Red Wings squander lead in third, fall to league-leading Rangers

The Detroit Red Wings faltered in the third period Wednesday, squandering a chance to beat one of the best teams on the road, and had their three-game winning streak snapped.

The New York Rangers scored twice in the final 11 minutes and defeated the Red Wings 3-2 at Madison Square Garden.

Jimmy Vesey snapped a 2-2 tie by backhanding the puck out of the air and past Ville Husso with 4:15 remaining in regulation.

The Red Wings played without injured captain Dylan Larkin, who’s expected to miss Thursday’s home game against the Chicago Blackhawks as well.

Moritz Seider and Robby Fabbri scored for the Red Wings (11-7-3). Andrew Copp assisted on both goals.

The Rangers (16-4-1) lead the NHL with 33 points.

Vesey’s goal was reviewed for a high stick, but the NHL said, “Video review confirmed that Jimmy Vesey’s stick was at or below the height of the crossbar when he directed the puck into the Detroit net.” The Rangers capitalized on a three-on-two break right after killing a penalty.

K’Andre Miller tied it at 2-2 for the Rangers at 9:14 of the third period, one-timing a pass from Mika Zibanejad, who made a nice move in the zone to elude Fabbri.

Detroit had a good opportunity to tie it on a power play in the final two minutes, which turned into a six-on-four after Husso was pulled for the extra skater. But they couldn’t beat Igor Shesterkin (26 saves). Husso stopped 38 shots.

The Red Wings scored twice in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

Seider converted on the power play at 8:43 with a hard wrist shot from the high slot while Copp was at the net front. It was the Red Wings’ sixth power-play goal in the past four games following a five-game drought (0 for 20).

Fabbri scored at 9:08 on a shot from the slot after some good work along the boards by Jonatan Berggren and Copp to get him the puck. It was his fifth goal in just nine games this season. Berggren, recalled from the Grand Rapids Griffins Tuesday due to Larkin’s injury, recorded his first point in three games with Detroit this season.

Artemi Panarin had opened the scoring at 4:37 by taking a nice cross-ice pass from Alexis Lafreniere and firing in a hard wrist shot from the face-off circle before Husso had a chance to set up. The Rangers capitalized on a quick transition after Shayne Gostisbehere’s pass was picked off in the neutral zone.