Eichel's 2nd period goal lifts Sabres over Rangers 3-2

AP

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Buffalo captain Jack Eichel's first goal of the season gave him some relief and provided a lift for the Sabres.

Eichel, Dylan Cozens and Tobias Rieder scored for Buffalo, which rallied for a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

''You have a little bit of a drought and it feels like you deserved a few goals and maybe some better fate,'' Eichel said. ''I think I had a few more chances in the game and you just want to try and capitalize on your opportunities. ... It's been a year; it's been a long year for a lot of people in terms of preparing for the season. It feels like we're still getting our feet wet.''

Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller scored first-period goals for the Rangers.

''A loss is a loss is a loss,'' Kreider said. ''Doesn't matter if you're close and doing the right things, it doesn't matter if maybe the other team is tilting the ice a little bit. It's about finding ways to win. It's (four losses) in a row now. We've got to hate losing in that room and we've got to nip it in the bud right now, and we've got to come out and play a no-doubter next game against Buffalo.''

Eichel's power-play goal snapped a 2-all tie and gave Buffalo the lead at 7:31 of the second period. He buried a shot from the slot off a pass from below the goal line by Victor Olofsson. Eichel raised both his arms and his head to the sky before pounding the glass in celebration. The goal was his first since March 9, 2020, Buffalo's final game of the 2019-2020 season.

''Very important step for Jack -- and for us -- to get rid of that egg and he's got one now and there's many more to come now I'm sure,'' Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said.

Buffalo's win came after the Sabres faced a 2-1 deficit after the first period.

Kreider gave New York a 1-0 lead 6:48 into the game with a shot past Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark off a pass from Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich took advantage of a turnover by defenseman Colin Miller.

Cozens' power-play goal at 12:50 of the second tied it. His slot shot whistled off the post and past Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev, who finished with 22 saves.

Miller gave New York a 2-1 lead with seven seconds left the first period when he ripped a slap shot past Ullmark. Miller, playing in his sixth career game, spent his previous two seasons at the University of Wisconsin.

Rieder's second goal of the season at 6:03 of the second period came two seconds after the Sabres killed off a minor for too many men on the ice. Rieder received a pass from defenseman Matt Irwin and streaked up the right wing before he crossed in front of a fully extended Georgiev and beat him to the far post. Irwin's assist came in his first game with the Sabres after he signed as a free agent in the offseason.

''We get the goal at the end of the first, which is huge, we're up 2-1, then we give up (the goal to Rieder) and boy did our bench get demoralized,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''You could just feel it. There wasn't any life to our bench. We were lucky to get out of that period only down by one.''

After Eichel made it 3-2, the Sabres hunkered down in the third as the Rangers built a 15-2 edge in shots and spent the final 1:37 killing a 6-on-4 Rangers power play with Georgiev pulled for an extra skater following a boarding minor against forward Taylor Hall. Ullmark finished with 28 saves.

''Coming down the stretch and the details of the faceoffs, the penalty kill. all of those things were the difference with Linus backing us up in a really strong performance down the stretch,'' Krueger said. ''I'm extremely pleased with the way we grounded the game out. (We) found a way to win the game through character and perseverance.''

The Rangers and Sabres faced each other as divisional opponents for the first time since March 24, 1974, when both were part of the East Division.

CHYTIL HURTING

Rangers 21-year-old forward Filip Chytil will miss the next 4 to 6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Chytil, in his fourth season with New York, sustained the injury in a collision with Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues. Chytil has two goals this season, tying him for the Rangers' lead with four others (Kreider, Buchnevich, Artemi Panarin, and Kaapo Kakko).

MILESTONE

Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen played in his 500th game, all with Buffalo.

ROSTER MOVES

The Sabres recalled forward Dylan Cozens and returned forward Casey Mittelstadt to the taxi squad ahead of Tuesday's game. Buffalo sent goalie Jonas Johansson to the taxi squad on Monday. Carter Hutton backed up Linus Ullmark after missing the last two games following a collision with Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on Jan. 20.

WHAT'S NEXT

The teams meet again in Buffalo on Thursday night.

Lafreniere's 1st goal seals Rangers' 3-2 OT win at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Alexis Lafreniere became accustomed to being patient last year, when the playmaking forward from Quebec had to wait until October to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft by the New York Rangers.

Another long wait ended Thursday for Lafreniere, who scored his first career goal 2:47 into overtime to secure a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

''It's pretty crazy. Overtime, game-winning goal, it was really special,'' Lafreniere said. ''I'll never forget this moment, for sure.''

The goal was historic as well, as he became the first No. 1 pick to score his first goal in OT.

It happened in a game the Rangers squandered two one-goal leads, snapped an 0-3-1 skid, and Lafreniere was robbed of a goal in the opening minute of the third period. Set up alone at the left post, Lafreniere's shot was stopped when Linus Ullmark kicked out his right pad.

Rangers coach David Quinn continued to be impressed by the 19-year-old forward's persistence by noting how Lafreniere returned to the bench laughing after being stopped.

''He was laughing about it. The thing I loved about him is he never got frustrated,'' Quinn said, referring to Lafreniere's drought.

Quinn was confident Lafreniere was ready for the moment, knowing what he went through last year following a junior season in which he became the first to win consecutive Quebec Major Junior Hockey League MVP honors since Sidney Crosby in 2004 and '05.

Aside from the draft being delayed four months because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event was also held remotely. That led to Lafreniere watching TV from his living room rather than taking the stage in his hometown of Montreal, where the draft was supposed to take place.

''He shakes it off, is not bothered by it,'' Quinn said. ''I don't care if he's the first pick or the 271st pick, he's a kid you want to be around. For him to get his first goal in that moment, under that situation, under those circumstances, I couldn't be happier for him.''

Artemi Panarin had a goal and set up Ryan Strome's game-opening goal. Igor Shesterkin stopped 23 shots for his first win since taking over the starting duties following Henrik Lunqvist's offseason departure.

Sam Reinhart had a goal and assist and Jack Eichel also scored for Buffalo, which dropped to 3-3-2. Linus Ullmark finished with 36 saves in a game the Sabres were outshot 24-9 through two periods and 39-25 overall.

''That's about as bad as we've played this year,'' Eichel said. ''We find a way to get a point, thankfully, from good goaltending and our penalty kill coming up big. But we've got to find a way to play a lot better than that.''

Lafreniere's goal came after Eichel turned the puck over in his own zone. Colin Blackwell collected the loose puck and drove up the right side before flipping a pass through the middle to Lafreniere, who one-timed the puck inside the near post.

''Nice pass by Blacky, and I had an open net,'' said Lafreniere, who didn't feel any additional pressure being on the ice for the extra frame. ''I thought I was playing a good game, so I was ready. I took my chance and it went in. It was pretty fun.''

The Sabres rallied to earn a point in a game they overcame two one-goal deficits, with Reinhart tying the game at 2 by tipping in Victor Olofsson's pass from the right circle five minutes into the third period. It came on the power play, 20 seconds after Ryan Lindgren was penalized for cross-checking Kyle Okposo into the end boards of the Rangers zone.

Okposo briefly went up the tunnel before returning to the bench after appearing to hurt his left ankle.

Strome did not return late in the game after sustaining what Quinn called a lower body injury. ''We think he'll be fine,'' the coach said.

20-SPOT

Sabres coach Ralph Krueger's objective in a shortened season is making sure Buffalo remains in the playoff hunt through 36 games and then see how the final 20 shake out.

''That's our definite No. 1 goal is to get more than halfway into the season right in the middle of everything and then be one of the teams that rises to the top,'' Krueger said Thursday morning. ''We don't expect to necessarily rise there right off the hop.''

Krueger's more comfortable with the Sabres dealing with early season challenges, such as their 1-3 start, as opposed to last season when Buffalo opened with a 9-2-2 before fading to miss the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season.

''I really felt everything came way too easy for us early,'' he said.

SCRATCHES

Rangers: D Jack Johnson is out with a groin injury, which Quinn termed short term. He was replaced by Brendan Smith, who sat out two of the past three games.

Sabres: D Henri Jokiharju missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury. C Tage Thompson was a healthy scratch for a third-consecutive game.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Two-game homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday and Monday.

Crosby scores in overtime, Penguins beat Rangers 5-4

AP

NEW YORK (AP) Sidney Crosby scored at 2:27 of overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 5-4 on Saturday night to stop a two-game skid.

Jason Zucker, Brandon Tanev, Kasperi Kapanen and Jake Guentzel also had goals for Pittsburgh, which was coming off consecutive losses in Boston - the first one in overtime. Casey DeSmith made 30 saves.

Guentzel tied it 4-all midway through the third period, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph had two assists as the Penguins (5-3-1) improved to 3-0 against the Rangers this season.

''I think it builds character for the group,'' Crosby said after Pittsburgh won its third game when trailing after two periods. ''If you continue to put yourself in that situation, that's not necessarily the formula to have success. ... We've got to find a way to get leads, hold them and build momentum from them.''

Brendan Lemieux, Kevin Rooney, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin scored for New York (2-4-2), which lost for the fifth time in six games - all of them decided by one goal. Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves in his fourth start this season.

The Penguins pinned a tired Rangers trio in its own zone for a majority of the extra session and Crosby took advantage. Pittsburgh's captain fired a shot from the high slot through Georgiev's legs for his 18th career OT winner.

Guentzel evened a back-and-forth game when the 26-year-old winger put home a rebound after Crosby won a faceoff cleanly in the offensive zone.

''No team in the league can just throw their sticks out there and play east-west and try to skill their way to wins,'' Kreider said. ''You've got to go north at some point. There is not enough space, there is not enough time. You've got to make their D turn, you've got to make them go the old cliche, go 200 feet. . That looked like a lot of fun for them in the third period.''

The Rangers took their first lead at 16:01 of the second on the power play. Panarin got his fourth goal of the season with a one-timer from the slot. Pavel Buchnevich and Tony DeAngelo assisted on the play.

Rooney sparked a three-goal second for New York with a short-handed tally. Rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller and Rooney executed a give-and-go to perfection on a two-on-none rush. Rooney has 11 career goals, seven while killing a penalty.

Evgeni Malkin helped Pittsburgh regain a one-goal advantage after he intercepted a puck in the defensive zone and sprung Kapanen for a breakaway at 9:42 of the middle frame.

''I'm getting a bigger role here, getting more responsibility in the offensive zone,'' Kapanen said after playing last season with Toronto. ''That's something I feel like every player kind of enjoys. So far I have played well in it and my linemates have been helping me out a lot. It's a big two points for us.''

Just 43 seconds after Pittsburgh took a 3-2 lead, Kreider buried a rebound to help New York overcome a one-goal deficit for the third time. Miller and fellow defenseman Jacob Trouba assisted on the equalizer.

Zucker opened the scoring at 7:39 of the first period. Joseph found Zucker darting toward the back post after receiving a cross-ice feed from Kapanen.

''They beat us to every loose puck, they won every battle, we kept shooting ourselves in the foot,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''They were smarter and looked like a little hungrier team than we were in the third period.''

Lemieux scored his first of the season to tie it at 1. Phillip Di Giuseppe tossed a puck toward the net and a hard-charging Lemieux guided the rebound past DeSmith.

Tanev gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the first when he redirected Joseph's shot past Georgiev.

UPPER HAND

The Penguins have points in 10 straight games against the Rangers (7-0-3). Pittsburgh has just one regulation loss in its last 11 trips to Madison Square Garden (8-1-2) dating to Dec. 8, 2014.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Rangers began a stretch of eight straight games in the New York Metropolitan Area - seven at Madison Square Garden and next Saturday at New Jersey.

CLASS IN SESSION

The average age of a player on the Rangers' active roster this season is 25.6 years old, the youngest in the NHL.

UP NEXT

The teams meet again Monday night in New York.

Rangers place Tony DeAngelo on waivers after fight with teammate, per report

DeAngelo was reportedly involved in an altercation with Alexandar Georgiev

decision that was apparently fueled in part by an altercation that occurred after the team's 5-4 overtime loss against the Penguins on Saturday night.

According to The Athletic's Rick Carpiniello, DeAngelo and Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev were involved in a brief altercation inside the tunnel leading to the team's locker room immediately following the loss. DeAngelo was on the ice for Pittsburgh's overtime goal while Georgiev was in net for the Rangers.

The altercation was reportedly broken up quickly but DeAngelo was placed on waivers Sunday morning, meaning the other 30 NHL clubs will have a chance to claim the 25-year-old defenseman, and he did not practice with the team. DeAngelo has two years remaining on his current contract at $4.8 million AAV.

After the incident was confirmed by several sources close to the team, some details began to emerge on social media -- some also included involvement from veteran winger Chris Kreider.

For what it's worth, Rangers coach David Quinn did not confirm or deny the incident in question.

"There's always rumors, as you know," said Quinn. "I'm not going to address rumors. This isn't about one incident. It's not about one thing. It's a situation the organization felt was best at this current time and we'll see how the situation plays out.

"It's part of the business. It's a decision we made. You're always sitting down, evaluating your organization. It's something we did. We'll see how it plays out. … I don't want to get into specifics. In 24 hours we'll probably be able to be more specific and address the situation differently."

It appears that this might be the final straw for DeAngelo in New York. In addition to his poor play this season (1 point in six games and a minus-6), the Rangers have seemingly grown tired of the defenseman's conduct away from the ice. His behavior on social media has drawn criticism, enough to the point where he's been disciplined by the team on several occasions. He recently deactivated his Twitter account and promised to move to the social media site Parler.

DeAngelo also has a history of problematic behavior on the ice, as he was suspended twice in the OHL for violating the league's harassment, abuse and diversity policy. He was also suspended for abuse of an official while playing for the Arizona Coyotes in 2017.

While we may have to wait on confirmation of specifics from Saturday's incident, it seems as though DeAngelo's time with the Rangers could be coming to an end. The question now becomes whether another NHL team will be willing to give him another shot.

Rangers snap three-game skid vs. Pittsburgh, top Pens 3-1

NEW YORK (AP) Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal in the third period, helping the New York Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists, Kevin Rooney scored and Igor Shesterkin made 25 saves as New York snapped a three-game losing streak against Pittsburgh.

''You win a game like this, you kind of get a feeling you are able to do it,'' Rangers defenseman Adam Fox said. ''The guys pulled together and just played a little smarter. It was nice to get over the hump, especially against this team.''

Jason Zucker scored and Casey DeSmith made 21 saves for the Penguins in their fifth road loss this season.

Kreider notched the go-ahead goal at 11:10 of the third period. Fox faked to his left before tossing the puck on net. Kreider redirected the pass past DeSmith. Panarin recorded his second assist on the play and has four multi-point games this season.

''I'm very happy that we finally won after the past three games,'' Artemi Panarin said through a translator. ''Our team did a great job, especially in the third period.''

Zucker opened the scoring midway through the first period. The 29-year-old winger stuffed home a loose puck from a sharp angle after beating K'Andre Miller to the back post. It was Zucker's second goal in as many games. Chad Ruhwedel and Evgeni Malkin assisted on the play.

The Penguins were 0 for 6 on the power play.

''We are not happy with our special teams,'' Zucker said. ''We have to make sure we all get better as a cohesive unit. The simple answer is to shoot pucks.''

The Rangers evened the score 1-1 late in the middle frame on a delayed penalty. Rooney willed a puck into the back of the net after corralling a bouncing puck from Panarin. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren also assisted on the play.

''It looks like we are looking for a better play that's not there,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''We have to do a better job at just putting pucks at the net and then creating our offense that way.''

Panarin added an empty-net goal in the final seconds to seal the victory.

''This was a very important win for our team's confidence,'' Shesterkin said. ''We blocked many shots, put in a lot of work and came out with a positive result.''

Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith left the game in the first period after a collision with Penguins forward Brandon Tanev. Smith did not return due to an upper-body injury.

Anthony Bitetto made his season debut after the Rangers recalled him from the taxi squad earlier in the day.

FAREWELL

Defenseman Tony DeAngelo cleared waivers and has played his last game with the Rangers, according to general manager Jeff Gorton. There was reportedly a postgame altercation between DeAngelo and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev after Saturday's game against the Penguins. ''We had an incident that happened,'' Gorton said in a pregame press conference. ''It's in our room. We're dealing with it. This is one of the ways we're dealing with it. Our team is ready to move on.''

NEW YORK GROOVE

The Penguins have two regulation losses in their last 12 trips to Madison Square Garden (8-2-2) dating to December 8, 2014.

SCHEDULE UPDATE

The Penguins were originally slated to play the Devils on Tuesday and Thursday, but both of those games have been postponed due to NHL COVID-19 protocol. In addition, the Rangers game against the Devils on Saturday will also be rescheduled.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Capitals on Thursday.

Strome, Rangers spoil Ovechkin’s milestone with 4-2 win

AP

NEW YORK (AP) Ryan Strome scored twice to help the New York Rangers beat Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 4-2 on Thursday night.

Ovechkin scored career goal No. 709 to surpass Mike Gartner for sole possession of seventh place on the NHL list. But New York stretched its point streak to four games, which includes three victories.

Ovechkin is eight goals away from Phil Esposito, who is sixth in league history with 717 goals.

''It's great to move on, I'm not done yet,'' Ovechkin said. ''I'm just trying to enjoy my time right now and enjoy this moment. Sucks we didn't get two points.''

Anthony Bitetto also scored for the Rangers and Artemi Panarin had two assists. Igor Shesterkin stopped 31 shots while recording his third straight win in as many starts.

''You can just see him getting more confident and settled in,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said of Shesterkin. ''If you are going to win a hockey game, your goalie has to make saves no matter what level you are at and our guy did tonight.''

Washington dropped its second straight game. Carl Hagelin also scored for the Capitals, and Vitek Vanecek had 27 saves.

Strome scored the deciding goal 7:55 into the third period, finishing an odd-man rush with Panarin. Kaapo Kakko also assisted on the play in his first game back after a brief stint on the NHL's COVID-19 list.

''Everybody is pulling their weight, we are playing as a team,'' Strome said. ''We are taking pride in the little plays, a penalty kill, a shot block. Earlier in the year guys were really just forcing offense. Now, when a guy makes a good play he is getting rewarded by his teammates, that goes a long way in a winning culture and that is starting to show in the results.''

Ovechkin got the Capitals within one with his third goal of the season at 11:01. The Capitals captain collected the puck shortly after an offensive zone faceoff and wired a wrist shot past Shesterkin.

''Alex was hunting the whole night, he was firing from all over,'' Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. ''I've watched him for so many years from a different bench and to actually be on the bench and appreciate his talent is even more special. It's a great accomplishment for him.''

Bitetto gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead 9:15 into the second. The Long Island-born defenseman gracefully skated around the net before darting toward the slot and sliding the puck past Vanecek.

Bitetto was called up from the taxi squad earlier this week after the organization waived defenseman Tony DeAngelo following a postgame altercation between teammates.

''It was magical. I usually don't score those type of goals,'' Bitetto said. ''More importantly, we got a good win.''

Hagelin cut the Rangers' lead in half at 18:57 of the second. Garnet Hathaway fired a sharp-angled shot that deflected off Hagelin's glove and past Shesterkin. The play was reviewed but the call on the ice stood.

Strome opened the scoring 1:41 into the first. Adam Fox sent the puck toward the net from the blue line and Strome deflected it past Vanecek. Strome extended his point streak to four games.

''We have done that too much where we haven't played a 60-minute game,'' Hagelin said. ''It's time to adjust and figure that one out. If we do, we are a very successful team.''

Pavel Buchnevich added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

SEASON DEBUT

Defenseman Libor Hajek played in his first game of the season. The Rangers acquired the Czech defenseman in February 2018 as part of a larger deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

COMING OF AGE

Vanecek was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January after posting a 5-0-2 record with a 2.78 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in seven appearances. Vanecek became the eighth player in franchise history to earn the honor.

SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS

The Rangers were slated to play Saturday afternoon at New Jersey, but it was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak for the Devils. New York will have the weekend off before returning to action Monday night.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Islanders on Monday.

Capitals: Host Flyers on Sunday.

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Cizikas, Martin score in 3rd as Islanders top Rangers 2-0

AP

NEW YORK (AP) Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin scored 2:05 apart in the third period to help Semyon Varlamov and the New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 2-0 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

Varlamov made 30 saves for his third shutout this season - second against the Rangers - as the Islanders won their second consecutive game. Islanders coach Barry Trotz earned his 850th victory, passing Ken Hitchcock for third place on the NHL's career list.

''If you look at his track record, everywhere he's gone success has followed him,'' Martin said of Trotz. ''He along with Lou (Lamoriello) and the rest of the coaching staff built a strong culture, make us play the right way and hold us accountable every single night. He's a coach every guy in the room loves playing for.''

Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 shots, but the Rangers' four-game point streak ended.

Cal Clutterbuck's aggressive forecheck created a turnover in the third period and the Islanders capitalized. Adam Pelech fired a shot from the point and Cizikas stuffed home a loose puck at 11:15 to snap a scoreless tie.

''We're keeping our game simple and we're playing to our strengths,'' Cizikas said. ''That's creating chances and it's turning into success for our line. The way we're playing and the way we're jelling right, it's a good feeling and it's something we can build off of and get better at each game.''

Just more than two minutes later, Martin buried a feed from Clutterbuck right in front. Mathew Barzal extended his point streak to six games with an assist on the play.

''These guys are no-nonsense players. They play a straight-line game,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said of the Islanders' fourth line. ''In a game that's getting less physical, they bring an element of physicality to the game shift in and shift out. Those players are few and far between this day and age.''

Two of the best chances for the Rangers came early in the third. Star forward Artemi Panarin had a breakaway but Varlamov denied him with a glove save. Shortly afterward, Mika Zibanejad had a good opportunity but could not beat the Russian goaltender.

''It's definitely a tough team to play against,'' Zibanejad said. ''They are structured, do a lot of good things defensively. You just have to give them credit. We have to find a way to have an answer for that and we didn't do that tonight.''

Varlamov became the first Islanders goalie to shut out the Rangers twice in one season. He made 24 saves for a 4-0 victory in the Jan. 14 opener between the crosstown rivals.

The teams don't meet again until April 9, then play each other five times in 23 days.

HOME COOKIN'

Due to several changes to the NHL schedule because of COVID-19, the Rangers are in the middle of an eight-game homestand, their longest of the season. The stretch began Jan. 30 and is currently scheduled to conclude Feb. 16.

FAMILIAR FOES

The Islanders will play the same opponent in consecutive games 19 times this season.

IRON MEN

The Islanders have four players (Barzal, Anders Lee, Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock) with streaks of at least 200 games played.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

Brad Marchand scores in OT, Bruins beat Rangers 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) Brad Marchand scored 36 seconds into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night in the opener of a two-game set at Madison Square Garden.

Marchand beat goalie Alexandar Georgiev with a nifty forehand-backhand maneuver. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy broke up an odd-man rush and set up Marchand.

''You have to take chances at times,'' Tuukka Rask said about the 3-on-3 overtime. ''Smart players make smart plays and I think that was the case.''

Chris Wagner and Anders Bjork also scored and Rask made 33 saves to help the Bruins extended their winning streak to four and points streak to nine games at 8-0-1.

''That's the mentality we have always had in this room, we are one,'' Marchand said. ''We battle adversity together. We win and lose as a team. We feed off a line or a guy. Guys are just stepping up and making big plays right now.''

Julien Gauthier - with his first NHL goal - and Kevin Rooney scored for New York, Brendan Lemieux had two assists and Georgiev stopped 29 shots. The Rangers have lost two in a row.

''The way we kind of measure our game is how fast we play, the way we pressure, the way we forecheck,'' Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said after his goal drought extended to nine games. ''We were playing a really good team tonight so it's going to go a little bit back and forth but I thought we played with a lot more speed and a lot more tempo today than we did last game.''

The teams will meet again Friday night.

Georgiev made his first start since a postgame altercation with defenseman Tony DeAngelo that followed an overtime loss to Pittsburgh. DeAngelo has since cleared waivers and will not play another game with the Rangers, according to general manager Jeff Gorton.

''I thought (Georgiev) was really good laterally reading plays, square to the puck,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''The second period we were fortunate to get out of there 1-1. He was huge on the penalty kill in the second period. They had some Grade A bell ringers that he made some great side to side saves on. If you're going to kill penalties against that team your goalie better be pretty good and he certainly was good.''

Rooney evened it at 2 midway through the third, less than three minutes after Bjork gave the Bruins the lead. Rooney buried a loose puck at the side of the net after Lemieux redirected a shot from Ryan Lindgren.

Wagner tied it at 1 with a short-handed goal midway through the second period.

Gauthier opened the scoring in the first.

TIGHT FINISH

Each of the Rangers' last 10 games have been decided by two goals or fewer and seven of those contests have had a one-goal differential.

Halak, Ritchie lead Bruins past Rangers 1-0 for 5th straight

NEW YORK (AP) Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves, Nick Ritchie scored in the second period and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers 1-0 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Halak earned his 51st career shutout as the East Division leaders extended their point streak to 10 games (9-0-1) in a tight-checking tussle that included several fights.

''It got a little bit physical and all of a sudden now our guys are engaged in the game offensively and physically,'' Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''That's when we certainly put our best foot forward and became the better team.''

Igor Shesterkin stopped 29 shots but the Rangers were blanked for the second time in three games and dropped their third in a row. Each of their last 11 games have been decided by two goals or fewer - eight with a one-goal margin.

''It's not good enough to lose games by a goal,'' defenseman Jacob Trouba said. ''It's the NHL, we've got to win games. We have to find a way to get points. Especially in a shortened season, we've got to find a way to win hockey games, that's the bottom line.''

Halak improved his career record against the Rangers to 23-8-1. New York has been shut out three times this season, all at Madison Square Garden.

''We talked about it after the first period. Everybody was on the same page knowing we had to play better,'' Halak said. ''If we wanted to keep playing the same way like we did in the first period, it will be a long night. I thought we did a good job coming out in the second period - from that moment on, I think guys took over. Everybody was in the game, everybody did their job.''

Rangers star forward Artemi Panarin sat out with a lower-body injury and the Russian winger is considered day-to-day, coach David Quinn said. Panarin played only three shifts in the third period of Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Bruins.

Ritchie scored at 9:27 of the second. The forward blew past rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller and snuck a short-side shot past Shesterkin. David Krejci and Jeremy Lauzon assisted on the play.

''Obviously, a big guy that can drive to the net and force their defense to defend,'' Ritchie said of his skillset. ''Play around the crease and open up some room for linemates and make it hard on the other team.''

New York killed off four minor penalties and has successfully killed 21 consecutive power plays in the past six games.

The Rangers also failed to convert on six power-play opportunities.

''We pass when we should shoot. We shoot when we should pass. We just make bad decisions and we are slow,'' Quinn said. ''We are not going to go anywhere with a power play clicking the way it is, looking the way it is. . We just have to be better.''

Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk did not skate due to a lower-body injury.

POINT STREAK SNAPPED

Charlie McAvoy's eight-game point streak ended. The Long Island-born defenseman had 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) during the stretch. It was the longest point streak by a Bruins defenseman since Ray Bourque in 1995-96. ... Brad Marchand's nine-game point streak also was snapped in the victory.

ZIBANEJAD'S SCORING DROUGHT

Rangers center Mika Zibanejad has only one goal in 13 games this year after scoring a career-high 41 last season. In addition, the Swedish center has just one point in the past 10 games.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

The Rangers skated in their sixth consecutive home game, dating to Jan. 30 against the Penguins. New York is playing at least six straight home games for the 14th time in franchise history.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

Devils deal Rangers fourth straight loss with 5-2 victory

NEW YORK (AP) Yegor Sharangovich and Nicholas Merkley scored in the third period, and the New Jersey Devils sent the New York Rangers to their fourth straight loss with a 5-2 win on Tuesday night.

Pavel Zacha, Will Butcher and Mikhail Maltsev also scored for New Jersey, which returned to action for the first time this month after an extended pause due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Mackenzie Blackwood made 37 saves and Janne Kuokkanen added three assists in the win.

''I think most important thing for us tonight was to come out and try to play a solid game and get our legs back,'' Blackwood said. ''Getting the win was huge also. I think those were the two things we focused on tonight and we accomplished both of them.''

Colin Blackwell and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin recorded 32 saves in his third straight loss.

''That's a team coming off a two-week break. I realize they probably were pretty excited to get back to playing hockey, but that's an unacceptable start,'' alternate captain Chris Kreider said. ''For the majority of the game they outhit us, outskated us, outworked us, won more battles. I mean, chances aside we got away from the things that we were doing well. They flat-out wanted it more. I mean, it's unacceptable.''

Sharangovich scored the go-ahead goal at 10:43 of the third period when he redirected P.K Subban's shot from the point past Shesterkin. Jesper Bratt assisted on the play.

Merkley extended the Devils third-period advantage to two goals at 14:09 with his first of the season. The 23-year-old winger forced a turnover in the offensive zone and scored on a blast from the slot.

''We just always want to be aggressive, hound their D,'' Merkely said. ''I think that's what our line did tonight, all night. Good things happen when you get D-men under pressure.''

Butcher gave the Devils a brief 2-1 lead when his shot from along the wall deflected in off Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba at 17:14 of the second period.

The Rangers responded in the final minute of the second as Buchnevich recorded his fourth goal of the season. Alternate captain Chris Kreider forced a neutral zone turnover and set up Buchnevich, who knotted the game at 2-all. Trouba assisted on the play.

''We've got to understand the difference between winning and losing and what you need to do to do it,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''You would think we would generate some momentum getting that goal at the end of the second. It just didn't happen. A lot of things didn't happen tonight for us.''

Zacha opened the scoring at 7:37 of the second with a power-play goal. The 23-year-old winger wired a wrist shot from the right circle over the glove of Shesterkin. Damon Severson and Kuokkanen assisted.

The Rangers' streak of 22 consecutive successful penalty kills over the past seven games ended on Zacha's goal.

Blackwell evened the score at 1-1 with a well-placed wrist shot that clipped the post before finding the back of the net. Brett Howden intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and slid the puck over to Blackwell at 11:32 of the second frame.

Maltsev added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

''It's a group that is really hungry to win,'' Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ''They faced some disappointment in the past. It's a group that really likes playing for each other. You can see a lot of the emotion, a lot of the energy. They believe in how we are playing.''

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin missed his second straight game due to a lower-body injury he sustained against the Bruins last week. Rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller didn't play for New York due to an upper-body injury sustained during practice.

COVID-19 PAUSE

The Devils' last game prior to Tuesday was January 31st against the Buffalo Sabres. New Jersey had 19 players land on the NHL's COVID-19 list during its pause. The NHL announced several schedule changes as part of the reshuffling due to multiple postponements.

TIGHT FINISH

Eleven of the previous 12 Rangers games have been decided by two or fewer goals, and eight of those contests have been decided by a goal.

NEARING A MILESTONE

Travis Zajac, currently on the NHL COVID-19 list, is two games shy of becoming the fourth player to skate in 1,000 games with the Devils, joining goaltender Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko and Patrik Elias.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: Visit Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.

Devils: Visit Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Rangers top Flyers 3-2 in shootout to stop 4-game skid

AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) It might not have been a work of art, but any kind of win felt beautiful to the New York Rangers.

Kaapo Kakko and Artemi Panarin scored in the shootout to give the Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

Colin Blackwell and Brendan Smith scored in regulation for New York, which snapped a four-game skid.

''This has been a tough go,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''Losing can wear on you. I don't care how pretty it looked, we needed two points and we got two points. Maybe this wasn't a Picasso. ... But we competed and battled and willed our way to a win.''

Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Joel Farabee scored for the Flyers, who were playing for the first time since Feb. 7 because of COVID-19. Philadelphia was without six players who are still in the COVID-19 health and safety protocol, including captain Claude Giroux, whose streak of playing in 328 consecutive games ended.

Sean Couturier had Philadelphia's lone goal in the shootout.

''I really liked the way we competed,'' Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneualt said. ''We tried to play a simple, north-south game. We battled hard tonight.''

Smith put New York up 2-1 on his first goal of the season with 11:39 left. Panarin, back from two-game absence due to a lower-body injury, set up the goal with a cross-crease pass to a wide-open Smith.

''We talked about getting pucks to the net, and a lot of times we get pucks to the net good things happen,'' Smith said, adding of the win: ''We really needed that.''

With goalie Carter Hart pulled for an extra skater, Philadelphia tied it with 1:14 left in regulation on Farabee's seventh of the season. Ivan Provorov shot the puck off the back boards, and Kevin Hayes deflected it toward the net to Farabee, who poked it home.

Philadelphia, which had four games postponed, had just one practice and Thursday morning's skate since its last action.

But the Flyers came out sharp in the first period.

Aube-Kubel gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 59 seconds into the game when he batted home the puck after a scramble in front.

The Rangers nearly tied it on the power play with 45 seconds left in the first, but Panarin's slap shot clanged off the post.

Blackwell evened it 3:24 into the second period on the power play on a deflection of Pavel Buchnevich's shot. The Rangers had a great chance to take the lead with 3:19 left in the period, but Hart stopped Buchnevich's penalty shot after Buchnevich was hooked by Provorov on a breakaway attempt.

FLYERS ON ICE

In addition to Giroux, forwards Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom and Jakub Voracek and defenseman Justin Braun were out. None of the six will make the trip to Lake Tahoe on Sunday for Philadelphia's outdoor game against Boston.

It was the first time since March 1, 2009, that neither Giroux nor Voracek was in the Flyers' lineup.

RANGERS ON ICE

D Jacob Trouba (broken thumb) missed the first game of what is expected to be a four-week absence. D K'Andre Miller (upper body) sat for the second straight game.

TRICKY TESTING

Because of a winter storm that hit Philadelphia on Thursday and difficult road conditions, the Flyers did their daily COVID-19 testing in two locations on Thursday morning. Players living in and around Philadelphia got tested at the team's home arena while those residing in New Jersey got it done at the team's practice facility in that state.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Washington on Saturday night.

Lafrenière scores 2nd of season, Rangers beat Capitals 4-1

AP

WASHINGTON (AP) Alexis Lafreniere got a chance to play on the New York Rangers' top line with Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, and the result was one of the team's most complete efforts of the season.

Lafreniere scored his second NHL goal, Panarin had two assists and the Rangers made the best of a new-look lineup, beating the Washington Capitals 4-1 Saturday for their second consecutive victory.

''We felt great today, had many chances,'' Panarin said through an interpreter. ''Obviously we felt it today, and it was great to see Alexis score.''

Lafreniere, the top pick in the 2020 draft, cashed in on his promotion by scoring for the first time in eight games. Panarin set up Lafreniere on the doorstep late in the second period, and his shot provided the rebound for Chris Kreider's power-play goal in the first.

''Goal-scorers thrive off confidence, and usually when one goes in it starts a little bit of a snowball effect, so we certainly hope that happens for Alexis,'' coach David Quinn said. ''He continues to improve, come to the rink with a great attitude and work hard, and as long as he continues to do that, good things are going to happen for him.''

With a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome made history as the first player to record 100 points apiece with the Rangers and Islanders. The fifth overall pick of the Islanders in 2011, Strome never saw himself hitting this particular milestone.

''Not the way I thought it would have played out,'' Strome said. ''I think my time here has been pretty good, and I got to 100 a lot quicker than I did with the Islanders.''

Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves, Mika Zibanejad sealed it with an empty-netter with 2:12 left and New York strung together back-to-back wins for just the second time this season.

Zibanejad's goal was just his second since last season after scoring 41 in 57 games in 2019-20. Like with Lafreniere, seeing the puck go in the net could have a domino effect for Zibanejad.

''If you look at his reaction, you sensed relief,'' Quinn said. ''It's not going to happen overnight. He's not going to go from where he is to where he was last year. We just need to continue to see progress and thought that was another step in the right direction.''

The Capitals struggled to match the Rangers' energy early in a game moved up to an afternoon start, falling behind 3-0 before Dmitry Orlov scored his first goal of the season with 38.2 seconds left in the second period. Vitek Vanecek allowed three goals on 24 shots in his 13th consecutive start, and Washington's winning streak was snapped at two.

''We were building toward setting our standard of what we require out of each other, and I think we were on the right track,'' winger T.J. Oshie said. ''(This game) was another look at how we don't want to play. It shows that we are still learning as a group.''

KAKKO OUT

The Rangers' Kaapo Kakko was a surprise scratch after being added to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. The 2019 No. 2 pick previously was on the list Feb. 1-2, when he missed one game.

Kakko joins injured forward Filip Chytil as Rangers players on the list. Kakko has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

''Obviously you're concerned any time someone gets put on this list, so we'll talk here shortly and see how he feels,'' Quinn said. ''From what I gather there hasn't really been any symptoms yet, so we'll see.''

MILLER BACK

Beyond Quinn's changes up front, the Rangers got rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller back after he missed two games with an upper-body injury. Miller replaced Jack Johnson on the blue line, which is without Jacob Trouba for at least a month because of a broken thumb and Tony DeAngelo for the foreseeable future as the team attempts to trade him.

CAPS GOALIE GAMES

Washington again flip-flopped goalies Saturday morning, activating Craig Anderson and sending Ilya Samsonov to the taxi squad. Samsonov hasn't played since Jan. 17 and got two minor league rehab starts in the past week since recovering from COVID-19.

''We're still working to get Sammy back - he's just had a long time off here - to get him back to where he's going to be comfortable where he does play a game for us,'' coach Peter Laviolette said. ''We'll continue to work on his conditioning.''

UP NEXT

Rangers: Get a few days off before visiting the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

Report: Artemiy Panarin Taking Leave of Absence from New York Rangers

Larry Brooks has reported that Artemiy Panarin is taking a leave of absence from the team following the release of a story in Russia which alleges he “beat up” an 18-year-old girl in Latvia back in 2011.

Panarin has been very outspoken in regard to Vladimir Putin on numerous occasions, and most recently spoke out in support of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Giroux, Flyers top Rangers 4-3 despite Kreider hat trick

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Sidelined two weeks because of COVID-19 protocols, Claude Giroux had enough of watching Flyers games on TV.

''It's not that fun watching the guys play when you're at home,'' he said.

Giroux made it fun playing with the Flyers. His 903rd career game tied him with Bill Barber for most in the regular season with Philadelphia. He also had three assists in his return from a coronavirus absence to lead the Flyers over the New York Rangers 4-3 on Wednesday night.

''Surprised would be an understatement,'' coach Alain Vigneault said. ''I didn't really know what to expect, but you could tell early on he had his game tonight.''

Giroux, who played his first game since Feb. 7, led the Flyers with eight shots on goal, 12 total shot attempts, three points and was 8 of 11 on faceoffs.

''This was one of his better games all year,'' Vigneault said.

James van Riemsdyk and Shayne Gostisbehere each scored a power-play goal for the Flyers, who are 0-3-2 against Boston and 9-1-1 versus the rest of the East Division.

Chris Kreider scored a hat trick for the Rangers on three tap-ins in front.

''He's a huge part of our team He got rewarded tonight,'' New York center Mika Zibanejad said. ''He works obviously incredibly hard and he goes to the net. He does an unbelievable job, probably one of the best guys in the league in front.''

Giroux, the Flyers' captain, sat out two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus and missed their loss Sunday to Boston at Lake Tahoe. But the 33-year-old played as though he never lost a step during his layoff and helped set up goals for Erik Gustafsson and Gostisbehere in the first period to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead.

''I wasn't thinking too much out there,'' Giroux said. ''Just playing the game and having fun.''

The Flyers counted on a return home to steady the team after they were humbled in a 7-3 loss to the Bruins and had dropped four of five overall. Carter Hart allowed six goals on 23 shots in the first two periods against Boston and hit the bench Wednesday night. Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots for the Flyers, who start a rugged stretch Saturday of six games in nine days - including three straight games at Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia also played again without Jakub Voracek, Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom and Scott Laughton because of COVID protocols, while the Rangers had the same issue with K'Andre Miller and Kaapo Kakko.

''We'd love to have all of our guys healthy and ready to go,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said before the game. ''We're no different than most teams in the league. We don't have that luxury right now.''

The Flyers got an NHL-high seventh power-play goal of the season from van Riemsdyk to make it 3-1 early in the second. Giroux hit Kevin Hayes, who went top shelf against Igor Shesterkin to make it 4-2 late in the second.

The Rangers posted video of Kreider playing the piano and then watched him hit all the right notes in his third career hat trick and first since December 2016.

Kreider's first two goals were on the power play and his third one (eighth of the season) made it 4-3.

''The effort was there, no question,'' he said.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

The Rangers played without star winger Artemi Panarin, on a leave of absence for personal reasons. Panarin's former KHL coach levied abusive allegations against Panarin. He has denied the accusations and believed the KHL coach made the claim because Panarin has been outspoken about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Quinn said he was ''very, very confident'' Panarin would be cleared and could soon rejoin the Rangers.

IRON MAN

Flyers D Ivan Provorov set the NHL record for the most consecutive games played by a defenseman from the start of a career for the same team with 331. Former New York Ranger Dan Girardi held the mark at 330.

UP NEXT

The Rangers host Boston on Friday and Sunday.