The Associated Press
Allan Kreda
NEW YORK–Mats Zuccarello’s emotional return to Madison Square Garden ended up being a memorable night for good buddy Henrik Lundqvist, too.
Tony DeAngelo scored 32 seconds into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild that moved Lundqvist into sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s career wins list last night.
Lundqvist made 26 saves for his 455th victory, breaking a tie with Curtis Joseph.
“It’s a cool thing and I’m proud of it,” Lundqvist said. “I am grateful for all the teammates who helped get me here.”
Chris Kreider tied it for the Rangers on a power-play goal with less than three minutes left in the third period. Brady Skjei scored early and Artemi Panarin had three assists, giving him at least one point in all 11 games New York has won this season.
“It was a good night, for sure,” Lundqvist said. “I liked the way we played tonight. We kept pushing. We didn’t give up. It’s a great sign for our group.”
Zach Parise and Ryan Donato scored for the Wild, who are 3-0-3 in their last six games.
The 5-foot-8 Zuccarello, one of Lundqvist’s best friends and a fan favourite during nine seasons with the Rangers, was back to play at The Garden for the first time since New York traded him to Dallas at the deadline last February.
Minnesota’s new left wing was showered with cheers and choruses of “Zooook!” as he hopped onto the ice, waved to the crowd and patted his chest to acknowledge a video tribute during the first period.
“It was emotional for sure, leading up to the game. It was really nice–a good moment for me,” Zuccarello said. “I had to fight back some tears. It was a really nice moment for me and for my family.”
With the teams skating 3-on-3 in overtime, DeAngelo moved in from the blue line and snapped the puck past Minnesota netminder Alex Stalock. Ryan Strome and Panarin assisted on the play.
Donato put the Wild ahead 2-1 with his second goal of the season at the 10-minute mark of the third. After a turnover by Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the neutral zone, Donato eluded a sliding Skjei before snapping a high shot past Lundqvist.
Kreider tied it at 17:10 of the third when he tapped a rebound past Stalock. Strome and Panarin assisted on Kreider’s sixth of the season.
In other NHL action last night, Columbus blanked Ottawa 1-0; Tampa Bay dumped Buffalo 5-2; Philadelphia edged Vancouver 2-1; Pittsburgh topped Calgary 3-2 (OT); Nashville outlasted St. Louis 3-2 (SO); Dallas doubled Vegas 4-2; Anaheim shut out the N.Y. Islanders 3-0; and San Jose downed L.A. 4-3 (OT).
