvist said. "When they scored that third one, and the way their power play was playing, it was a tough, but we responded in a big way. It was a big two points for us."
Chris Kreider set up Klein's game-winner and scored earlier for New York, while Mueller also chipped in an assist in the Rangers' third straight triumph.
All three New Jersey tallies came via the power play, with Jaromir Jagr and Adam Henrique finishing with a goal and an assist and Jon Merrill lighting the lamp as well.
Cory Schneider, burned for eight goals in the Devils' two consecutive defeats coming in, allowed four on 25 shots in this one.
Merrill's first of the season, a wrister that beat Lundqvist to the glove side on a 5-on-4 situation, staked New Jersey to a 3-1 lead 35 seconds into the third period, but the Rangers turned up the intensity thereafter to eventually eliminate their deficit.
The Devils' Mike Cammalleri was sent off for putting the puck over the glass with just over 11 minutes left and the Rangers capitalized, as Derick Brassard's cross-ice feed was ripped by Mueller into the lower left corner of the net.
"The penalty changed the momentum," Devils head coach Peter DeBoer said afterward. "We need a kill at that point in the game. That's a critical kill."
New York kept up the pressure and induced a giveaway by Marek Zidlicky in the New Jersey zone. A quick shot by Kevin Hayes was blocked in front, but Nash was left all alone to put in the rebound with 5:28 to play -- his league- leading eighth marker of the year.
Lundqvist came up with five saves -- several from close range -- in the final two minutes of regulation to keep it deadlocked at 3-3 through three periods.
The Devils came hard on a rush midway through overtime, but Damon Severson's attempt went wide and the Rangers counterattacked. Kreider skated the puck across the neutral zone before sending a drop pass that Klein blasted past Schneider to end it.
"Kreider did a great job when he cut to the middle, taking two guys with him, and I just tried to jump into that opening," said Klein of the play. "He put it right into my wheelhouse, it was a great pass."
New York entered the matchup 0-for-17 on the power play for the season, but converted their first man-advantage chance of the night to grab an early edge.
With Jagr in the box on a tripping call, Kreider ended the drought by lifting a rebound of a McDonagh blast into an open left side with 7:34 elapsed in the contest.
The Devils drew even with 6:20 left in the frame courtesy of Jagr, who had Damien Brunner's shot carom right to him off the end boards and quickly snapped the puck in for his first goal of the season and 706th of his career.
New Jersey, which went 3-for-5 on the power play, struck again in the second period, with Henrique breaking the 1-1 tie with a perfectly placed one- timer off a Jagr give with 5:05 remaining in the session.