The day after Pavel Buchnevich became the first Rangers player to score a hat trick on his birthday, Mika Zibanejad came up just as huge for the Rangers on his birthday. The now 28-year-old Zibanejad scored a power-play goal with three minutes left to break a tie and give the Rangers a desperately needed 5-3 victory over the Devils in Newark.
The win gave the Rangers a sweep of the four-game series between the teams and allowed them to keep pace with the Boston Bruins in the race for the playoffs, following the Bruins’ 6-3 win earlier in the day over the Washington Capitals. The Rangers (23-16-6, 52 points) trail the Bruins, who hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division, by four points.
Two third-period goals by the Devils, from rookie Marian Studenic and captain Nico Hischier, had tied the game, 3-3, when the Devils’ Ryan Murray was penalized for high-sticking Kaapo Kakko with 4:10 remaining. Zibanejad took a pass from Ryan Strome in the slot and lifted a shot over goalie MacKenzie Blackwood’s right shoulder and in for his 16th goal of the season to give the Rangers a 4-3 lead. Strome was credited with an empty-net goal at 19:35 when he was hooked from behind by P.K. Subban on a breakaway with the Devils’ net empty.
