NEW YORK — The Rangers are well aware they are going to need help if they are to stay in this playoff race. They got some earlier Sunday, when the Boston Bruins lost in regulation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they took advantage.
Mika Zibanejad completed his third hat trick of the season, Kaapo Kakko had two goals, and Adam Fox had three assists as the Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-3, Sunday night in the opener of a two-game set at Madison Square Garden. The teams play again Tuesday.
With the win, and the Bruins’ loss, the Rangers were able to draw within four points of the Bruins, who hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division. The Rangers (25-18-6, 56 points) have seven games left in the regular season. Boston (27-14-6, 60) has nine.
Zibanejad got the Rangers started early, taking a backwards diagonal pass from Alexis Lafreniere and whipped a wrist shot past Buffalo goalie Dustin Tokarski at 4:49 of the first period for his 17th goal of the season.
Buffalo tied it one minute, 27 seconds later when Jeff Skinner got a rebound and lifted a backhander over Igor Shesterkin to make it 1-1. But Kaapo Kakko restored the Rangers' lead, scoring his first goal in 10 games when he one-timed a pass from Fox at 12:02.
Zibanejad made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 17:10 of the period, as he redirected a feed from Artemi Panarin from the slot. He made it 4-1 at 2:05 of the second period when he drove the middle, took a pass from Pavel Buchnevich, and then fired a bad-angle shot off Tokarski and in. The hat trick was Zibanejad’s third of the season, the other two having come against the Philadelphia Flyers. It was his seventh career hat trick.
But the Sabres weren’t going to let the Rangers have it so easy. Victor Olofsson’s power-play goal, at 14:47 of the period pulled Buffalo within 4-2 entering the second intermission.
Kakko, who also had a two-goal game against Buffalo on March 22, scored on a power play at 7:06 of the third to make it 5-2. Zac Jones, the 20-year-old rookie defenseman playing in his third NHL game, earned the second assist on the goal for his first NHL point.
Sam Reinhart, though, once again brought Buffalo back within two goals when he one-timed a pass from Rasmus Dahlin past Shesterkin for his 21st goal of the season. That made it 5-3 at 10:34.
Buffalo had a chance to pull closer when Ryan Strome was sent off for hooking Reinhart at 18:28, but with the Sabres’ net empty, the Rangers could feel free to shoot the puck at the empty net without worrying about icing it. Kevin Rooney took advantage, firing a shot from inside the Rangers blue line into the empty net with 54.2 seconds reamining for his eighth goal of the season, and his second shorthanded.
— Notes & quotes: Defenseman Jacob Trouba missed his third game since he suffered an upper-body injury – possibly a concussion – Tuesday in the Rangers’ loss to the Islanders. According to coach David Quinn, Trouba "keeps getting better every day,’’ but the coach could not say whether he believes Trouba will play again this season. "I can't answer that,’’ Quinn said. "I'd be speculating. I'm not a doctor, so I've been told he's day to day.’’ Trouba was injured after taking a hit by Islanders forward Matt Martin into the boards.
