Dec 10, 2008 11:30 pm US/Eastern
Gomez Rescues Rangers In Atlanta
Playmaker Capitalizes On Goalie Hedberg's Mistake 15 Seconds Into OT As Blue Shirts Emerge With 3-2 Win
ATLANTA (AP) ―
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Scott Gomez scored 15 seconds into overtime, giving the Rangers a 3-2 win over Atlanta on Dec. 10.
Christian Petersen//Getty Images
Scott Gomez scored 15 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the struggling Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night.
Gomez took advantage of goaltender Johan Hedberg's mishandling of the puck, and put in a backhander for his third winning goal this season and his fifth tally overall this season.
The Thrashers have lost five straight at home and have just two victories in 11 games.
Despite eight victories in their last 13, the Rangers have only one win in regulation. They led 2-1 on Ryan Callahan's short-handed goal with 18:40 remaining in regulation.
Ilya Kovalchuk, who was trailing Callahan on his goal, redeemed himself 1:29 later by scoring his 10th of the season and second in two games. Skating through the right side of the slot, Kovalchuk redirected Boris Valabik' shot from the left boards for a 2-all tie.
Allowing the first goal for the eighth time in nine games, the Thrashers trailed 1-0 when Hedberg dropped his stick 6:05 into the second and gave up Colton Orr's first goal of the season and first in 83 games.
Atlanta rookie Joey Crabb forced a 1-all tie 6:05 into the second when he scored on a breakaway for his first career goal.
Rangers backup goalie Stephen Valiquette, who stretched left to make a difficult glove save on Jason Williams' wrister with 1:31 remaining, stopped 27 shots to improve to 3-2. In the final minute of the first, Valiquette reached up to catch Colby Armstrong's wrister from the left circle.
Hedberg fell to 5-5-1 after making 30 saves.
Notes: After Valiquette stopped Chris Thorburn's wrister 10:52 into the second, Gomez and Kovalchuk exchanged punches, and both were penalized for roughing. After sitting in the penalty box for four minutes, Gomez and Kovalchuk went after each other again at 17:15 and were sent off for slashing. … New York improved to 7-2 against the Southeast Division. The Thrashers fell to 2-7 against the Atlantic. … Orr's previous goal was scored Nov. 21, 2007, at Tampa Bay.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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