NHL Roundup : Rangers Get Gift and Win

Tomas Sandstrom scored 74 seconds into overtime Sunday night at New York to give the Rangers a disputed 5-4 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils would have won it in regulation had the Rangers not been credited with a controversial goal in the third period.

Just 40 seconds after Paul Gagne’s goal at 4:09 of the third period had given the Devils a 4-3 lead, the Rangers’ Robbie Ftorek came down the right side and fired a shot that hit the crossbar and dropped down outside the goal line. Goaltender Glenn Resch grabbed the puck and the goal judge did not turn on the red light that indicates a goal has been scored.

But referee Bryan Lewis, skating behind the play, ruled it was a tying goal. TV replays showed the puck never crossed the line. Lewis is the same referee who ruled against the Rangers in a controversial 3-3 tie Saturday at Boston. In that game, Lewis allowed a goal even though it was scored after the net had been knocked off its moorings.

Sunday, Lewis’ ruling enabled the Rangers to tie it 4-4 and then win in overtime. Resch, ordinarily a mild-mannered fellow, led a charge of Devils arguing against the controversial goal. He literally jumped up and down.

Then after Sandstrom scored the game-winner, and his 15th goal of the season, New Jersey Coach Doug Carpenter stormed onto the ice to argue with Lewis. He had to be restrained by linesmen Will Norris and Bob Hodges.

“I’ll get fined and so should you,” Carpenter shouted at Lewis, who was escorted to the dressing room by security police.

If the Devils had won in regulation, they would have moved into a tie with the Rangers for fifth place in the Patrick Division, just two points behind fourth-place Pittsburgh. The loss dropped them four points back.

The win extended the Rangers’ unbeaten streak to four (3-0-1) and put them in a tie with the Penguins four fourth.

Edmonton 7, Winnipeg 2--Glenn Anderson scored twice at Winnipeg to reach the 400-point mark in his fifth NHL season and help the Oilers beat the Jets for the 20th time in a row. It doesn’t seem to matter where they play, the Jets just can’t beat them.

Mark Messier had three assists for the Oilers and Wayne Gretzky scored his 41st goal on a breakaway in the final period.

The Jets, who are only two points ahead of the Kings in the battle for third place in the Smythe Division, are winless in the last six games.

“It’s unfortunate for the Jets that every time they play us, we’re trying to straighten out after playing poorly,” Coach Glen Sather said. “This is our best effort in a long time.”

St. Louis 3, Chicago 2--Mark Reeds broke a 2-2 tie shortly after the faceoff starting the final period at Chicago and the Blues held off the Black Hawks the rest of the way. The victory moved the Blues within one point of the Black Hawks in the battle for first place in the Norris Division.