NEW YORK _ Four games into the season, nothing seemed to be working for the Rangers. When they played well defensively, they didn't score. When they scored, they couldn't keep the puck out of their own net. And when they changed their lineup, it doesn't seem to change their luck.
Until Thursday.
Brady Skjei scored 37 seconds into overtime to give the Rangers their first victory of the season, 3-2, over the visiting San Jose Sharks at Madison Square Garden, dropping the Sharks to 1-1-1 on their four-game swing through the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia. They finish the trip on Sunday in New Jersey against the Devils.
First-year Rangers coach David Quinn dressed his fourth different lineup in four games, and this time he got the result he was looking for. With the victory, the Rangers (1-3) avoided what would have been their first 0-4 start to the season since 1998-99.
The Rangers trailed in the third period until Brendan Smith's goal with 2:39 left in regulation time tied it, 2-2, and earned the Rangers their first point of the season. Smith drifted down to the slot and swept in a pass from Jesper Fast for his first goal of the season.
Smith would not have had a chance to play hero had goaltender Henrik Lundqvist not made 41 saves to give his team a chance. The Rangers were outshot 43-27.
As Quinn kept searching for the winning formula he made two personnel changes from his lineup in Sunday's 8-5 loss to Carolina, taking out two defensemen, Kevin Shattenkirk and Neal Pionk, and putting in winger Vinni Lettieri and defenseman Freddie Claesson. For Claesson, it was his Rangers debut after signing with the club as a free agent over the summer and sitting out the first three games.
"Freddie's a good player," Quinn said. "He's played in this league, he's a guy that's tough to play against _ skates well, makes a good outlet pass, and deserves to play."
Quinn announced before the game that he will change his lineup again for Saturday's game, saying that Shattenkirk will be back in the lineup against the Oilers.
Without Shattenkirk and Pionk _ who had been the power-play point men for the first two games of the season _ Skjei and Anthony DeAngelo had point duty against the Sharks. And when Skjei got caught backing up on the Rangers' first power play of the night, San Jose's Marcus Sorensen made him look bad, dipsy-doodling past him, first one way and then the other, before ripping a wrist shot over Lundqvist's catching glove for a short-handed goal that put the visitors up, 1-0, at 4:31 of the first period.
Brett Howden scored a back-to-the-goal, between-his-legs backhander that survived a replay challenge by San Jose (they thought Mats Zuccarello may have been offside on the play) to tie the game at 1-1 at 13:52 of the period. But Joonas Donskoi restored the Sharks' lead when he finished off a three-on-one break at 4:59 of the second period.
Lundqvist, who took a 2.05 goals-against average and .933 save percentage into the game, was easily the Rangers' best player in the first two periods. The 36-year-old goaltender made 31 saves as the Rangers were outshot, 33-15, over the first 40 minutes.
