Sharp scores twice, Stars hold on for 7-6 win over Rangers
NEW YORK (AP) -- Patrick Sharp scored twice, Jamie Benn and Patrick Eaves had a goal and two assists each and the Dallas Stars held on for a wild 7-6 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist, Antoine Roussel and Adam Cracknell also scored and the Stars won for the third time in nine games (3-5-1). Radek Faksa and Lauri Korpikoski each had two assists.
Derek Stepan had two goals and an assist, Mika Zibanejad also scored twice and Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and two assists for the Rangers. Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist, Mats Zuccarello had three assists and Rick Nash had two helpers.
Antti Niemi made 22 saves on 28 shots for Dallas before being replaced in the third period by Kari Lehtonen, who finished with 12 saves.
The Rangers trailed 7-3 after two periods and were booed leaving the ice for the intermission. New York then scored three times in a 4:15 span early in the third to pull within one.
Kreider scored on a power play, tipping in a pass by Stepan, for his 18th at 3:11. Stepan then knocked in a rebound at 5:31 for his second of the game and 12th of the season. Zibanejad tipped a pass by Nash to pull the Rangers within one at 7:26 and chase Niemi.
However, they couldn't get anything past Lehtonen.
New York's Henrik Lundqvist gave up seven goals at Madison Square Garden for the first time in his career. He stopped 20 shots before being replaced to start the third by Magnus Hellberg, who was called up from Hartford of the AHL with Antti Raanta injured. Hellberg stopped four shots.
After falling behind 4-1 early in the second period, the Rangers scored twice in a 2:10 span to pull within one.
Zibanejad, back after missing 25 games with a broken fibula, tipped a shot to pull the Rangers within 4-2 at 9:56 of the second. Buchnevich then put a wrist shot past Niemi.
However, the Stars pulled away again, with Sharp getting his second of the game and fourth of the season on a wraparound 48 seconds later. Cracknell made it 6-3 with 4:07 left in the second, and Eakin knocked in a rebound for his first of the season less than two minutes later.
New York's Nick Holden had a score waved off for goalie interference with 7:44 left in the opening period after Kreider skated into Niemi.
The Stars tied it just 18 seconds later as Tyler Seguin's shot from the left side hit Benn in front and fell on the ice on the right side before Eaves knocked it for his 16th.
Dallas made it 2-1 only 12 seconds later, capitalizing on a turnover by Holden in the defensive zone. Sharp got a pass from Faksa and knocked it past Lundqvist from the right side. Benn beat Lundqvist with 2:06 left in the first to make it a two-goal lead.
Roussel then made it 4-1 at 4:32 of the second after a turnover by the Rangers' Brady Skjei behind the net.
Stepan got the Rangers on the scoreboard just 27 seconds into the game, chasing down a dump-in by Zuccarello behind the net and putting in a wraparound from the left side.
NOTES: Faksa earned at least a point for the fourth straight game, giving him a goal and four assists in that stretch. ... The Stars improved to 4-13-5 when giving up the first goal of the game and 13-0-3 when leading after two periods. ... Seguin had an assist, giving him six goals and six assists in his last 11 games. ... Buchnevich returned to the Rangers last week after missing nearly two months due to a back injury and has at least a point in seven straight games with five goals and six assists. ... The Rangers fell to 17-7-1 when scoring first.
UP NEXT
Stars: At the New York Islanders on Thursday night to complete a three-game trip.
Rangers: At Toronto on Thursday night.
