Zuccarello hammered a right-wing slap shot into the back of the net at 2:37 of overtime following a Dan Boyle cross-ice pass, his team-high 15th goal proving to be the game-winner.
It was the third two-goal game this season for Brassard, who has six goals in his last nine games overall, all scored in two-goal performances.
With the score tied 1-1, the Rangers killed off a penalty to Kevin Hayes in the opening minute of the third period, and immediately afterward Brassard scored his second goal of the night to put the Blueshirts up 2-1.
Zuccarello took the puck away along the left wing wall in the Ducks zone, quickly zipping a pass cross ice to a wide-open Brassard, who buried his 13th goal of the season into the cage at 2:44 giving New York its first lead of the night.
The Blueshirts then followed with their fourth consecutive successful penalty kill in the game after Chris Summers was whistled for a holding the stick minor at 5:05, and the positive vibes continued to build.
However Anaheim's Rickard Rakell beat Henrik Lundqvist over the glove with just 2:54 remaining in regulation to tie the game, 2-2. It was Rakell's second point of the night, as he assisted on the Ducks first goal, as well.
Anaheim, the lowest-scoring team in the entire NHL so far this season, had managed to get one past Lundqvist 11:16 into the first period to jump out to a 1-0 lead. However, like in the previous night's 5-2 loss to the Islanders in Brooklyn when they also opened the scoring only to see their opponent pull even not long after, the Ducks allowed the Rangers to tie the game at 17:50 of the first; and that 1-1 draw carried through the next period, as well.
Corey Perry scored his team-leading 11th goal for the Ducks from the low slot to put the visitors ahead Tuesday night. Then Brassard stole the puck between the circles in Anaheim's end of the ice before beating Ducks goalie John Gibson one on one for an unassisted goal to pull New York even.
There were not too many other good scoring chances for either team as the Ducks outshot the Rangers 8-5 in the first period and the two teams each recorded only five shots on goal in the second. Dom Moore made a power move to the net from right which required a solid stop from Gibson late in the opening stanza; and Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf missed a wide-open net and hit the post instead midway through the second when Lundqvist drifted far out of his crease after a reaching for a poke check.
A pair of fights provided some juice to the game over the first 40 minutes. Tanner Glass and Anaheim's Patrick Maroon dropped the gloves by the Rangers bench 5:35 into the first, and then 6:48 into the second J.T. Miller scrapped with Ryan Kesler of the Ducks.
Former Ranger Carl Hagelin returned to The Garden to play his first game against his former team after being traded to Anaheim on June 27 for Emerson Etem and a second round draft pick which the Blueshirts turned into highly-regarded prospect Ryan Gropp. Hagelin received a standing ovation from the crowd during a tribute on Gardenvision, and the classy Swedish winger stood and waved to the crowd in response.
Hagelin wasn't so warmly received on the ice where he twice was drilled early in the game by clean, hard checks. First Summers leveled Hagelin to the ice with an open-ice hit, and shortly thereafter Dylan McIlrath rocked him along the boards in the Rangers end of the ice.
FINAL STATS:
NYR 3 ANA 2 FINAL OVERTIME
Scoring Summary
1st Period
11:16 ANA Corey Perry (11) Wrist shot - ASST: Rickard Rakell (8) 1 - 0 ANA
17:50 NYR Derick Brassard (12) Wrist shot - ASST: NONE 1 - 1 Tie
2nd Period
NONE
3rd Period
02:44 NYR Derick Brassard (13) Slapshot - ASST: Mats Zuccarello (15) 2 - 1 NYR
17:06 ANA Rickard Rakell (7) Slapshot - ASST: Ryan Getzlaf (19), Cam Fowler (8) 2 - 2 Tie
OT Period
02:37 NYR PPG - Mats Zuccarello (15) Slapshot - ASST: Dan Boyle (8), Derick Brassard (15) 3 - 2 NYR
Penalty Summary 1st Period
05:35 ANA Patrick Maroon Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Tanner Glass
05:35 NYR Tanner Glass Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Patrick Maroon
07:05 NYR Dan Boyle Holding - 2 min against Ryan Kesler
12:43 ANA Mike Santorelli Hi-sticking - 2 min against Chris Summers
2nd Period
02:44 ANA Ryan Kesler Interference - 2 min against Keith Yandle
06:48 ANA Ryan Kesler Fighting (maj) - 5 min against J.T. Miller
06:48 NYR J.T. Miller Fighting (maj) - 5 min against Ryan Kesler
07:22 ANA Kevin Bieksa Cross checking - 2 min against Dominic Moore
12:49 NYR Dylan McIlrath Hooking - 2 min against Shawn Horcoff
3rd Period
00:33 NYR Kevin Hayes Hooking - 2 min against Carl Hagelin
05:05 NYR Chris Summers Holding the stick - 2 min against Shawn Horcoff
14:20 ANA Ryan Kesler Interference - 2 min against Tanner Glass
OT Period
01:07 ANA Cam Fowler Holding - 2 min against Ryan McDonagh
Shots By Period
Period ANA NYR
1st 8 5
2nd 5 5
3rd 6 10
OT 0 2
Total 19 22
Team Stats
Category ANA NYR
Power Plays 0/4 1/5
Hits 18 27
Faceoff Wins 35 28
Giveaways 8 11
Takeaways 4 11
Blocked Shots 9 14
Penalty Minutes 20 18
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
1. DERICK BRASSARD NYR
2. MATS ZUCCARELLO NYR
3. RICHARD RAKELL ANA
NEXT GAME: Tuesday December 28, 8:00 PM The Rangers head to Nashville to take on the Predators.
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