NEW YORK — Rookie Colin Wilson
scored the go-ahead goal on a second-period power play, Dan Ellis made
37 saves and the Nashville Predators snapped a five-game road losing streak
with a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
The game was played in front of a
surprisingly large crowd of 13,128 at Madison Square Garden despite a
daylong blizzard. The Rangers had sold out 187 consecutive home games
since Oct. 31, 2005.
Wilson scored in the closing seconds
of an extended power play and helped Ellis win for the first time since
Jan. 15 at Calgary. He was 0-3 since and had played only once in
Nashville's previous eight games. Jordin Tootoo also scored for the
Predators, who were 0-4-1 in their five previous road games. They are
3-6-2 in their past 11 overall.
The only goal he allowed was a
power-play tally by Vinny Prospal in the second period. The Rangers'
already struggling offense was dealt another blow when leading scorer
Marian Gaborik was forced to sit out because of a cut on his right leg
sustained Tuesday in practice when he made contact with goalie Henrik
Lundqvist's skate.
Gaborik is day to day, and the
Rangers hope the Slovak Olympian will play Friday at Pittsburgh. New
York is 2-8 in its past 10 and has dropped below the playoff cutoff in
the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have scored three goals or fewer in
all but one of those games.
Wilson turned good fortune into the winning goal.
Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival's
clearing attempt was knocked down by teammate Ryan Callahan, and the
puck came to Wilson, who snapped in a shot from the bottom of the right
circle at 16:10 for his second goal in his 12th NHL game — all this
season.
The goal came as a direct result of
19-year-old rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who compounded a
hooking call against him by complaining to the referee. The lack of
discipline earned him an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct,
and Nashville took advantage after the Rangers had done a solid job in
killing all but 24 seconds of the four-minute power play.
When Del Zotto returned to the bench,
he got an earful from angry coach John Tortorella and spent the rest of
the period at the far end. Del Zotto then slinked back to the dressing
room when the period was over.
Del Zotto was back on the ice in the opening minute of the third.
Lundqvist made 34 saves.
New York had gotten even at 9:48
when Prospal scored during the Rangers' two-man advantage. Olli
Jokinen, shortly after he made a deft play at the blue line to keep the
puck in the zone, fired wide of the net. The puck caromed hard off the
end boards and came to Prospal at the right post for a shot that struck
Ellis and bounced in.
Nashville, showing no signs of
fatigue after a 4-3 shootout loss at the New York Islanders on Tuesday
night, took a 1-0 lead with 2:15 remaining in the first when Kevin
Klein's shot from the point hit Tootoo and sailed past Lundqvist.
Notes
Rangers D Corey Potter,
recalled from Hartford (AHL) on Tuesday was in the lineup as a seventh
defenseman. … Wilson was Nashville's eighth first-round pick to make
his NHL debut with the team. … The Predators have five wins and a tie
at MSG since Jan. 31, 2000. This was their first visit since a 3-0 win
on Oct. 18, 2006.