DETROIT _ For three scoreless periods, there wasn't much pace _ or space _ on the slushy ice at Joe Louis Arena for Sunday's matinee between the Rangers and Red Wings.
Very few of the rare shots on goal were dangerous and there were limited second-chance opportunities, although goaltender Henrik Lundqvist had to be sharper than his counterpart, rookie Jared Coreau.
But the Rangers emerged from the tight-checking, dump-and-chase battle with another road win, when red-hot J.T. Miller finished a rush with Mats Zuccarello with 3:04 left in overtime to give the Rangers a 1-0 win. Miller took a pass from Zuccarello and beat a diving Coreau to provide just enough for Lundqvist to earn his second shutout of the season and the team's 30th win.
The Rangers have won two in a row since the defense fell apart in last Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Stars.
"Just a quick transition, it's pretty much the way a lot of people score 3-on 3 nowadays," said Miller, who has scored in four of the last five games and has five game-winners on the season. "If somebody misses, it's going right back (the other way), and Zuke got behind them, so I just tried to bust up the ice. He's a really good passer so I just put myself in a good spot to shoot."
Zuccarello's passing has been a bright spot for him recently. He has 17 assists in the last 16 games, but just one goal. Rookie defenseman Brady Skjei received the second assist, his 20th point of the season.
The match was reminiscent of the only other time that the high-scoring Rangers played a game in which neither team scored in regulation. That was on Dec. 9 in Chicago, when Nick Holden won it in overtime. The Blueshirts have only been blanked once, 2-0 against the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 27.
"It felt good to have a structure in front of you," said Lundqvist, who made 21 saves. "It wasn't a pretty game, but it's about finding a way to win. It was hard for both teams to create big chances. Halfway through the game, I think you understand that one mistake might be the difference, so you just have to be solid."
After four shaky games, Lundqvist has rebounded with consecutive solid efforts, starting with the 5-2 win in Toronto on Thursday. "Personally, it's nice to get two games here," he said. "Sure I've changed a little bit, my mindset, but it's just the way we played _ with the structure, it's easier to be patient. Today, and the last game, I felt like we were right there to put the pressure on the shooter. Guys made some really big blocks, especially in the first." The Rangers blocked 17 shots overall, with Dan Girardi leading the way with five.
The game was the eighth straight match between the teams that was decided by a goal. "They always make it hard on us, so to see it nothing-nothing after 60 wasn't too surprising," said Miller, who has a point in nine of the last 10 games.
Given the ice conditions, even special teams sputtered, a collective 0-for-7, with the Rangers unable to solve the 6-6 Coreau, who made 18 saves, four times. "It's the way the day went," said Derek Stepan.
"Both teams didn't generate a lot offensively," said coach Alain Vigneault, who called the ice "horrendous." "In the first we chased the game; I thought we got a little better offensively in the second period, and a little in the third ... but a win is a win is a win, eh?"
