Rangers beat Hurricanes again, 4-2
NEW YORK -- Chris Kreider scored the tie-breaking goal with 7:35 remaining in the third period to lift the New York Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
This was the second time in five days the Rangers beat the Hurricanes at MSG and the winning goals were similar.
On Tuesday, it was left winger Jimmy Vesey scoring off a net-mouth scramble with 5:12 remaining to snap a 2-2 tie; this time it was Kreider, who jammed the puck into a gaping net after center Derek Stepan's shot from in tight hit the post.
Kreider added a goal with 2:49 remaining when his shot banked off the post, then hit goaltender Michael Leighton and bounced into the net.
Stepan and left winger Michael Grabner also scored for the Rangers, who received 26 saves from goaltender Mika Zibanejad. Stepan also had two assists.
Left winger Viktor Stalberg, who scored twice against the Rangers on Tuesday, scored again against his former team. Center Viktor Rask tied the game in the third period for Carolina.
Leighton stopped 19 shots in his second start of the season.
Stepan's goal at 4:05 of the first period initially was ruled no goal. Leighton made a save on defenseman Kevin Klein and appeared to stop Stepan's rebound attempt with a combination of his goal stick and catching glove.
But video review showed the puck hit Leighton's stick and barely got across the goal line before he could smother it with his glove, which resulted in the Rangers grabbing a 1-0 lead.
Stalberg's third goal against the Rangers this week pulled the Hurricanes into a 1-1 tie at 8:34 of the second period. He had a chance to pass during an odd-man chance but elected to snap a quick shot from right face-off circle that beat Lundqvist high to the glove side for his seventh goal of the season.
Grabner scored his 13th goal of the season at 5:54 of the third period. He took a pass from defenseman Brady Skjei while driving to the net and fired the puck past Leighton's blocker to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
The Hurricanes challenged the goal for offside but the officials said there was inconclusive evidence to change the call.
Rask tied it 32 seconds later with his ninth goal. He beat Lundqvist with a slap shot from near the blue line with help from an unintended screen from Kreider.
NOTES: The Hurricanes played their third straight game without Jordan Staal (concussion). ... Hurricanes C Elias Lindholm did not practice Friday because of a lower-body injury that also kept him out of the lineup Saturday. ... Hurricanes D Ryan Murphy and D Klas Dahlbeck were scratched. ... Rangers D Kevin Klein, a healthy scratch against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, returned to the lineup. He replaced D Adam Clendening. ... Rangers LW J.T. Miller did not practice Friday but was in the lineup Saturday. ... Rangers C Oscar Lindberg was a healthy scratch.