Final - OT
Holik's overtime goal lifts Thrashers past Rangers
Nov 29, 2006 - 4:17 AM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Bobby Holik has had trouble scoring lately. The Atlanta Thrashers are thankful he broke out against the New York Rangers.Holik scored his second goal of the game at 2:55 of overtime to give the Thrashers a 5-4 triumph over the New York Rangers.
The win was only the third for Atlanta in its last eight games.
"A win is a win, on the road or at home," Holik said. "It's two points. Two points in the standings. It doesn't really matter to us. If we want to get where we want to get, we just have to keep racking up the points, whether it's Nashville, New York or San Jose. It doesn't matter to us."
A former Ranger, Holik entered with only one goal in his last 15 games. He tallied 41 goals in 146 games in his two seasons as a Ranger.
"I had a great time playing here for those two years, and I told that to Slats (general manager Glen Sather) when I left," said Holik, who also played for the Hartford Whalers and the New Jersey Devils. "When he called me about the buyout, I said thanks for the opportunity to play in New York. It was a great, great time here. As bad as we were, I still had a great time."
The center was booed by Rangers fans whenever he touched the puck, but he did not let it bother him.
"What do I think? I like it," he said. "It's a challenge to prove them wrong, and I've always been like that."
Holik scored the game-winner when he deked defenseman Aaron Ward and got off a shot that goaltender Henrik Lundqvist saved. But Holik got his own rebound and slid a backhander in for his sixth goal.
"Their defenseman played it pretty good," Holik said. "I really didn't have much to create anything from. He (Ward) gave me nothing, so I'm like,'You know what, I'll just put it on net and try to go for a rebound.' Actually it worked out better than I thought it would."
"It is easier when the first shot is harder, because you can just knock that away," Lundqvist said of the decisive tally. "The puck just died on me. The best option might have been to freeze the puck. It is a shot, but at the same time the puck just died. What can I say? It is a goal you want to be able to make a save on."
New York tied the game, 4-4, with 2:30 left in the third period when Michael Nylander scored a power-play goal. Nylander picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it past goaltender Kari Lehtonen for his ninth goal, seven of which have come on the power play.
Brad Larsen, Marian Hossa and Jim Slater scored the other goals for Atlanta, which got 30 saves from Lehtonen and was 0-for-1 on the power play.
"My game kind of started in the second period when we got all of those penalties and they were shooting all the time," said Lehtonen, who made 37 saves in a 1-0 triumph over the Florida Panthers on Saturday. "After that, it was a lot more fun. You get comfortable."
Adam Hall scored twice while Martin Straka netted the other tally for New York, which went 3-for-6 on the man advantage. Lundqvist finished with 25 saves.
"We just have to play better hockey when we are up on goals," said Straka, who had two goals in New York's 3-2 overtime loss to Buffalo on Sunday and has three in his last two games.
"We just have to keep coming. We can't just sit back. They have some talent and can score some goals. When you get a lead, you just have to play the same way, and we didn't do that tonight."
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