• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Gaborik nets OT winner, Rangers edge Isles

Mar 12, 2012 - 3:40 AM New York, NY (Sports Network) - Marian Gaborik scored the game-winning goal with just six seconds left in overtime, lifting the New York Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.

Skating with a 4-on-3 power play following a tripping penalty to Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic in the extra session, Brad Richards sent a pass from down low to the right of the cage out to the high slot for Gaborik. Gaborik waited for his shot and fired a quick wrister just under the crossbar and over the right shoulder of Islanders netminder Evgeni Nabokov for the winner.

Gaborik added an assist, while Richards scored twice. Brian Boyle scored the other goal and Henrik Lundqvist made 16 saves for the Rangers, who extended their lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins to four points for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

"I thought we had a lot of pressure for a long night and used all of the minutes to finally get it done," Rangers head coach John Tortorella said. "I think the thing that I like the most about it is the way we won. You don't want to draw it up that way, but the things we are going through as a team, even through this game and some of the bounces and things going on with the game, just to keep a hold of ourselves and stay with it and we used every last second to win this game."

John Tavares had a goal and an assist, while Matt Moulson and Andrew MacDonald also scored for the Islanders, who have lost three straight. Hamonic added a pair of helpers and Nabokov made 32 saves in defeat.

The Islanders opened the scoring 11:15 into the contest after P.A. Parenteau got a nice feed from Hamonic in the right circle and fired a quick shot on net that was kicked out by Lundqvist, but he left the rebound in the crease and Tavares popped it home to give his team the early lead.

The Rangers, though, tied it with a power-play tally with just 1:13 to play before the first intermission.

Anton Stralman started the rush in his own zone and moved to the neutral zone before finding Richards with a pass up the middle, and the crafty center gained the line and ripped a wrist shot past Nabokov.

The Islanders took a 2-1 lead 7:44 into the second period on the power play after captain Mark Streit fired a slap shot on net from the left circle that was stopped by Lundqvist, but Moulson was parked in front to snap it home.

Again the Rangers tied it at two with another power-play goal at 16:03 of the second period after Richards blasted one through traffic and past Nabokov from the left point.

MacDonald gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead with just 36 seconds left in the second stanza after he got a perfect feed from Tavares behind the Rangers defense, went in on a breakaway and easily beat Lundqvist.

The Blueshirts knotted the game at three 3:29 into the third period after Richards won an offensive zone draw back to Boyle at the left point and he threw a wrist shot on goal that got through bodies in front and skipped past Nabokov.

"We gave them three out of their four goals," Islanders head coach Jack Capuano said. "Our special teams haven't been good and we have to get back to doing the basics of what it takes to win."

Game Notes

Prior to Sunday's game, the Rangers recalled forward Mats Zuccarello from Connecticut (AHL). Zuccarello tallied an assist in just over 10 1/2 minutes of ice time...Tavares has four goals in six games against the Rangers this year...The Rangers kicked off a seven-game homestand Sunday, which tied as the longest in franchise history and is their longest since 2001-02...The Rangers finished 3-for-6 on the power play, while the Islanders went 1-for-4 with the man advantage.