Rangers Cling to Final Playoff Spot, but Islanders Win to Keep Pace - New York Times

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Derek Stepan scoring past Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec 19 seconds into Monday's game. He scored in the third period, too.

With the Rangers coming off two disheartening shutout losses, Ryan Callahan said that he and his teammates simply needed a take a deep breath — and get a few timely goals — to restore their confidence.

Martin Brodeur and Stephen Gionta of the Devils team up against the Islanders' Casey Cizikas. The Islanders climbed about .500.

Callahan, the Rangers' captain, did about all he could to help with a momentum-shifting short-handed goal and three assists to lead the Rangers to a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

The victory kept the Rangers and the surging Islanders tied for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot, though the Rangers have a game in hand.

That was because across the Hudson River, the Islanders defeated the Devils, 3-1, at the Prudential Center to move with two points of the seventh-place Devils in the ever-tightening race. The three teams have only reached the playoffs once in the same season since 1994. That was in 2007.

"With the group we have, we know all we have to do is make it to the playoffs," said Callahan, referring to a Rangers squad that finished with a conference-best 109 points last season. "Certainly this was a relief for us, to score big goals and win. We definitely needed it."

Derek Stepan scored 19 seconds into the game and added the go-ahead goal at 5 minutes 46 seconds of the third period as the Rangers (17-15-3) rebounded from consecutive losses at Ottawa and Montreal.

The resilient Islanders (17-16-3), who have not reached the playoffs since 2007, continued their stellar road play. Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic and John Tavares scored to back the strong goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov.

The Islanders are 11-5-1 away from Nassau Coliseum. Only Pittsburgh, Montreal and Chicago have fewer road defeats. They will host the Jets on Tuesday.

Islanders Coach Jack Capuano could have been speaking for any of the teams in playoff contention after his team defeated the Devils for the third time in five games this season.

"They're all big: every game from here on out, every period, every shift," Capuano said. "At this point in the season, it doesn't come down to X's and O's a lot. It comes down to the will to compete."

Stepan's goal ended a Rangers scoreless streak of 128:06, dating to the fifth goal in a 5-2 win at Philadelphia last Tuesday. The Rangers were shut out in Ottawa and Montreal by 3-0 scores on Thursday and Saturday.

Callahan and Rick Nash assisted on Stepan's 11th goal of the season, which came after he split the Winnipeg defense and snapped the puck past goalie Ondrej Pavelec. It was the 100th career assist for the 28-year-old Callahan, who has 115 goals.

The lead was short-lived. The former Ranger Nik Antropov quickly tied the score with his fifth goal, a shot from in front of Henrik Lundqvist at 1:15. Defenseman Zach Bogosian put Winnipeg ahead at 12:54 with a slap shot from the point that eluded Lundqvist.

The key play came early in the second period, with Mats Zuccarello and Dan Girardi serving penalties for the Rangers. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh broke up a Jets passing play and sent the puck toward center ice, where Zuccarello was coming out of the penalty box.

Zuccarello moved the puck on to Callahan, who swept around the falling defenseman Tobias Enstrom and backhanded it past Pavelec.

Callahan's 10th goal, which tied the score, was the fourth short-handed goal for the Rangers, who had given up power-play goals in their six previous games.

Rangers Coach John Tortorella, who has preached that Rangers stick to their gritty game plan while taking more shots, was satisfied with his team's effort, particularly the energy created by Callahan's goal.

"It certainly sparked us," Tortorella said. "We took off from there."

Stepan's go-ahead goal also came on an assist from Callahan, who kept the puck in the Jets zone and passed it to defenseman Anton Stralman. Stepan knocked in the rebound of a Stralman shot from the left point past Pavelec for his 12th goal.

Nash made the score 4-2 with his team-leading 13th goal at 13:07 of the third. Callahan and Brad Richards assisted.

Lundqvist, who made 26 saves, made a glove stop on Bryan Little alone in front during a power-play at 16:45 of the second. The win tied Lundqvist with Eddie Giacomin for second on the Rangers' career list with 267.

Stepan made a right knee save of his own in the first, covering the net for an out-of-position Lundqvist and stopping Kyle Wellwood from the left circle.

The Islanders and Rangers meet once more — April 13 at Nassau Coliseum — while the Rangers and the Devils play twice.

Tom Pedulla contributed reporting from Newark.

A version of this article appeared in print on April 2, 2013, on page B14 of the New York edition with the headline: Rangers Cling to Final Playoff Spot, but Islanders Win to Keep Pace.
source : http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/sports/hockey/rangers-top-jets-and-islanders-defeat-devils.html