Rangers delay celebration
NEW YORK — It doesn't take long to slip into crisis mode in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
Take the New York Rangers. They began a home-and-home series at Pittsburgh on Sunday knowing that a sweep of the two games would leave them one point out of first place with a game in hand on the front-running Penguins.
A 3-1 loss killed any hopes of a division title and suddenly put the Rangers in a precarious position that threatened their mere inclusion in the postseason.
Chris Drury took much of that fear away Monday night and postponed Pittsburgh's celebration in the best way he knows how.
Drury fired in a power-play goal 1:46 into overtime, giving the Rangers a 2-1 victory and a split of the two-game series with the Penguins. The win pushed New York to the brink of a postseason berth.
Drury has scored in overtime four times and has notched 44 NHL game-winners, including seven this season — his first with the Rangers.
Any combination of two points they gain or not earned by the ninth-place Washington Capitals will put the Rangers into the playoffs for a third straight season.
"You can't have a roller-coaster inside of yourself," said New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 21 saves. "Every loss can't drag you too low and every win can't get you too high, either, or too excited."
Good luck with that. The Rangers have three games remaining in the regular season that concludes Sunday. They will play another home-and-home series, this one with the New York Islanders, and then finish at the New Jersey Devils — the team they are tied with in points.
The Devils are fourth in the East and are the only club that still has a shot — albeit a remote one — to catch Pittsburgh for the Atlantic Division title. New Jersey is ahead of the Rangers because it has two more wins and one more game to play than New York.
The Rangers jumped over idle Ottawa for fifth place in the East. Whichever team finishes fourth will own home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Pittsburgh remains in prime position to win the Atlantic, leading New Jersey by seven points. The Penguins, with 100, are two ahead of Montreal in the race for the top seed in the East. They have two games remaining, Montreal has three, and New Jersey has four.
"We would have liked to (clinch)," captain Sidney Crosby said. "We are now one point away. It's tight hockey from here on in.
"They're battling for their lives over there. A lot of teams have to dig deep this time of year. We're not any different."
The Rangers were given a power play in the opening minute of overtime when Sergei Gonchar held Jaromir Jagr as the New York captain drove to the net. Drury nudged the Rangers closer to a playoff spot with his 24th goal.
Jagr staked New York to a 1-0 lead in the second period with another man-advantage goal, but the Penguins tied it midway through the third when Maxime Talbot scored.
New York went to overtime for the eighth time in 14 games and improved to 4-3-2 over its past nine. The Rangers won five of eight from Pittsburgh during the season series, including all four at Madison Square Garden.
"I think we were luckier tonight," Jagr said. "We got lucky breaks on both goals."
