Georgiev, Rangers top Sabres
Rookie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 31 shots, including 13 in the final period, and the New York Rangers rolled to a 6-2 win over the Sabres last night in Buffalo.
Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice in the final four minutes, while also adding an assist. Jesper Fast and Boo Nieves staked the Rangers to a 2-0 lead in the first period, and Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich also scored.
New York improved to 8-5-1 in its past 14 and earned its 58th point to move into 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Buffalo squandered a chance to close the gap on idle Pittsburgh in the race for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. The Sabres have 63 points and remain four behind the Penguins.
Jeff Skinner scored twice for Buffalo, including his team-leading 36th, and Linus Ullmark stopped 23 shots.
With the Rangers up 3-2, Georgiev was particularly sharp in the opening six minutes of the third period. First, he got across to his left to stop Rasmus Dahlin’s one-timer 58 second in. Some five minutes later, the goalie squared up in his crease to stop Tage Thompson’s shot from the slot.
Georgiev won his third straight start. He was coming off a 55-save performance in a 4-1 win over Toronto on Sunday.
Buchnevich put New York up 4-2 by tapping in Kevin Hayes’ pass into the open left side with 4:01 left. Namestnikov then scored into an open net off the ensuing faceoff after Ullmark misplayed the puck. It caromed off Ullmark’s stick and toward the front of the net to Namestnikov.
The Sabres closed their seven-game homestand at 3-3-1 while continuing a lengthy string of inconsistent outings.
Coming off a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday, Buffalo was trying to win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 11-13.
Hurricanes 3, Oilers 1 — Nino Niederreiter scored two goals, Curtis McElhinney stopped the final 40 shots he faced, and Carolina beat Edmonton in Raleigh, N.C.
Lucas Wallmark also scored and Sebastian Aho had two assists for the Hurricanes, who have won 15-of-21 since Dec. 31 for the best record in the NHL in that span. Carolina moved a point behind idle Pittsburgh for the final wild card playoff spot in the East.
Leon Draisaitl scored his team-leading 34th goal on the Oilers’ first shot, and Mikko Koskinen stopped 24 shots while losing his sixth straight decision. Edmonton is 1-7-2 in its last 10.
Devils 5, Wild 4 — In St. Paul, Minn., Nico Hischier scored his 17th goal of the season at 3:19 of overtime as New Jersey rallied to knock off Minnesota.
The Devils trailed 4-1 late in the second period before goals from Will Butcher, Kyle Palmieri and Ben Lovejoy, the latter two in the third period, sent the game into overtime.
Elsewhere in the NHL — The Pittsburgh Penguins have activated defenseman Justin Schultz off injured reserve.
The move clears the way for Schultz to play for the first time since fracturing his left leg four months ago in Montreal. He’s expected to be in the lineup today when Pittsburgh hosts Calgary.
Schultz hasn’t played since he was injured in the first period of a shootout loss to the Canadiens on Oct. 13. The 28-year-old has four assists in four games this season.