Rangers Turn 2-0 Deficit Into 6-2 Win Over Isles
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UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Jaromir Jagr had a goal and three assists, and the Rangers erased an early deficit by scoring the final six goals in a 6-2 victory over the Islanders last night.
Martin Straka scored twice in the final period, and Petr Prucha, Tom Poti, and Michael Nylander also had goals for the Rangers, who had lost four of five. The line of Jagr, Straka, and Nylander combined for 12 points – each player netting four points. Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 23 shots to improve to 14-5.
Straka snapped a 2-2 tie when he took a pass from Jagr while standing alone in the slot. His quick one-timer beat Rick DiPietro at 6:13. Poti scored his second of the season 1:42 later during a power play, Nylander added a breakaway goal at 12:26, and Straka scored his second of the game at 13:50.
Mark Parrish and Trent Hunter gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead in the first period, but that was gone before the intermission. DiPietro made 22 saves for the Islanders, who have lost three straight for the first time this season. They also allowed six goals in a loss to Buffalo on Monday.
Parrish put the Islanders up 1-0 just 2:12 in when he tipped Janne Niinimaa’s left-point slap shot past Lundqvist. Hunter made it 2-0 at 7:09 when his left circle wrist shot ricocheted in off Lundqvist’s arm.
Prucha answered for the Rangers 70 seconds later on a breakaway. He fired in a high wrist shot from in tight. Jagr tied it at 12:32 off a rebound.
The Rangers lost 6-2 at Ottawa on Monday after snapping a three-game losing streak with a home victory over Tampa Bay last Thursday.
The Islanders have allowed 18 powerplay goals in the last 70 short-handed chances.They have allowed at least one man-advantage goal in nine straight games, and are last in the NHL in home penalty killing (26-114, 77.2%).
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DEVILS 7, CAPITALS 2 Brian Gionta and Brian Rafalski each scored two goals to lead the Devils to a 7-2 victory over the Washington Capitals last night.
Sergei Brylin, Jay Pandolfo, and John Madden also scored, and Martin Brodeur made 23 saves to help the Devils snap a three-game skid.The Devils were 3-for-10 on the power play after going 4-for-100 in their previous 14 games.
Alex Ovechkin and Brian Sutherby scored for Washington.Ovechkin opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 9:44 of the first, his rookie-leading 22nd goal of the season.The Devils countered with the two goals in 13 seconds.
Grant Marshall returned for the Devils after missing five games because of a groin injury. On his first shift of the game, Marshall fought Washington defenseman Brendan Witt.
