Rangers beat Red Wings, extend lead in race for Presidents' Trophy

DETROIT — Most nights, the kind of stuff Barclay Goodrow does for the Rangers goes unnoticed.

Yes, he wins faceoffs and he blocks shots and he checks opposing teams’ top players, and all of that helps a good team like the Rangers win on a nearly nightly basis. But he doesn’t score goals. At least, he doesn’t score them very often.

So on a night when he got not one but two goals and the Rangers won — well, that, as Goodrow said Friday, was a good night.

“It feels good,’’ Goodrow said of scoring his third and fourth goals of the season in the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the desperate Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. “Obviously, it feels good to contribute in an offensive way for a win, and I thought our line — I thought Jimmy [Vesey] was great, I thought Jonny [Brodzinski] was great. So it’s just a good night.’’

Goodrow’s first goal, with 29.0 seconds left in the first period, gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead. His second, at 13:44 of the second, tied the score at 3-3 just 25 seconds after Dylan Larkin scored on a power play to give the Red Wings (37-31-8) their only lead of the game.

A power-play goal by Chris Kreider at 10:14 of the third period broke the tie and ended up being the game-winner, lifting the Rangers to 52-21-4 (108 points) and opening a three-point gap over idle Boston and Dallas in the battle for the Presidents’ Trophy.

The win kept the Rangers five points ahead of second-place Carolina in the battle for the Metropolitan Division title with five games remaining in the regular season. It helped the Islanders, too, as it kept the Red Wings (82 points) behind the Islanders (83 points) in the race for the final wild-card playoff spot.

But a Rangers team that long ago clinched a playoff spot and is doing its best to try to sharpen its game for the postseason could afford to focus for one night on how a below-the-radar player such as Goodrow could get some glory for a night.

“I’m extremely happy for him,’’ said goalie Jonathan Quick (30 saves). “The amount of work he puts in and what he means to this team leadership- wise and his effort every day, for him to get two goals tonight and help us win that game like that, it’s unbelievable. All year, he’s blocking shots, winning draws, playing the hard minutes. So I’m excited for him.’’

Coach Peter Laviolette tweaked his fourth line for the game, moving Goodrow — who has centered the line nearly all season — to the wing, with Brodzinski playing center.

“Just a different look,’’ Laviolette said when asked why he moved Goodrow. “Jonny’s . . . a little bit of a different player with his speed. You know, Goody’s a natural winger as well. And just to give that line a different look. I thought they were fantastic.’’

Brodzinski and Vesey each assisted on both of Goodrow’s goals. The Rangers’ other goal came from Will Cuylle, playing on the third line. His goal gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 5:58 of the first. That meant three of the Rangers’ four goals came from the bottom two lines.

“Going into playoffs, we need everyone,’’ Goodrow said. “You can’t rely on your top six [forwards] every night to get the offense. So it was good to be able to help.’’

Quick cited for award

Quick, who became the winningest American-born goalie in NHL history with his victory over Arizona last Saturday, earned his 393rd career victory. Earlier in the day, he was announced as the team’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy, awarded for perseverance and dedication to hockey, by the Rangers chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

“That’s an honor,’’ said Quick, 38. “You think about guys that are nominated around the league and you know what they put in every day, so to be part of that group, it’s an honor.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.