NY Rangers rally for five goals in third period to defeat Minnesota Wild
You had to be there.
The Rangers pulled off one of the most shocking comebacks on Monday night that anyone around the Garden can remember, scoring five goals in the third period on a Minnesota Wild team that had surrendered six total in its six previous games for an incredible 5-4 comeback Blueshirts victory.
Nineteen-year-old rookie winger Anthony Duclair continued to make his case to stick on the NHL roster, scoring the game-tying goal to make it 4-4 with 3:48 to play on a wrist shot off the rush from the right wing.
Then only 37 seconds later, last season's team scoring leader, Mats Zuccarello, buried his first goal of the season off a feed from Derick Brassard for the game-winner.
And the Rangers did all of this down two men, with Chris Kreider and John Moore both ejected for dangerous hits in the late first and early second periods.
When Duclair scored, the Garden was on its head. When Zuccarello scored, it was mayhem, as the Rangers improved to 5-4.
Kevin Klein, Rick Nash and Brassard all scored in the first eight minutes of the third period, roaring back from a 3-0 deficit after two periods. The Wild still led, 4-3, at 7:54 of the period, though, on an early third period goal from forward Jason Zucker.
Any fans who hadn't stuck around for the exciting third period would be excused. The Blueshirts were a complete mess in period two.
Captain Ryan McDonagh, Moore and Zuccarello all were culprits in the defensive zone as Minnesota's Nate Prosser, Matt Cooke and Jason Pominville scored for the 3-0 Wild lead.
The Rangers looked lost. For the first two periods, they were somehow moving the puck as if they'd seen every situation for the very first time.
With 15.8 seconds remaining in the first period, Kreider had been ejected for a senseless, dangerous boarding of Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin behind Minnesota's net. Then, with Minnesota leading 2-0 at 7:12 of the second period, Moore was kicked out for a nasty elbow to the head of Wild forward Erik Haula.
Moore, who was suspended two games in last year's playoffs for a similar targeting hit on Montreal Canadiens forward Dale Weise, will have a hearing with the NHL department of player safety. As a repeat offender, he is expected to receive at least three games.
Down two men, though, the Rangers didn't quit and one-upped even their comeback victory in overtime in New Jersey last Tuesday.
DON'T OVERLOOK 'THE DUKE'
No contractual factors will affect whether Duclair remains with the Rangers this season, by the way, or if he returns to his junior club. Coaches and management are judging his fit on the NHL roster based strictly on his play.
That is an important distinction to make following Monday night's game, the Rangers' ninth of the season, because rookies typically have a nine-game threshold before their NHL contract kicks in. That threshold does not apply to Duclair, 19, though. His late Jan. 2 signing date means this first year of his three-year NHL contract expires after the season regardless of where he plays.
Duclair's annual salary cap hit ($772,500) also is not large enough to force the Blueshirts' hand for financial reasons. So Duclair's fate is dependent simply on whether he can remain a regular in Vigneault's top three forward lines once Stepan returns from injury.
Stepan continued skating on his own Monday, just the second time he's done so since breaking his left fibula in training camp. He is eligible to come off the long-term injury list as early as next Monday's game at
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