Clarkson scores 2 PP goals, lifts Devils over Rangers 3-2 in Lemaire’s return to NJ bench

Clarkson’s 2 PP goals lift NJ over Rangers

NEWARK, N.J. — David Clarkson scored twice on the power play and the New Jersey Devils bounced back from blowing a two-goal lead in the third period to beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in a preseason shootout on Wednesday night.

Travis Zajac netted the decisive goal in the sixth round of the shootout to lift New Jersey to victory in its preseason opener under new coach Jacques Lemaire.

The Rangers got even on goals by Matt Gilroy and Jordan Owens scored 8:43 apart. Owens punched in a rebound with 8:14 left in regulation to tie it. Gilroy added a goal in the shootout, but it was answered in the third round by Zach Parise.

Yann Danis played the whole game in goal for the Devils and made 28 traditional saves and five in the shootout. Chad Johnson allowed a goal to Clarkson on the first shot he faced, but recovered and stopped the next 19 before the tiebreaker.

Clarkson staked the Devils to a 1-0 lead with 6:29 left in the first period with a goal in front against Henrik Lundqvist.

Clarkson doubled the Devils’ lead 10:14 into the second when he took a feed from former Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan in the left circle during a 3-on-2 rush and snapped a shot past Johnson, who entered 23 seconds earlier.

Gilroy completed a beautiful drive to the net, shifting from backhand to forehand to backhand, before lifting a shot over Danis 3:03 into the third to make it 2-1. Gilroy signed with New York in April after winning the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player and helping Boston University to the NCAA title.

Lemaire returned to the Devils after coaching the Minnesota Wild from 2000 until last season. He was New Jersey’s head coach from 1993-98, leading the Devils in 1995 to their first Stanley Cup title.

New York’s Sean Avery nearly scored a goal, but his poke from the crease in the first period was waved off because the pesky forward was whistled for goalie interference after he knocked down Danis. Avery was given an extra penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct following an argument.

Avery didn’t get a chance to renew his rivalry with Devils top goalie Martin Brodeur, who had the night off, but assisted on Gilroy’s goal.

The Rangers, who lost 2-1 at home to Boston on Tuesday in their opener, are playing four games in five days. The Devils have four games remaining on their preseason schedule.

Lundqvist stopped 16 of 17 shots in his preseason debut, giving way to Johnson — who wears No. 96, not No. 85 — with 10:09 left in the second period.

Eight players saw action in each of New York’s first two games.

The Devils played without captain Jamie Langenbrunner, who ceded his spot on the Devils’ top line alongside Parise and Zajac and the C on his sweater to the 40-year-old Shanahan. New Jersey also missed forward Patrik Elias, expected to be sidelined 3-to-6 weeks following groin surgery Tuesday.

For the second straight night, the Rangers were without leading forward Marian Gaborik (groin soreness).