An excited Rangers bench celebrates Derick Brassard’s overtime winner marking the first time they beat the Red Wings in Detroit since last century.
Tim Fuller/USA Today

If ever there was a character building win, it was this one. Against a team they never beat, the Rangers earned a hard fought 3-2 overtime win over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Derick Brassard’s breakaway goal with 12.9 seconds left gave them their first victory in Detroit since Jan. 30, 1999. Bill Clinton was still President and the new millennium hadn’t begun. Neither had Facebook or Twitter. Gas was cheaper. And there was no such thing as IPhones or Androids.

Indeed, a lot has changed since. Not always for the better. At least for one night, the Rangers resembled a determined hockey team whose lunch pail work ethic paid dividends. They concluded a long nine-game road trip by winning for only the third time. And not a moment too soon. It feels a lot better bringing a 3-6-0 record into the first home game Monday against the Canadiens. Hopefully, they’ll be able to build off an emotional win.

It was the first of rookie goalie Cam Talbot’s NHL career. In his second consecutive start, he gave the Rangers solid goaltending allowing two goals again. Against the Flyers, he took the loss. This time, his teammates came to the rescue making a 32-save effort stand up. They did it by rallying from two one-goal deficits. That included Mats Zuccarello’s first of the season that forced overtime. He was one of three Ranger forwards to finally light the lamp for the first time. That included Benoit Pouliot, who set up Brassard’s winner with some extra hustle. He dove to poke the puck ahead to spring Brassard, who beat Jimmy Howard five-hole.

”I only had to scoop up the puck. It was kind of bouncing, so I just closed my eyes and shot,” Brassard said.

It was that kind of effort that put a smile on their faces. They ended a challenging road trip on a positive note. It wouldn’t be a Ranger victory without some nervous tension. They played a good first only to trail thanks to a mistake. Zuccarello turned the puck over leading to Drew Miller beating Talbot short side. It wasn’t a good goal. But Talbot redeemed himself with steadier play.

Pouliot scored his first on the power play late in the second. Off a wild scramble in front, he got to a loose puck and snuck a backhand into an open side with Brian Boyle screening Howard. It wasn’t the prettiest but didn’t have to be. A gritty goal which is what sometimes works. However, an undisciplined Taylor Pyatt penalty led to the Red Wings going back in front before the period ended. Pavel Datsyuk set up Daniel Alfredsson with 11 seconds left. A back breaking goal that should’ve resulted in Pyatt being benched. He wasn’t.

Despite the setback, the Rangers persevered. Zuccarello got the game tied once more when he got to a Dominic Moore rebound in front and buried his first. A nice reward for the Norwegian who was reinserted by Alain Vigneault for Brandon Mashinter. It was good to see Zuccarello redeem himself. He went to the net and got rewarded. For the most part, the team fore-checked effectively forcing Howard to come up with some tough saves. He finished with 37. That included a leaping glove on a Boyle try. He also got a piece of an earlier Brassard breakaway. The American hopeful is a strong goalie who should represent Team USA.

Now, they finally return home for the home opener at the fully renovated MSG Monday.

”As a player, it (home crowd) gives you so much energy on the ice. You play with more emotion,” Brassard said. ”We want to get back and see our fans.”

”It’s going to be good for us. It’s been a challenge,” Vigneault added. ”We don’t have the record we want but we made some strides in the right direction.”

HARD HITS

–Chris Kreider had a second straight strong game finishing with three shots and three hits in 26 active shifts (18:23). What’s most different about him is he’s using his size and speed to get in on the cycle. One of his shots was a quality chance that Howard stopped. Kreider is coming back defensively and finishing checks. So far, he looks more confident. Hopefully, he’ll get one soon.

–J.T. Miller also had a solid night. Though he didn’t register a shot, he was noticeable on both ends. For a 20-year old, he has a lot of poise and is responsible defensively. Miller also takes the body.

-The other kid Jesper Fast received 14 shifts (9:38) on the fourth line. He had a shot, hit, takeaway and blocked shot. He doesn’t shy away from physicality and has stayed aggressive despite a smaller role.

-Against a strong face-off team, the Rangers did okay. They won 32 of 66. Boyle led them going 13-and-7 while Brassard went 9-and-6. They held Datsyuk to .500 (7-and-7) and Henrik Zetterberg to 9-and-10.

-Overall, I liked Boyle’s game. He was good on the fore-check and helped set up Pouliot’s power play goal. He also nearly had his first if not for an acrobatic save from Howard. The thing with Boyle is while he may not be the most gifted, fastest or smartest, the effort is always there. That’s why he stays in.

–Anton Stralman paced Ranger skaters with six shots while continuing to play steady D. While some of our better guys are still rounding into shape, Stralsy has been a rock. Probably one of Slats’ most overlooked moves a couple of years ago.