Drury Helps Rangers Top Pens 2-1 in OT

[April 01, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Chris Drury scored a power-play goal 1:46 into overtime, giving the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday night that kept the Penguins from clinching their first division title in 10 years.

The Rangers were given the advantage in the opening minute of the extra session when Sergei Gonchar held Jaromir Jagr as he drove to the net.

Pittsburgh is still in prime position to win the Atlantic Division, leading New Jersey by seven points. The Penguins, with 100 points, are two ahead of Montreal in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They have two games remaining, Montreal has three, and New Jersey holds four.

New York, eliminated from the division race Sunday when they lost the opener of the home-and-home series in Pittsburgh, jumped to fifth in the East -- one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators and behind the fourth-place New Jersey Devils based on a tiebreaker.

The Rangers and Devils will close the regular season Sunday in New Jersey.

Drury pushed the Rangers to the brink of wrapping up a playoff spot for the third straight year with his 24th goal of the season and his 44th NHL game-winner.

Jagr staked New York to a 1-0 lead in the second period with another man-advantage goal, but the Penguins tied it midway through the third when Maxime Talbot scored.

Talbot tied it 1-1 with 9:57 left in regulation, taking a pass from Ryan Malone -- who fed him with a pretty pass after blowing by defenseman Michal Rozsival. Talbot scored the final goal in the last minute of Pittsburgh's 3-1 win over the Rangers on Sunday.

It took nearly 32 minutes of game time and a lengthy review to break the scoreless deadlock. Given a 5-on-3 power play after simultaneous penalties to Ryan Whitney and Jeff Taffe, the Rangers took advantage with some more help from the Penguins.

Jagr spun and fired a shot that bounced high in the air off Marc-Andre Fleury and tantalizingly fell toward a crowd in front. Scott Gomez patiently waited for the puck to drop below the height of the crossbar and swung to meet it with his stick. Before he could make contact, Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi batted the puck with his glove, bouncing it into the net off Fleury's mask and back.

Jagr was given credit at 11:43 for his 21st goal of the season, but just No. 5 on the power play. New York had a 1-0 lead and 17-4 edge on the shot clock.

The Rangers captain has scored three times in five games after netting three in the previous 24.

Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves for the Rangers, who finished with a 26-22 shots advantage.

[Associated Press; By IRA PODELL]

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