SAINT PAUL, Minn. — After bleeding losses over the last week or so, the Rangers finally patched it up.
Braden Schneider’s overtime winner secured a 3-2 win over the Wild on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center and snapped a four-game losing streak for the Blueshirts, who benefited from a Blue Jackets loss and moved into a tie with their division foe at 70 points in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
“They drove the defense back, and I tried to take some middle ice,” Schneider said of the first OT winner of his four-year NHL career. “I immediately wanted to shoot it, brought it to my backhand and just put it there. Luckily, it went in, and thankfully, it wasn’t goaltender interference.”
The Blue Jackets still have a game in hand, but the Rangers have set themselves up for a perfect revenge game in Columbus on Saturday after giving up seven in a crushing loss to the Blue Jackets last weekend.
A win on Saturday would push the Rangers ahead of Columbus and into playoff position.
It wasn’t an eventful game for either team Thursday night, but it was a relatively efficient one for the Rangers.
Head coach Peter Laviolette swapped Alexis Lafrenière and Will Cuylle in the top six, putting LaFrenière back on his natural left side next to J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad and forging a new top line in Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Cuylle.
Panarin, Trocheck and Cuylle had an extremely strong debut, out-attempting opponents 9-2 throughout regulation, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Trocheck opened the scoring in the second period, collecting his own rebound and burying it to put the rangers up 1-0 at the 6:45 mark of the middle frame.
It was Trocheck’s 18th goal of the season and first since Feb. 7.
“Just to switch it a little bit,” Laviolette said of the top-six swap. “We’re just a little bit snakebit right now. I think sometimes you just change the scenery, move Laf back to the left side. Just moved two pieces to see if it would give a little bit of something. I thought both lines were good.”
Minnesota managed to tie the game twice on a pair of power-play goals.
After Matt Rempe was called for interference, Marcus Johansson carved through the Rangers penalty kill and knotted the game at one-all on a slick wrister from the slot at the 3:55 mark of the second period.
Jonny Brodzinski then showed off his own shot to regain the lead for the Blueshirts.
Trailing Zac Jones entering the zone, Brodzinski collected the pass and let it rip to score his seventh goal of the season and give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.
Jones later vehemently argued a four-minute high-sticking penalty he was assessed at the 16:39 mark of the third period, which put the Wild on the power play for the fourth time.
during the Rangers’ overtime win over the Wild. NHLI via Getty Images
Frédérick Gaudreau buried one right in front on Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin (26 saves), giving the Wild a 2-for-4 showing with the man advantage in the loss.
“It was a really good game. It’s unfortunate six minutes of penalties in the third period,” Laviolette said. “The one on Remp I don’t think is a penalty, and then I think Jonesy’s is kind of an accidental high sticking. It is what it is, six minutes on the board. It ended up getting tied up, but big goal by Jonny to respond and put us back up 2-1.
“Overall, just a really good effort. Guys played extremely hard. Got a big win, moving on.”