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Kreider scores tiebreaking goal late as Rangers beat Devils 4-3 in game that began with fights

Wed, Apr 3, 2024
NHL News (AP)

NEW YORK (AP) - Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal late in the third period and the New York Rangers rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Wednesday night in a game that started with a 10-player brawl.

Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere each had a goal and an assist, and Kaapo Kakko also scored for the NHL-leading Rangers. Igor Shesterkin finished with 17 saves as New York won for the sixth time in seven games and 11th in its last 14.

Nico Hishier, Ondrej Palat and Brendan Smith scored in the second period for the Devils, and Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 37 shots. New Jersey has lost three straight and remained six points behind Washington for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Trailing 3-2 after 40 minutes, the Rangers tied it on Kakko's 13th goal of the season at 5:32 of the third period. Kreider then put the Rangers back ahead as he deflected Adam Fox's shot from the point past Kahkonen with 4:57 remaining for his 36th.

Panarin also assisted on Kreider's goal, giving him a team-high 110 points.

The Rangers completed a four-game season series sweep of the Devils, less than a year after New Jersey won the teams' first-round playoff series in seven games.

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Palat got the Devils on the scoreboard at 2:11 of the second with his 10th, and Smith got his fourth at 9:53 to tie it 2-2. Hischier put New Jersey ahead with his 25th with 8:36 remaining in the middle period.

The game got off to a physical start as all 10 skaters on the ice got into brawls right off the opening faceoff. Eight players were ejected after receiving game misconducts 2 seconds into the game, forcing both teams to play with four fewer skaters the rest of the way.

Head coaches Peter Laviolette of the Rangers and New Jersey's Travis Green were also yelling at each other from their respective benches before play resumed after the fighting. Shesterkin and Kahkonen did not participate in the fighting.

Panarin got his team-high 45th goal at 9:22 of the first to get the Rangers on the scoreboard first.

Lafreniere added his 26h with 1:57 left in the first.

UP NEXT

Devils: At Ottawa on Saturday.

Rangers: At Detroit on Friday night.

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