Chris Kreider scored at 2:28 of overtime to lift the New York Rangers to a 4-3 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Kreider had an open net for the game-winner after Mika Zibanejad drew Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen out of the crease and went behind the net before dishing to Kreider in front.
Zibanejad had a goal and two assists, Ryan Lindgren and Artemi Panarin also scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves for the Rangers.
Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Quinn and Casey Mittelstadt scored for the Sabres. Luukkonen had 29 saves.
Lindgren opened the scoring at 7:19 of the first period. Jonny Brodzinski sent a pass from below the left circle to Lindgren high in the zone, and the defenseman carried it to the middle of the blue line before firing a shot past Luukkonen, who was screened by two Rangers in front.
New York connected on the power play for its seventh straight game to make it 2-0. Unable to find an open lane for a shot down the middle, Panarin sent the puck over to Zibanejad, who quickly returned it for Panarin to wire it from above the right circle at 15:35.
Dahlin halved the deficit just over a minute later. Jordan Greenway, pinned along the end boards by Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider, sent a pass to Dahlin in the slot for the one-timer to make it 2-1 at 16:37.
Quinn tied it 2-2 at 1:42 of the second period. Dylan Cozens sent a short pass to Quinn just inside the blue line, and the winger took it to the high slot.
Zibanejad put the Rangers back in front at 7:13. Luukkonen stopped a shot by Kreider from the slot and Zibanejad, from the side of the net, backhanded the rebound out of mid-air past the netminder.
Mittelstadt tied it 3-3 at 6:50 of the third period. Schneider’s attempt to send the puck along the end boards hit Greenway’s stick and bounced to the slot for Mittelstadt. The center was stopped on his initial shot but collected his own rebound on the doorstep and put it past Shesterkin.
–Field Level Media
