BUFFALO, N.Y. _ Timely goals and timely saves. That is what Alain Vigneault has been preaching wins hockey games.
The Rangers got two of the former and plenty of the latter as Chris Kreider scored with 1:04 left in overtime to clinch a 2-1 victory over the Sabres on Thursday night.
The goal came after the Rangers had failed to convert a 4-on 3-power play when Taylor Fedun was called for slashing Michael Grabner with 3:08 left in the extra period.
Mats Zuccarello gave the Rangers a one-goal lead through two periods at KeyBank Center.
But Cody Franson had a timely score of his own. The defenseman took a backhanded pass that bounced off a Rangers skate in front and zipped a shot past Lundqvist with 5:31 left in regulation to forge a tie.
Lundqvist, who was pulled on Tuesday against the Blue Jackets after allowing three goals on 14 shots, rebounded to save the Blueshirts with 36 saves.
On the Rangers' second power play of the night, when Rick Nash drew a holding call on Marcus Foligno with 2:44 left in the second period, the Blueshirts struck first, snapping a 0-for-16 drought with the man advantage as Zuccarello tipped Ryan McDonagh's shot past Robin Lehner. It was Zuccarello's second goal in four games, and just his 10th of the season.
In the third, the Sabres threatened. Lundqvist had to stop Kyle Okposo on the doorstep and denied Rasmus Ristolainen's long slapper before Rangers failed to get off a shot on a 2-on-1 breakaway short-handed.
Nash, who had a strong game, beat Lehner from the left side on a rush soon after, but his high wrister hit the post.
The Rangers are now 14-4-1 following a loss this season and moved to 18-7-0 on the road.
Lundqvist set the tone in the first. At the 39-second mark, Lundqvist gloved a shot by Matt Moulson, and the Sabres were aggressive, beating the Blueshirts to pucks, only to be denied by Lundqvist's saves and the penalty kill which thwarted two opportunities with Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi in the box. Meanwhile, the Blueshirts weren't generating many dangerous chances against Lehner.
In the first and through most of the second, the Rangers weren't competing enough to draw penalties, waiting too long on rushes and allowing the Sabres backcheck to catch up. The Sabres forecheck forced the Rangers into defensive-zone errors, only to be erased by Lundqvist.
One of the best chances came in the first when Pavel Buchnevich, on a cross-crease pass from Marc Staal, shot at a half-open net, but the puck appeared to hit linemate Matt Puempel and bounced off Lehner's pad.
Lundqvist had allowed eight goals in the two previous games against the Sabres this season, and avoided a season sweep. He is 4-3 in his last six against the Sabres and 18-12-2 in his career.
The game was far different than the last outings by these teams. The Blueshirts fell, 6-4, to Columbus at Madison Square Garden after being down 6-0; the Sabres dropped a 5-2 decision to Montreal after falling behind 5-0.
