Nash's Late Goal Lifts Rangers to 5-3 Win Over Oilers

Rick Nash scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:21 remaining to lead the Rangers to a 5-3 victory over the Western Conference-leading Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

Nick Holden fired a shot from the point that was blocked by Edmonton's Milan Lucic. Nash corralled the loose puck in front of the net and fired it past Oilers goalie Cam Talbot.

Kevin Hayes had a goal and two assists, Michael Grabner and J.T. Miller each had a goal and an assist, and Jesper Fast also scored for New York, which rallied from three one-goal deficits and won for the sixth time in seven games. Nick Holden had two assists and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 21 shots.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Patrick Maroon and Adam Larsson scored for the Oilers, who lost their third straight (0-2-1) after starting the season 7-1-0. Talbot made 26 saves in his first game against the Rangers since being traded to Edmonton on June 27, 2015

Larsson put the Oilers ahead 3-2 at 8:49 of the third with a slap shot from the point for his first goal of the season. The defenseman was acquired from New Jersey in a trade for Taylor Hall in the offseason.

Fast tied it 42 seconds later as Brandon Pirri fired a shot from the point and Fast, streaking across in front, tipped it past Talbot for his first of the season.

The Oilers took a 2-1 lead just past midway through the second as they converted on a 2-on-1 breakaway. After a turnover by the Rangers, Edmonton's Jesse Puljijarvi skated up the right side and toward the net, waited while New York defenseman Dan Girardi went sliding by on his back, and backhanded the puck to Maroon, who fired it past Lundqvist.

The Rangers had most of the chances the rest of the period, outshooting the Oilers 9-1.

Grabner tied it with 4:14 left in the middle period with his sixth of the season. Hayes brought the puck up the right into the corner, dropped it to Miller, who sent it in front of the goal and Grabner fought off Larsson and sent a wrister past Talbot.

Nugent-Hopkins got the Oilers on the scoreboard first with his first of the season. With the Fast serving a double-minor for high-sticking, Jordan Eberle's centering pass from the left corner deflected in off Connor McDavid's skate to Nugent-Hopkins, who fired it in from the right side of the net at 6:36.

McDavid's assist on the goal gave the Oilers' 19-year-old captain at least a point against every NHL team he's faced other than Carolina. He has yet to play Boston, Chicago, Florida, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.

Hayes tied it about two minutes later as Brady Skjei's point shot from above the left faceoff circle was stopped by Talbot, and Grabner got the rebound and sent a nifty pass across the front of the goal to Hayes, who fired it into the wide-open net. It was the Rangers' second shot of the game.

NOTES: Edmonton's Todd McLellan coached his 632nd game, moving past Terry Crisp for sole possession of 50th place on the NHL career list. Scotty Bowman tops the list with 2,141 games. ... Talbot spent two seasons in New York and was on the team that reached the Stanley Cup final in 2014. ... Nugent-Hopkins has three goals and three assists in eight career games against the Rangers. ... Oilers LW Benoit Pouliot, who was on the Rangers' 2013-14 Stanley Cup final team, played in his 495th career game. ... The teams conclude their season series Nov. 13 at Edmonton. ... Ryan McDonagh snapped an eight-game points streak, which was the longest by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch had a 14-game streak from Oct. 30-Dec. 1, 1996. It was also the longest assists streak since Leetch's nine-game run Jan. 3-31, 1996.

UP NEXT

Oilers: At the New York Islanders on Saturday night in the middle game of a five-game, eight-day trip.

Rangers: At Boston on Saturday night in the front end of a back-to-back.

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