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National Hockey League
NY Rangers 4, New Jersey 3
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 25, 2017
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Kyle Rehman, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Ryan Galloway
Attendance: 16514

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New York Rangers took a stunning one-two punch from the New Jersey Devils early in the third period Saturday at the Prudential Center but pulled themselves together in time to rally for an exciting 4-3 overtime victory.

Mika Zibanejad had two points for the Rangers (40-19-2), including the game-winning goal 1:16 into overtime. Chris Kreider also had a goal and an assist, and goaltender Antti Raanta finished with 36 saves as New York won for the league-leading 21st time on the road this season.

"It's a huge two points for me, and for the team," said Raanta, who has won all four games he has started against the Devils in his career. "This is a tight race where we are, and every point is crucial."

Kyle Palmieri scored twice in the third period for the Devils (25-25-11), his team-high 17th and 18th goals of the season. Linemate Travis Zajac contributed two assists and goalie Cory Schneider made 36 saves.

"It was a fun game to play in, but obviously the way we lose, it put a sour taste in my mouth, and our team's, as well," Schneider said.

Trailing 2-0 late in the second period, the Devils rallied to score three goals in a span of 2:46 bridging the second and third periods to grab a 3-2 lead.

Adam Henrique netted his 16th on a wraparound at 18:28 of the second to put New Jersey on the board. Palmieri then tied it 27 seconds into the final period with a shot that beat Raanta glove side.

The Devils had their first power play of the night shortly thereafter, and Palmieri scored again at 1:14, deflecting an Adam Greene shot into the cage.

Sensing the kill, the Devils swarmed the Rangers, but Raanta held his ground and kept his team's deficit at one with several big saves.

"We had lots of chances in the third period to be able to go up more than one goal, but I thought Raanta made some huge saves," Devils coach John Hynes said. "Then they found a way to get the tier and the game-winner."

New York defenseman Adam Clendening sent the game to overtime by beating Schneider with a booming slap shot with 4:25 remaining in regulation.

The overtime started with Raanta having to make a game-saving stop on Palmieri's dual bid for the hat trick and game-winning goal.

"I think it hit my skate," Raanta said of his sprawling game-saving stop. "I was waiting for him to shoot it, but he dragged the puck in front of me, so I just tried to put everything I had in my leg, my push, and made a split. He hit the skate and the puck went behind the net, and we went from there."

Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei collected the puck, zipped a pass up to Zibanejad, who broke in on right wing, faked a shot, and then slipped his eighth goal through Schneider's pads to end the fun, back and forth game.

"That's something I've never done before," Zibanejad said of the fake before the shot. "I've seen other guys do it when I was younger, so it's something I tried, and it worked this time."

Kreider and Oscar Lindberg scored first-period goals to give the Rangers a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead, but Schneider stopped all 17 shots he faced in the second period to give New Jersey a chance at a comeback.

The Devils have now lost three straight and four of their last five. The Rangers are 9-1-1 in their last 11 games.

"We put ourselves in a position to win today with the way we competed, and deserved a better result than we got," Hynes said.

NOTES: The Rangers are 4-0 in games decided during the three-on-three overtime this season. ... The Devils were 1 of 2 on the power play and are five for their last nine the past four games. ... Rangers D Kevin Klein (back spasms) missed his second straight game. The Devils were without C Pavel Zacha (concussion). ... The Devils also scratched D John Moore and D Seth Helgeson, and the Rangers scratched RW Pavel Buchnevich and LW Matt Puempel.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Rangers   New Jersey
Chris Kreider 2 Points Kyle Palmieri 2
Chris Kreider 1 Goals Kyle Palmieri 2
Chris Kreider 1 Assists Travis Zajac 2
N/A Power Play Goals Kyle Palmieri 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Antti Raanta .921 Save Percentage Cory Schneider .900
Antti Raanta 35 Saves Cory Schneider 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Rangers 40 4 0-1 1-2 4 27
New Jersey 38 3 1-2 1-1 2 23
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Devils have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .417 after a loss.
  • NY Rangers will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Rangers have a W/L % of .590 after a win and .773 after a loss.