Pavelec makes 28 saves; Jets top Rangers 3-1

[March 15, 2013]  WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) -- Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves, and the Winnipeg Jets held on to beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday night.

Nik Antropov scored the game's first goal, Antti Miettinen had his first goal of the season, and Andrew Ladd had an empty-netter with 39 seconds left for Winnipeg (14-11-2). It was Ladd's 14th goal of the season. Dustin Byfuglien had a pair of assists for the Jets.

Ryan Callahan was the lone scorer for the Rangers (13-11-2), who had dropped two straight in the middle of a four-game road trip. Hendrik Lundqvist stopped 30 shots.

Eighth-place Winnipeg has a two-point lead over the Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but the Jets have played one more game than New York.

The teams kept the tempo high in the second period, and the Jets went ahead 2-1 on Miettinen's first goal of the season in his seventh game.

Byfuglien sent a wrist shot from the point at Lundqvist, who was screened by Miettinen. The puck deflected off Miettinen and found the net at 14:52.

Both teams had 22 shots on goal through two periods.

Both goalies made some good saves in the third, with Lundqvist making two big stops in the final three minutes to keep it a one-goal game.

Lundqvist was pulled for an extra skater just over a minute and a half remaining, but the Rangers turned the puck over in Winnipeg's end.

Olli Jokinen passed it up in the neutral zone to Blake Wheeler, who moved it ahead to Ladd for an easy 14th goal of the season.

New York paid for a penalty early in the first period after defenseman Michael Del Zotto went to the box for cross-checking at 1:46.

Just 12 seconds later, Jets center Kyle Wellwood passed the puck across the ice just inside the blue line to Byfuglien, who fired the puck at the net. Antropov flipped the puck past Lundqvist with a backhanded shot.

Antropov is on a four-game point streak with two goals and four assists.

The Rangers got a free chance to score when Marian Gaborik was awarded a penalty shot after Byfuglien hooked him at 11:17 of the first period, but his attempt to stuff the puck under Pavelec's pad was unsuccessful.

Callahan tied it 1-1 at 1:11 of the second period when he stood in front of the net and redirected a shot by Derek Stepan.

NOTES: Winnipeg will play at Toronto on Saturday and at Ottawa on Sunday. ... The Rangers will finish their four-game trip on Saturday in Pittsburgh.

[Associated Press]

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