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Yakupov, Oilers take down Rangers

Feb 7, 2014 - 4:07 AM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Nail Yakupov potted the game-winning goal with 1:38 remaining as the resurgent Edmonton Oilers exited Madison Square Garden with a 2-1 triumph over the New York Rangers.

Yakupov's late score and a stout 35-save performance from Ben Scrivens improved Edmonton, which still sits last in the Western Conference, to 5-1-0 over its last six outings and halted the Rangers' season-high win streak at four games.

"I think that was our top game of the season," said Yakupov. "Not too many turnovers and our goalie played an awesome game."

Ryan Smyth had the other goal for the Oilers, with Derick Brassard recording the Rangers' lone marker and Cam Talbot finishing with 29 saves in a losing cause.

Scrivens kept it knotted at 1-1 entering the third period by stoning Ryan Callahan on a shorthanded breakaway try just past the midway mark of the second, then came up with 12 more stops in the final frame to help set up Yakupov's clincher.

The go-ahead goal came after Taylor Hall won a battle for the puck behind the New York net and sent it out to Sam Gagner, whose centering pass from the left corner was rocketed past Talbot by a charging Yakupov.

"It was one of those games where we had to scratch and claw for everything we got," Hall remarked. "Sometimes those games are a lot more fun than the 8-2 wins or the wins where you're ahead off the bat."

Edmonton carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission behind 11 saves from Scrivens and Smyth's early goal, which came as the result of a Rangers' turnover less than three minutes after the opening faceoff.

New York defenseman Kevin Klein had a clearing attempt intercepted by David Perron, whose initial shot was blocked by Talbot and followed up by Smyth for a uncontested tap-in.

"We were a little bit sloppy through the neutral zone, and when you do that against a team like that it'll cost you," said Callahan.

The Rangers wasted little time drawing even in the second period, as Brassard fired a rising one-timer of a Mats Zuccarello feed past Scrivens a mere 22 seconds into the session.

Game Notes

The game was the 6,000th in the history of the Rangers' franchise. They also lost in their 4,000th (Dec. 12, 1987 to Philadelphia) and 5,000th (Oct. 26, 2000 at Philadelphia) outings ... The game contained only one penalty, a slashing call on New York's Dan Carcillo 10:22 into the second period. It marked the first time the Rangers did not receive a power play since a 4-1 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 15, 2011 ... Brassard has a goal in three straight games and extended his point streak to five consecutive contests, as did Zuccarello ... Scrivens posted a 37-save shutout of the Rangers at Madison Square Garden back on Nov. 17, while then a member of Los Angeles.