NEW YORK (AP) — Although they will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the New York Rangers are still scrapping for wins.
Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal late in the third period and then got the winner 2:53 into overtime to rally the Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
On the winner, Zibanejad took a nice pass from Kreider and snuck a wrist shot past Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith for his career-best 22nd goal and 100th of his career. The Ranges won after overcoming deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 in the third period.
“It was a fun game,” Zibanejad. “A lot of chances, good battle out there. It’s always nice when you get away with a win from a game like this.”
Chris Kreider had a goal and three assists for his first career four-point night, and Jesper Fast also scored to help the Rangers get their second straight win after a three-game skid. Neal Pionk had three assists and Alexandar Georgiev, making his second consecutive start, finished with 37 saves.
“It’s a group of professional athletes,” Kreider said of the Rangers’ attitude after trading off several key pieces at the trade deadline. “Guys aren’t going to quit.”
Bryan Rust, Riley Sheahan and Carl Hagelin scored for the Penguins, who lost for just the fifth time in their last 15 games (10-4-1). DeSmith, filling in for injured starter Matt Murray, stopped 29 shots in his ninth career start. Murray has missed eight straight games after a concussion during practice Feb. 26.
“They found another gear,” Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz said. “They really took it to us in the third. We paid for it.”
Evgeni Malkin had a chance to win the game in the final 11 seconds when the referees awarded the Penguins a penalty shot because Georgiev knocked the net off the moorings with under two minutes remaining but the rookie goalie stopped Malkin with his right pad to force overtime.
“There was certainly a lot going around in that last period,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “Momentum is a funny thing sometimes. . Take the two points and go from there.”
The Rangers are 2-0-1 in their last three games, and 5-2-2 in their last nine. New York is seven points out of the last postseason spot in the Eastern Conference with 11 games remaining.
Maple Leafs 6, Stars 5, SO
TORONTO — James van Riemsdyk had his third career hat trick and Mitch Marner scored the winning goal in a shootout to lift Toronto over the Dallas Stars, extending the Maple Leafs’ franchise-record home winning streak to 11 games.
Marner beat Kari Lehtonen in the third round of the shootout, completing Toronto’s comebacks from 4-2 and 5-4 deficits in the third period.
Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau also scored in regulation for the Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen allowed three goals on 20 shots before getting lifted just past the game’s midway point with an upper-body injury.
Curtis McElhinney came on and stopped 13 shots — including two big saves on Jamie Benn during a power play in overtime — the rest of the way to help Toronto improve to 3-2-2 since star center Auston Matthews went down with a shoulder injury on Feb. 22.
Tyler Bozak, who also scored in the shootout, and Marner each added two assists to keep the Maple Leafs perfect at home since losing to Colorado on Jan. 22.
Tyler Seguin had a goal and two assists, Benn added a goal and an assist, and Radek Faksa, Remi Elie and Brett Ritchie also scored in regulation for Dallas. Lehtonen made 26 stops through overtime.
Devils 8, Golden Knights 3
LAS VEGAS — Blake Coleman scored twice, Michael Grabner and Nico Hischier each had a goal and an assist, and New Jersey routed Vegas.
Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac, Stefan Noesen and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Devils, who moved one point ahead of idle Columbus for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. Keith Kinkaid stopped 39 shots.
Erik Haula had two goals and Colin Miller also scored for Vegas, which had just completed a 4-1 road trip. The Golden Knights gave up eight goals for the second time this season in their worst home loss. They have dropped three straight games in regulation at home for the first time.
Marc-Andre Fleury, who earned his 400th career win Monday against Philadelphia, gave up four goals on 11 shots before being pulled early in the second period. Backup goalie Maxime Legace came on and also allowed four goals, on 17 shots.
Sharks 4, Oilers 3, OT
EDMONTON, Alberta — Tomas Hertl had two goals, including the game-winner 2:40 into overtime, and San Jose pulled out a win over Edmonton.
Logan Couture and Brenden Dillon also scored for the Sharks, who have won two straight. San Jose is in second place in the Pacific Division, three points ahead of Los Angeles and Anaheim with 12 games remaining.
Drake Caggiula, Oscar Klefbom and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the goals for the Oilers, who lost their second in a row.
Ducks 3, Canucks 0
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jason Chimera got his first goal and assist with Anaheim, and defenseman Brandon Montour scored twice as the Ducks extended Vancouver’s scoreless streak to 10 periods.
The victory left the Ducks tied with Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division at 82 points. Anaheim has played one more game than the Kings.
Montour scored his first goal for the Ducks in 50 games and then added a second on a power play in the final minute. John Gibson made 32 saves to hand the slumping Canucks their third consecutive shutout.
The 38-year-old Chimera came to the Ducks in a Feb. 26 trade with the New York Islanders.
Vancouver has lost five straight and eight of nine. Jacob Markstrom stopped 34 shots.
