Alexis Laffrinier left the regulation with a tie-breaking goal at 10:11, and the New York Rangers won their third straight 3–1 win over the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday night.
Rangers could not direct Chuck into an open net behind netminder Igor Shisterkin (36 saves) after the game was tied 1–1 and Buffalo’s Drake Kegulula. Taking a back-to-back pass from Ryan Strome (two assists), the 2020 overall No. 1 draft pick dropped the puck from Buffalo’s Ucco-Pekka Lukokane’s high slot in what was otherwise a solid night, stopping 38 shots. Second NHL Competition.
Defenseman Brendan Smith also scored and Mika Jibenzad added a late insurance goal for the Rangers (26-18-6, 58 points), who beat Buffalo for the second time in three nights, are 11-3-2 since the end of March. And have won. Nine of their last 11 at home. However, New York is still four points behind Boston for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division.
Sam Reinhart has raised his team’s major goal to 22 this season with his 14th team for the Sabers, who have dropped five of their last seven. Buffalo (13–30–7, 33 points) lost all four road meetings against the Rangers this season.
Buffalo recorded the first six shots of the game on goal and the score was 16-6. However, it was New York that eventually closed the Sabers’ business at just 2:22 into the second period.
Sabers rookie Dylan Cozens tried to clear the puck from behind his own net, but got it right on the stick to Smith, who successfully converted with his fifth goal of the season on a slap shot for a career match . He was one of 20 shots that the Rangers hit on the net in the middle frame.
But it was Reinhart who equalized his shot from the contest through a Casey Mittelstad pass on a power shot with only 4 seconds left in the second.
New York lost 6–1–1 against the Sabers this season.
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