Devils 5, Rangers 2
NEWARK, N.J. -- Right winger Lee Stempniak scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period as the New Jersey Devils defeated the depleted the New York Rangers 5-2 at Prudential Center on Tuesday night.
The Rangers were without Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal, two of their top defensemen, due to injury.
The Devils snapped a three-game slide by also getting goals from right wingers Kyle Palmieri and Tyler Kennedy. Center Sergey Kalinin scored on a breakaway with 2:44 remaining to seal the win. Defenseman Adam Larsson scored into an empty net with 28.8 seconds remaining.
Left winger Joseph Blandisi had two assists.
Goaltender Cory Schneider made 17 saves for the Devils.
Centers Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore scored for the Rangers, who received 31 saves from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
The Devils stuck first on Kennedy's deflection goal at 4:47 of the first period. Defenseman Damon Severson fired a shot from the right point that Kennedy was able to tip from the slot for his second goal of the season and a 1-0 Devils advantage.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Hayes and Moore struck less than a minute apart before the period was half over.
Hayes stashed home a rebound of a shot by right winger Viktor Stalberg, who turned defenseman Jon Merrill inside-out before snapping a shot that Schneider kicked to Hayes for his 11th goal at 8:17. Forty-five seconds later, Moore made it 2-1 when a shot by defenseman Keith Yandle caromed off Moore's skate and behind Schneider for his sixth goal of the season.
Palmieri's power-play goal at 10:28 made it 2-2. Blandisi saucered a pass to the front of the net that Palmieri hammered through Lundqvist for his team-leading 23rd goal of the season.
About a minute later, Miller was robbed of his second goal of the game. Center Derick Brassard's shot from the right wing was deflected to the left side of the ice for a wide-open Miller. With the net gaping, Schneider pushed across and made an unbelievable save with his stick extended in the air.
Stempniak put the Devils ahead 3-2 by scoring his 16th goal of the season with 1:54 remaining. Again, it was Blandisi setting up the goal with a perfect pass for a one-timer as Stempniak drove the puck past a moving Lundqvist.
NOTES: Devils D Damon Severson returned to the lineup, replacing D Seth Helgeson. ... The Devils also scratched LW Bobby Farnham and D Eric Gelinas. ... Rangers D Ryan McDonagh (jaw/neck) is working out, but he missed his second straight game. Coach Alain Vigneault believes McDonagh is close to returning. ... Rangers D Marc Staal (lower body) did not play. He was replaced by D Brady Skjei, who was recalled from the AHL earlier in the day. Vigneault expects Staal to be back soon.