Rangers win in OT, snap 10-game losing streak at Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - The hex is over.

Olli Jokinen scored 1:02 into overtime and the Rangers beat the Penguins, 3-2, Friday night to snap a 10-game losing streak at Mellon Arena. It was Jokinen's 13th goal of the season and his biggest since his trade from Calgary five games ago.

Playing with just 16 skaters after the first intermission, Jokinen skated down the right wing and beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot after a pass from Michal Rozsival, giving the Rangers a gutsy victory at this 49-year old building, which will be replaced next year by the Consul Energy Center.

Marian Gaborik lasted one period on his stitched-up thigh, and Michael Del Zotto received his own gash, courtesy of Evgeni Malkin's skate, after playing only 1:20.

The Rangers took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but Marc Staal caught Matt Cooke with a high stick at 3:17 and on the power play, Dan Girardi's clearing pass was stopped by Sergei Gonchar in front of the blue line and his low shot was re-directed past Henrik Lundqvist at 3:53.

Gaborik, the Rangers leading scorer, who has 21 stitches in his right thigh from the cut he suffered Tuesday by Lundqvist's skate in a practice collision, wasn't anywhere near full strength, and had just one shot.

Del Zotto, who was cut by Malkin's skate in a tangle by the end boards at 2:30 of the first, did not return. Gaborik played 4:20 in the first period at what appeared to be half-speed and was finished for the evening.

The Rangers led 2-1 at 9:44 of the second period after Vinny Prospal beat Brent Johnson, who hadn't started a game since Jan. 24, high to the stick side off a feed from Artem Anisimov on a three-on-two rush.

Matt Cooke then lost it after Chris Drury cleanly hammered him into the boards at center ice with 9:25 left and dropped the gloves with the Rangers captain, even landing punches while Drury was still down on the ice. Michal Rozsival drew a 10-minute misconduct for jumping in and Cooke, continuing to shout from the penalty box, received two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Rangers had to play with four defensemen for the rest of the period, but held the Penguins off the board.

With 3:55 left in the second, Marc-Andre Fleury replaced Johnson, who appeared to pull a muscle on a Rangers wraparound attempt a few minutes prior and the chippy period ended with Crosby and Brandon Dubinsky in an animated discussion after Crosby gave him a whack with his stick.

Dubinsky had tied the score at 1, cashing in Drury's no-look pass from behind the net at 1:28 of the second. It was Dubinsky's 13th of the season and second in 11 games.

Crosby had put the Penguins ahead at 6:42 of the first after he took a down-low pass from Bill Guerin in the corner. Crosby beat Lundqvist with a slap shot from just outside the left circle for his 40th goal. The Rangers rotated five defensemen because of Del Zotto's injury.

The best chance for the Rangers came with a minute to play, when Erik Christensen took the puck from Brooks Orpik between the circles, but Johnson kicked out his left pad at the last second.