ESPN Fantasy Baseball / Yahoo Fantasy Baseball
NEW YORK -- Their stay atop the Metropolitan Division might only last 24 hours, but the New York Rangers moved past the New York Islanders and into first place with a 4-3 victory against the Arizona Coyotes at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Lee Stempniak and Chris Kreider each scored two goals, and goalie Cam Talbot made 37 saves for his eighth win in 11 starts since Henrik Lundqvist was forced out of the lineup because of a vascular injury.
The Rangers and Islanders each have 82 points, but the Rangers are in first place because they have played fewer games (two). The Islanders can move back into first place Friday, when they play the Calgary Flames at home. The Rangers don't play again until Saturday.
The Rangers (38-16-6) improved to 8-0-2 in their past 10 games and 9-1-2 without Lundqvist, who is skating and facing only low shots in light practice sessions with goalie coach Benoit Allaire. A check-up exam with the doctors has not been scheduled, a Rangers' spokesperson said prior to the game Thursday.
Arizona (20-35-7) has lost eight consecutive games, all in regulation.
Stempniak scored the game-winner with 2:14 remaining in the third period. He cashed in on a rebound of his own shot with a high backhanded shot from the left side of the slot. Arizona goalie Mike Smith (34 saves) made the initial save on Stempniak with his pad.
New York had the opportunity after Arizona turned the puck over in the defensive zone. The Coyotes have been outscored 80-38 in the third period this season.
The Coyotes had a power play with 1:21 remaining, when Martin St. Louis was called for hooking. They made it a 6-on-4 by pulling Smith, but couldn't score.
A lucky break and a fortunate bounce helped the Rangers tie the game at 3-3 shortly before the second intermission. Arizona had a 3-1 lead after the first period.
Kreider scored the game-tying power-play goal with 11.3 seconds remaining in the second period, but the sequence of events that led to the goal fell in the Rangers' favor.
It started with 21 seconds remaining in the second, when Rangers center Derick Brassard wasn't called for what could have been a double-minor for high sticking Arizona defenseman Andrew Campbell. Brassard's stick got up into Campbell's face and drew blood.
As Campbell sat hunched over on his knees holding his face, Rangers forward Rick Nash played the puck with a high stick in the slot, resulting in a stoppage in play and a faceoff in New York's zone with 18.8 seconds remaining. At this point Campbell went to the bench for repairs and Arizona coach Dave Tippett let the officials know how he felt about the non-call.
Coyotes center Antoine Vermette won the ensuing faceoff back to defenseman Connor Murphy, but he couldn't hold the puck in at the right point, giving way to a breakaway for Kreider. Smith made the initial save, but Kreider kept with the play, found the puck back on his stick immediately, and used his backhand to score.
Smith reacted by smashing his stick across the left post, breaking it in half. He received a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, putting the Rangers on the power play, with 1:49 of that time spilling into the third period. New York didn't score on the power play.
The Rangers cut the deficit to 3-2 on Stempniak's deflection goal at 5:33 of the second period.
Rangers defenseman John Moore created the chance by intercepting Arizona forward Sam Gagner's pass from deep in the defensive zone. Moore sent a wrist shot toward the net from the top of the left circle and Stempniak deflected it down and past Smith.
Gagner gave the Coyotes a 3-1 lead by scoring two power-play goals in the final 2:06 of the first period.
Gagner's first goal came off a shot from the left circle during a 5-on-3. St. Louis (tripping) and defenseman Kevin Klein (delay of game) were in the penalty box.
He scored again at 19:20, when Klein was still in the box, this time on a shot from the slot after Arizona defenseman Michael Stone's diagonal pass from the right point was knocked down in the slot by Rangers center Kevin Hayes. Gagner found the puck at his feet, turned and scored.
Arizona had a 1-0 lead 41 seconds into the game on Mark Arcobello's 13th goal and his fifth in seven games since the Coyotes claimed him off of waivers.
The Rangers tied the game on Kreider's first goal of the game at 8:11. Hayes had the primary assist. He also had the assist on Stempniak's winner, giving him 11 points in his past 11 games.
CBS Sports Fantasy Baseball / RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99
Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html
Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment