NEW YORK — Dominik Kubalik scored at 2:43 of overtime, and the Detroit Red Wings rallied for a 3-2 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Kubalik won it from near the right post after receiving a backdoor pass David Perron on a power play. A video review initiated by the NHL Situation Room confirmed the play was on side.
“I ended up in front, and I knew that ‘DP’ just looked at me and I was hoping he was going to just put it there,” Kubalik said. “It ended up in the net, so it worked pretty well and I’m very happy about that. We deserved this. We earned it.”
Alex Nedeljkovic made 27 saves for the Red Wings (7-3-2), who have won three straight games, including 3-0 against the New York Islanders in Detroit on Saturday.
“Down 2-0 in the first can be a tough mountain to climb, but we stuck with it,” Nedeljkovic said. “We have an identity that we’re trying to form here, and we felt good to get flashes of it so far this year. It’s just about doing it every single night. Even if you’re not getting the results, it’s still playing the right way. That’s how you’re going to win most nights.”
Nedeljkovic gave up eight goals in his last start, an 8-3 loss at the Buffalo Sabers on Oct. 31.
“That’s what bothered me the most against Buffalo,” Perron said. “We’re going to lose games, but we kind of let it get away from us. If you want him to feel good about his game, you have to help him out more than what we did there. You can lose a game, maybe at that point 5-3, 6-3, that’s fine. You can’t go to eight. That just kills his confidence. What a rebound game by him.”
Video: DET@NYR: Kubalik lifts Red Wings past Rangers in OT
Kaapo Kakko and Mika Zibanejad scored, and Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves for the Rangers (6-4-5), who have lost two straight at home after a three-game winning streak.
New York changed its forward lines to start the third period after generating only six shots on goal in the second. Chris Kreider was demoted from the first to the fourth line, playing 3:09 in the third and 57 seconds in overtime.
“Brewing a little bit, for sure,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Just tried to shake things up a little bit and see if we can wake a few guys up. [Kreider] deserved to be where he was at. He wasn’t alone.”
Kakko put in a rebound of Kreider’s deflection that was blocked by Moritz Seider to give New York a 1-0 lead at 9:14 of the first period. It was Kreider’s 200th NHL assist.
Video: DET@NYR: Zibanejad extends lead with PPG in 1st
Zibanejad scored on the power play to make it 2-0 at 16:56 with a one-timer inside the left circle. He took a pass from Artemi Panarin after the forward faked a shot and found an open Zibanejad for his seventh goal this season and sixth on the man-advantage, tying Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid for most in the NHL.
Matt Luff got Detroit to within 2-1 at 2:56 of the second period, deflecting Ben Chiarot‘s shot while screening Halak. Pius Suter then tied it 2-2 at 8:37 when he put in a rebound following Halak’s point-blank save on Dylan Larkin and Filip Hronek.
Halak, who kept it 2-2 by robbing Hronek from point-blank range at 19:26 of the third, has not won in four starts this season (0-3-1). The 37-year-old agreed to a one-year contract on July 13.
“The second period got away from us,” Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “That all it takes. You have to find a way to play a whole game. I don’t think we’ve put a real consistent 60 minutes together very often this season. That’s what it takes to win in this league. We seem to have decent starts and then the second period gets away from us [Halak]we probably don’t get a point tonight.”
NOTES: Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde reiterated that they don’t expect Filip Zadina back anytime soon. The forward was helped off the ice after he was hit in his right leg by a shot with 5:19 left in the third period Saturday. “Something’s broken,” Lalonde said. “Lower body. It’s going to be a week to week, month to month type thing, unfortunately.” … Andrew Copp played 19:08 in his first game against the Rangers since signing a five-year contract with Detroit on July 13. New York acquired Copp from the Winnipeg Jets on March 21. … Rangers forward Filip Chytil played 13:39 after missing six games with an upper-body injury. … Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren (upper body) is day to day.
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