Rangers 3, Blues 1; Devils 4, Oilers 3: Garand holds, Hughes drives the attack

Dylan Garand made 32 saves as the Rangers beat the Blues 3-1 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Across the Hudson, Jack Hughes had two goals and an assist before Arseny Gritsyuk settled the Devils’ 4-3 shootout win over the Oilers at Prudential Center.

Both teams collected two points, but the evenings asked different things of them. New York protected a one-goal advantage well into the third period. New Jersey built a two-goal cushion in the second, lost it, then recovered the extra point in the fourth round of the shootout.

Garand gives a narrow lead room to grow

Adam Fox put the Rangers ahead 1:49 into the second period. Oliver Bjorkstrand doubled the lead at 9:01 of the third, and Eeli Tolvanen added an empty-net goal at 17:59. Pius Suter broke Garand’s shutout with 59 seconds remaining.

The timing gives Garand’s performance its weight. Until Bjorkstrand scored, one mistake could have erased New York’s entire advantage. Garand finished with 32 stops on 33 shots, including all eight power-play shots he faced. The Rangers generated 31 shots themselves.

Fox and Tolvanen each finished with a goal and an assist, while J.T. Miller had two assists. New York received scoring from three different players and a goaltending performance that kept the game within reach of one additional finish.

Hughes creates the lead; the shootout rescues it

Connor Brown’s power-play goal at 7:42 of the second period brought the Devils level after Evan Bouchard’s first-period opener. Hughes then scored at 14:50 and 15:35, the second on the power play, to create a 3-1 lead in just 45 seconds.

Edmonton answered through Ryan Nugent-Hopkins late in the second and Leon Draisaitl one minute into the third. Both goals came on the power play. New Jersey’s offensive production earned the lead; its penalty killing could not preserve it.

Jesper Bratt and Gritsyuk scored in the shootout. After Gritsyuk converted in round four, Connor Hellebuyck stopped Kasperi Kapanen to finish the game. Hellebuyck had 18 saves on 21 shots through overtime; shootout attempts are separate from those totals.

Hughes’ three-point night and Brown’s goal and assist supplied New Jersey’s regulation offense. The Devils outshot Edmonton 34-21, but the surrendered lead is the part to address next. The Rangers can take a more straightforward lesson from their win: a strong night in goal bought enough time for a close game to become a two-goal victory.