Recap: NY Rangers vs. Edmonton
Sports Network | November 10, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Ales Hemsky tallied the lone shootout goal and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the New York Rangers, 3-2, at Madison Square Garden.
Erik Cole and Kyle Brodziak scored in regulation for the Oilers, who finished a season-high seven-game road trip with a 4-3-0 record. A second-round pick (31st overall) by Edmonton in 2002, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers made 40 saves in his third career start.
Chris Drury and Paul Mara had the goals for New York, which has lost four of its last five contests. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots in the loss.
"It was great that we came back and got a point out of it," Lundqvist said. Their goalie played well. I'm definitely happy about the way we came back and finished the game."
Nikolai Zherdev was the first shooter in the extra segment and his wrister was turned aside by Drouin-Deslauriers. Sam Gagner went first for Edmonton, but Lundqvist poke checked before the second-year forward could get a shot away.
Fredrik Sjostrom was next for New York and his bid was denied, then Hemsky fired a shot that deflected off Lundqvist's glove and floated into the net. Drouin-Deslauriers then preserved the win with a glove save on Markus Naslund.
Trailing 2-1, Drury netted the game-tying marker 46 seconds into the third period. Scott Gomez pulled up at the right point and threw the puck on goal. Drouin-Deslauriers made the save, but the Rangers captain, driving to the net, swatted the rebound while falling to the ice and with one hand on his stick.
Mara was assessed a holding-the-stick penalty 14 seconds into overtime, but Edmonton failed to convert.
"We had chances to win on the power play in overtime, but we'll take the points in the shootout for sure," said Edmonton defenseman Sheldon Souray.
Edmonton opened the scoring on a fortuitous carom 3:27 into the contest. Fernando Pisani held the puck in the left circle and his intended feed to Cole, coming down the slot, went off the power forward's left skate at the edge of the crease before bouncing off the near post and in behind Lundqvist.
New York had the better of the play in the middle stanza and peppered the rookie netminder, firing 20 shots on goal, with only one finding the back of the net. Meanwhile, at the other end of the rink, Lundqvist didn't see nearly as much rubber, but Brodziak made it 2-0 at the 3:30 mark.
Mara then put the Rangers on the board at 8:13, accepting a feed from Ryan Callahan inside the left circle and ripping a low shot past Drouin-Deslauriers.
The Oilers generated just five shots in the second period...Edmonton defenseman Jason Strudwick played in his 500th career game...Lundqvist has not allowed more than two goals in his last nine starts...New York had won five of the last six meetings with the Oilers at Madison Square Garden...Forward Glenn Anderson, a former Oiler and Ranger, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday.
