NHL Game Summary – NY Rangers at NY Islanders

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves and the New York Rangers used a power-play goal by Nigel Dawes to skate past the crosstown rival Islanders, 2-1, at Nassau Coliseum.

Chris Drury also scored for the Rangers, who improved to 2-0-1 on their current five-game road trip that will continue in Chicago on Friday.

Chris Campoli scored the only goal for the Islanders, who opened a five-game homestand after a winless four-game road trip. Goaltender Joey MacDonald started for the Islanders but left the game early in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Yann Danis allowed two goals on 26 shots in relief.

The Islanders grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the opening period. A blast from the right point was saved by Lundqvist and the rebound attempt caromed off the rear boards before the puck drifted toward the left circle. Campoli, who pinched in from the left side of the blue line, lit the lamp with a laser one- timer from the near faceoff dot with 1:10 to play in the period.

Although Campoli gave the Islanders the lead, it was his mistake that led to the tying goal for the Rangers in the second stanza. Campoli attempted a routine clear from his defensive zone, but did not put enough air under the puck and Scott Gomez batted it down inside the left circle. Gomez then passed into the slot for Drury, whose wrister beat Danis at 12:31.

Only six seconds after Drury's 13th goal, the Rangers gained a power play when Frans Nielsen was whistled for tripping just a few seconds following the ensuing faceoff. Near the end of the two-minute stretch with the extra skater, a deflected puck led to a 3-on-1 break. Ryan Callahan streaked down the right- wing side and, from the bottom of the circle, passed across the low slot for an easy redirection one-timer tally by Dawes with 5:33 remaining before the second intermission.

In the final period, the Rangers clogged the neutral zone and did not allow the Islanders to garner many scoring chances. The best opportunity for the hosts occurred inside the final minute after Danis was pulled for the extra attacker. From the left half-wall, Trent Hunter fired a turnaround wrist shot through traffic that Lundqvist never saw, but it tricked inches wide of the far post. With 10 seconds to play in regulation, Mark Streit wound up for a slap shot from atop the right circle that sailed high.

Copyright SPNET - The Sports Network
Contact Us