NHL: New York Rangers beat New York Islanders in outdoor game

New York • The New York Rangers have quickly warmed to the challenge of playing outside in the chill of winter.

Despite being the road team in both games at frigid Yankee Stadium, the Broadway Blueshirts made themselves at home in the ballpark in the Bronx and completed a sweep of the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.

The Rangers rallied for the second straight game and topped the Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night on Daniel Carcillo's tiebreaking goal 4:36 into the third period.

On Sunday, the Rangers dug out of a 3-1 hole against the Devils and scored the final six goals. New York is an NHL-best 3-0 in games played outside.

"They're a ton of fun," defenseman Marc Staal said. "I could play in 50 of these in a year. Maybe not 50. Forty."

Building off Sunday's Bronx win, the Rangers took out another division rival under the lights in front of 50,027 fans. The temperature was 22 degrees when the first puck dropped at 7:45 p.m. with a single-digit wind-chill factor.

It got progressively colder.

Benoit Pouliot also scored, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 shots while again adorning pinstriped pads in honor of the Yankees. The only goal he allowed was a late second-period tally to Brock Nelson that gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

The Rangers evened the season series with the Islanders 2-2. The teams will play for the final time Friday. The Rangers improved to 17-10 on the road — including five straight — and they have won 13 of 19 overall.

Wearing a ski cap with a pompom atop his mask, Evgeni Nabokov had 32 saves for the Islanders, who made their outdoor debut. Road teams are 9-1-1 in NHL outside games.

Nabokov handled the cold OK, and showed no signs of the injuries that have troubled him during this season.

"You never really know (about playing outdoors) until you're out there and see that great atmosphere," he said. "I loved every second of it."