Derick Brassard's OT goal lifts Rangers over Red Wings
NEW YORK – The Rangers have apparently weathered the worst of the storm that tore up their lineup, with two players returning and more on the way in the next week.
They survived a late tying goal by the Detroit Red Wings, and then won 4-3 in overtime on Derick Brassard's power-play rebound goal, on which Detroit goalie Jonas Gustavsson was injured. Brassard buried Dan Girardi's rebound for the win.
They are 5-1-2 in their last eight.
The Rangers got Mats Zuccarello (groin) and Kevin Klein (foot) back into the lineup, and returned Dylan McIlrath to Hartford (AHL). They should be getting Derek Stepan (broken leg) back by Saturday's game in Toronto, then in short order Dan Boyle (broken hand) and John Moore (suspension).
Lee Stempniak snapped a 2-2 tie with 12:10 left in the third period, as Chris Kreider sprung him and Dominic Moore on a 2-on-1. Stempniak took Moore's pass and fired it over the glove of Gustavsson.
But with Gustavsson pulled for an extra attacker, and a series of odd penalties giving the Wings a 5-on-3, Detroit's Tomas Tatar tied it with 7.7 seconds left.
The Rangers were all over the Wings early, especially the line of Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis and Brassard, though Detroit applied its pressure in spurts, Marc Staal thwarting a 3-on-1 to an open Pavel Datsyuk.
Nash, on the penalty kill, drew a penalty and on the eventual power play, scored his 10th goal of the season … well, his wallet scored it. Brassard's slapper from the top of the left circle redirected off Nash's backside and past Gustavsson.
Gustavsson stopped Nash twice from Brassard on the next power play, and Anthony Duclair rang one off the post. The Wings turned the game in their favor after a goalie interference penalty to Dominic Moore, and Henrik Lundqvist protected the lead into the second.
Then Lundqvist did more than that. When Klein covered a loose puck in the crease Gustav Nyqvist was awarded a penalty shot, and Lundqvist got a glove on his snap shot. Just 48 seconds later, Matt Hunwick's touchdown pass sent St. Louis on a breakaway for his third goal in two games and a 2-0 lead.
That didn't last long. Klein lost a wall battle to Riley Sheahan and Jakub Kindl blasted a shot past Lundqvist to break his shutout streak against Detroit at 211:08 (his career longest against any opponent, going back to 2012).
It took just 16 seconds for Detroit to tie it … well, it actually took more than that. Dan Cleary's bad-angled shot through Luke Glendening's screen hit Lundqvist in the butt and went into the net. The officials didn't see it and play went on for quite a while before it was reviewed at the next stoppage and counted.
The Rangers survived a long defensive-zone shift by Detroit, then had one themselves, in which two different lines were able to stay in the Red Wings zone. Finally, Brassard's shot was kicked out by Gustavsson, right onto Nash's stick. Gustavsson did a split and somehow gloved Nash's shot.
Lundqvist was strong in a physical third period to keep it tied until Stempniak's goal, and then protected the lead Stempniak had given him.
Rick Carpiniello writes for the The Journal News.