Rangers stunned in overtime after allowing tying goal late in third period in Colorado

DENVER – The Rangers have clearly turned their game around. They have tightened up their defense, they are getting timely goals, good special teams play, and major contributions from all parts of the lineup, most notably fourth-liners Sam Carrick and Adam Edstrom.

What they need to do now, is build on it, and start stringing wins together.

They had a chance to win their third straight game Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche, but Artturi Lehkonen’s goal with 1:13 left in regulation forced overtime and former Islander Devon Toews scored the winner with 36.1 seconds left to deal the Rangers a painful 3-2 loss.

Edstrom, who had scored the winning goal in Saturday’s win over Vegas, gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with his second goal in two games, set up by Carrick, who had provided the first goal, but Colorado tied the game with 1:13 left and their goalie pulled for the extra skater when Lehkonen punched in a rebound to force the overtime.

Forty-five seconds into the extra period, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen was sent off for an interference penalty, giving the Rangers a 4-on-3 power play. But despite a couple of dangerous shots on goal by Chris Kreider, back in the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury, they failed to score.

Mika Zibanejad also had a chance when he got a clean breakaway shortly after the power play expired, but Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood (27 saves) gloved his attempt.

Igor Shesterkin made 23 saves for the Rangers.

The Rangers’ lineup was strengthened when Kreider and Filip Chytil, who had missed four and two games, respectively, with upper-body injuries, returned. The two played together on the third line with newcomer Arthur Kaliyev.

The Avalanche pressured the Rangers for most of the early part of the first period, though the Rangers did have some great scoring chances early, mostly on counter attacks. Blackwood was sharp, though, and came up with several big saves – one on a breakaway by Edstrom, another on a point blank jam-in try by Will Cuylle, and another on a net-crashing tap by Chytil – to keep the Rangers off the board.

Then, after the stop on Chytil, the Avalanche took the puck the other way, and scored the game’s first goal, by Parker Kelly, who somehow was all alone in the mid slot. Kelly took a pass from Ross Colton in the corner and beat Shesterkin at 4:53.

Things appeared to get worse for the Rangers when Kreider, activated off injured reserve and returning to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury, took a tripping penalty at 11:02. But it was the Rangers, not the Avalanche, who scored on the Colorado power play, when Cale Makar overskated a puck at the left point and Carrick picked it up and sped off on a breakaway.

Carrick made some nifty moves and tucked a forehand around Blackwood for a shorthanded goal at 11:55, his fourth goal of the season, and third in the last six games.

In the second period, Carrick turned playmaker, setting up Edstrom’s second goal in two games at 9:59 to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Carrick picked up the puck after Colorado’s Casey Mittelstadt fumbled it away just above the left wing circle in the Rangers’ zone, and blew past defenseman Josh Manson at the point to set up a two-on-one with Edstrom.