Mon Mar 31 22:06:58 2008

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Drury's OT winner lifts Rangers past Penguins

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New York, NY (Sports Network) - Chris Drury's power-play goal 1:46 into overtime lifted the New York Rangers to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden.

Sergei Gonchar got called for holding just 24 seconds into the extra frame to give New York a 4-on-3 power play. Jaromir Jagr skated the puck behind the net and threw a pass out front. The puck missed its intended target, Scott Gomez, parked in front of the net, but it slid into the high slot where Drury skated up to the puck and blasted it past Marc-Andre Fleury for the win.

Jagr scored the goal in regulation while Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves for the Rangers, who have won two of their last three. With 93 points, New York jumped past idle Ottawa for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers play a home-and-home with the Islanders starting on Thursday in Uniondale and then on Friday at Madison Square Garden before closing out their regular season in New Jersey on Sunday.

Maxime Talbot scored the lone goal and Fleury finished the game with 25 saves for the Penguins, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Pittsburgh, which remains at the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 100 points, two better than Montreal, hosts Philadelphia on Wednesday before finishing its regular season in Philly on Sunday.

The game was scoreless after 20 minutes with New York dominating much of the play in the frame and outshooting Pittsburgh, 9-1.

Nigel Dawes nearly gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead about two minutes into the second period as he skated in on a breakaway from near mid-ice, but Fleury came up with a blocker save to keep the game scoreless.

New York, though, did get on the scoreboard courtesy of a 5-on-3 power play. During a flurry in front, Jagr backhanded a shot from the low right circle that was stopped and popped into the air. As the puck was in the air, Gomez whacked at it with his stick as Robert Scuderi batted at it with his hand. It initially appeared that Gomez hit it in with a high stick and the goal was waived off by the on-ice official. However, the replay showed that Scuderi hit the puck with his hand and it then went off the helmet of Fleury and into the net. Jagr got credit for the goal to give New York a 1-0 lead with 8:17 left in the second.

Lundqvist finished with nine saves in the second period.

Pittsburgh tied the game halfway through the third period. On a give-and-go play, Talbot had the puck in the high slot and dished it over to Ryan Malone, who sent it back to the left side where Talbot redirected it into the net for his 12th goal of the season.

Game Notes

The one shot that New York allowed in the first period was the lowest number of shots allowed by the team in one period this season. Also, it was the least amount in one period for Pittsburgh this season...New York won five of eight games against Pittsburgh this season...New York went 2-for-5 on the power play while Pittsburgh finished 0-for-4.