|
Right winger Lee Stempniak scored with 1:53 remaining in
overtime to give the New Jersey Devils a 2-1 victory against the
New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon.
"It feels great," Devils goaltender Cory Schneider said. "Maybe
that celebration was a bit much for the fifth game of the year."
The Devils (1-3-1) entered the game having lost four straight
and fell behind 1-0 just 3:12 into Sunday's game after center
Derek Stepan scored his third goal of the season. Early in the
third period, with the scored tied at 1, the Devils failed to
generate a shot during a lengthy 5-on-3 power play.
Despite the adversity, Stempniak delivered the victory seconds
after Rangers center Derek Stepan ripped a shot off the crossbar
and two minutes after Devils defenseman Andy Greene used a stick
check to prevent Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh from stashing
a loose puck into an empty net.
"It feels great," said Hynes, whose players gave him the puck
after Stempniak's goal. "I'm just happy for the team. I really
credit the players' attitudes every day. They have worked to get
better and it is gratifying for our guys to get a win after all
their hard work."
After Stepan's goal on the Rangers' fifth shot of the game,
Schneider stopped the final 22 shots he faced. He made two saves
during the new 3-on-3 overtime format. This was the first time
the Rangers went to overtime this season, while the Devils were
playing an extra session for the second straight game.
Schneider also preserved the 1-1 tie in the third period by
making four saves while the Devils were shorthanded.
"I thought we weathered the storms when we had to," Schneider
said. "We had a couple big penalty kills in the third and a
couple moments there -- not scoring on the 5-on-3 could've sunk
us or gotten us down. But I think each game we're showing more
and more resilience.
"It's only one but it was a good feeling to have and hopefully
one we can hang on to."
Meanwhile, the Rangers (3-2-1) are sliding after winning their
first three games of the season.
"It felt like there was low energy in this game," said Rangers
goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 22 of 24 shots. "Maybe
it's the way that they play; they sit back a lot and wait for
mistakes and we try to play a tight game."
"Our work ethic, I don't think is an issue," Rangers coach Alain
Vigneault said. "Our execution and our game, we need to make
more plays both defensively and offensively right now. We've
got, by my estimation, one player that's on top of his game, and
that's Henrik Lundqvist."
Devils center Adam Henrique tied the game early in the second
period thanks largely to a mistake by Rangers left winger J.T.
Miller, who turned the puck over at the top of his own zone. The
puck eventually found an unchecked Henrique, who poked home a
rebound for his third goal of the season.
There wasn't much energy or action either way until Stempniak's
overtime goal.
However, the Devils did not care how they won; they were just
happy to get one and to get it for their rookie coach.
"He's been really good all year," Stempniak said. "I have been
really impressed from the first day with just how he runs
practice, how he runs training camp. It's been, what, five
games? To get the first win, we're really happy for him."
NOTES: Devils C Travis Zajac was back in the lineup after
missing one game with a lower-body injury. He replaced LW Tuomo
Ruutu, who was out with an undisclosed ailment. ... Devils D Jon
Merrill (illness) was replaced by D Eric Gelinas. ... Devils RW
Brian O'Neill was scratched. ... Rangers RW Emerson Etem was out
of the lineup after making his team debut Thursday. He has
played in just one of six games this season. ... The Rangers
also scratched D Dylan McIlrath and LW Tanner Glass.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
