Hayes, Talbot lift Rangers to 1-0 win over Flames
NEW YORK (AP) Kevin Hayes broke a scoreless deadlock 3:00 into the third period, Cam Talbot made 21 saves, and the New York Rangers hung on to beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 on Tuesday night.
Derick Brassard forced a turnover by defenseman Dennis Wideman in the Calgary zone and made a pass from the left circle to the right circle to Hayes, who snapped in his 12th goal in his first game since cutting his long hair.
It was Hayes' fifth goal in eight games.
Talbot earned his fourth shutout this season and seventh in his NHL career. He improved to 7-1-2 in place of injured No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and helped New York win for the 10th time in 13 games (10-1-2).
The Rangers did it without leading scorer Rick Nash (neck spasms), who missed his first game of the season. New York didn't yield a power play.
Karri Ramo was sharp in making 28 saves for the Flames, who began a seven-game road trip. Calgary killed both short-handed opportunities, and has gone a team-record 12 straight games without allowing a power-play goal.
The Rangers jumped to a 6-0 edge in shots, only to be caught 6-6, and finished the first period with a 10-7 edge.
New York had the best scoring chance of the frame during a power play when Hayes struck the post. The rebound came to J.T. Miller at the right post, and with a seemingly wide-open net, he was robbed when Ramo lunged backward toward the crease to snag his shot.
The Flames didn't record their first shot until Wideman was denied by Talbot's pad 6:37 in. Johnny Gaudreau was also stopped on a partial breakaway after a Rangers turnover at the Calgary blue line.
The second period also produced 17 shots, with the Rangers holding a 9-8 advantage, and it took a late flurry by the Flames to boost the total.
Talbot made two successive saves against Josh Jooris with just over a minute left at the end of a 2-on-1 rush, and was looking behind him to make sure the puck didn't slip into the net. That was a much better chance than earlier in the period when a Calgary 3-on-1 failed to produce a shot.
The Flames' best scoring opportunity came when Emile Poirier - in his NHL debut - got free 2:30 into the second, but was taken down in front by defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who wasn't penalized.
NOTES: Poirier became the 18th Flames player to make his NHL debut since the start of the 2013-14 season. He replaced LW Mason Raymond, who returned to Calgary for the expected birth of a child. ... With only six days remaining before the NHL trade deadline, representatives from 14 teams were in attendance for the game. ... The Rangers' only penalty was a fighting major for Miller against Michael Ferland.
