A brilliant night for Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro ended on a sour note when Matt Cullen scored the only goal of a shootout, giving the Rangers a 2-1 win in a New York showdown on Monday.
DiPietro faced a Rangers bombardment for most of the night and stopped an Islanders record of 56 shots to keep the game balanced at 1-1 until the shootout.
Cullen lifted the puck just inside the right post for the shootout winner, spoiling DiPietro's night and firing up the Rangers' playoff hopes.
PHOTO: AP
"This was a huge game for us," Cullen said. "This was one of those nights when you don't know if the puck is ever going to go into the net."
The Rangers' assault produced their most shots in a game since the 58 they took 11 years ago against Buffalo.
Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves, giving up only a fluky goal when Jason Blake's cross-ice pass glanced off Rangers defenseman Paul Mara's skate and skittered into the net with 1:43 remaining in the first period.
The Rangers equalized when Petr Prucha shoved in a rebound off Jed Ortmeyer's long drive 26 seconds into the third period.
The Rangers moved within two points of a playoff berth with the Madison Square Garden victory that raised their record to 32-27-7 for 71 points.
The Islanders are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 76 points (33-23-10) with eight teams qualifying for the playoffs.
"These are two big points, but we have to build on it," Cullen said. "It makes the next game even more important."
The Islanders host the Rangers on Thursday.
"He [DiPietro] was unbelievable tonight," Cullen said. "He made some amazing saves. But our goalie was very good too, and coming up with those three stops in the shootout won us the game."
Islanders coach Ted Nolan promised a more determined effort from his players on Thursday.
"We know we can play a lot better," Nolan said. "We have to lick our wounds and get ready for the rematch on Thursday. We will come out with a lot more fire."
Penguins impasse
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux declared an impasse Monday in talks with officials about a new arena, increasing odds the club will move, the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette reported.
In a letter to state and city officials, the NHL club's retired superstar player said the team stretched a February deadline in hopes of making a deal to replace the league's oldest arena.
"Unfortunately, we still don't have a deal and are faced with mounting uncertainty that an agreement can be reached in a time frame that is realistic for our organization," the letter stated.
"Therefore, we have no choice but to declare an impasse and to notify NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman that we will aggressively explore relocation," it said.
That opens the door for Kansas City, which has a new arena nearly built without a team. The Penguins reportedly will be offered a sweetheart lease if they leave Pittsburgh, where their lease ends after this season.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely