Rangers, Preparing for Farewells, Top Devils as Ryan Strome Scores 2

Ryan Strome scored two goals, Chris Kreider and Jimmy Vesey each had a goal and an assist, and the host Rangers, despite their lineup being depleted with the trade deadline two days away, rode a three-goal first period to a 5-2 win over the Devils on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams rested key players. Forward Marcus Johansson sat for the Devils, and the Rangers kept out forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes as well as defenseman Adam McQuaid. Zuccarello was later traded to the Dallas Stars for two conditional draft picks.

“Zucc’s been here for a long time, and so has Hayesy,” Rangers Coach David Quinn said before the trade. “Their personalities can really take over a locker room, so not only do we lose what they give us on the ice, you’re also talking about a locker-room presence and guys who are highly respected and highly liked not only by the players but the coaches. Tough day. Couldn’t be prouder of our guys.”

The Devils were in a similar situation to the Rangers. They traded the veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy to Dallas for defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round pick earlier in the day and also kept out forward Marcus Johansson.

Lovejoy, an 11-year veteran, is a defensive specialist who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. He was second on the Devils with 77 blocked shots while playing a key penalty-killing role.

“We have guys playing roles they’re not used to playing,” Devils Coach John Hynes said. “You get a guy like Lovejoy who’s out. We’ve got continue with those guys. You’ve got guys learning on the job, playing different roles.”

Brady Skjei also scored for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich each had two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves. Andy Greene and Kenny Agostino scored for the Devils.

“Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, tough time of year,” Kreider said.

Trailing by 3-0 in the third period, the Devils scored when Agostino got his third of the season at 2 minutes 20 seconds. He took advantage of a turnover in the Rangers’ zone to score his first goal with the Devils.

The Rangers answered as Skjei sent a one-timer past Cory Schneider for his fourth of the season.

The Devils rallied again as Greene took a pass from Kyle Palmieri and put a wrist shot past Georgiev for his fourth of the season at 12:59.

Strome added an empty-net goal in the final minute for his second of the game to clinch the win.

70,000 AT PENGUINS-FLYERS Claude Giroux scored 1:59 into overtime, and Philadelphia scored three straight goals in the rain to beat visiting Pittsburgh, 4-3, on a soggy night at Lincoln Financial Field.

The rink, stretching between the 30-yard lines, needed a squeegee more than a Zamboni, but nearly 70,000 fans stuck around at the home of the Eagles.

With rain pounding the ice in third period, the Flyers got going. James van Riemsdyk, playing in his record sixth outdoor game, made it 3-2 on a power-play goal with 3:04 left. Jake Voracek tied it at 3-3 with 19.7 seconds left, sending what was left of the capacity crowd into a frenzy.

BLUE JACKETS GET DZINGEL Columbus made its second trade with the Ottawa Senators in two days, acquiring forward Ryan Dzingel for forward Anthony Duclair and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021.

Dzingel, 26, has 22 goals and 22 assists in 57 games this season; his 44 points are a career high. Duclair, 23, who was criticized recently by Blue Jackets Coach John Tortorella for having bad listening skills, has 11 goals and eight assists in 53 games.

On Friday, Columbus acquired center Matt Duchene from Ottawa, and he had a goal and an assist on Saturday in a 4-0 win over San Jose. He and Dzingel can be unrestricted free agents this summer.

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