Brad Richards scored with one-tenth of a second left in regulation to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the host Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday.
The game was destined for overtime until the Rangers put on a rush in the final seconds. Captain Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky collected the assists when Richards backhanded his 12th goal of the season past Mike Smith just before the buzzer.
Marian Gaborik tallied twice to raise his career total to 300 and Martin Biron made 21 saves for the Rangers, who avoided a three-game losing streak.
The Coyotes tied it up with nine seconds left in the first off a faceoff, with Boyd Gordon winning the draw. Former Ranger Lauri Korpikoski received the puck and wristed it past Biron for a shorthanded goal.
Phoenix took the lead on a power play with 52 seconds left in the second.
Cal O’Reilly won a scrum on the doorstep, whacking it into an open net from the weak side to make it 2-1.
It did not take the Rangers long in the third period to climb even at 2-2, as Gaborik buried his 17th tally unassisted at the 1:09 mark.
Smith finished with 27 saves for the Coyotes, who have dropped four of five.
NY Rangers | Phoenix | |
Marian Gaborik 2 | Points | Lauri Korpikoski 1 |
Marian Gaborik 2 | Goals | Lauri Korpikoski 1 |
Ryan Callahan 1 | Assists | Shane Doan 1 |
Marian Gaborik 1 | Power Play Goals | Cal O'Reilly 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | Lauri Korpikoski 1 |
Martin Biron .913 | Save Percentage | Mike Smith .900 |
Martin Biron 21 | Saves | Mike Smith 27 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
NY Rangers | 30 | 3 | 1-6 | 1-2 | 6 | 19 |
Phoenix | 23 | 2 | 1-2 | 5-6 | 14 | 40 |