CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The New York Rangers have endured a frustrating start to their four-game road trip and it might be even worse if not for goaltender Mike Dunham.
Dunham made 39 saves and Chris Simon scored with 9:26 remaining in the third period as the Rangers rallied for a 2-2 tie with the Chicago Blackhawks.
On Saturday, New York began a stretch in which it plays just two of 11 games at home with an ugly 5-0 loss at New Jersey. The Rangers appeared headed for a similar fate as Chicago dominated the first two periods and had a 25-18 advantage in shots.
"We were disappointed in the way we played last night," Dunham said. "But we had to regroup and we went out tonight and played a better game. We were down a goal a couple of times, but we came back. It's tough to win on the road, so we're happy with the point."
"It's happened many times this year where he has saved the game," Rangers center Bobby Holik added. "We need to start giving him more support. He played great and he kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win the game."
With the exception of Kyle Calder's deflection with 2:23 left in the first period, Dunham was sharp. He made 16 stops in the second, when the Rangers took five penalties.
Simon tied it when he pounced on a loose puck and put a wrist shot past goalie Michael Leighton for his second goal of the season.
Dunham turned aside 14 shots in the third, giving the Rangers a chance to win. They almost did, but Alexei Kovalev shot wide of the net early in overtime.
"I thought we played really hard," Simon said. "New Jersey is a great team and that's what we want to be, so I think we learned a lesson in the last game that you always need to be ready and battle for 60 minutes. Dunny worked really hard for us tonight and helped us get that point."
"Tonight we played against a very skilled group of veteran players and I thought we did a good job of keeping them out of the danger areas," said Chicago coach Brian Sutter, whose team snapped a four-game losing streak. "I told our team that some nights you're not always going to get rewarded. So hard work and execution goes a long way."
Messier also scored his team-leading eighth goal, beating Leighton on a shorthanded breakaway with just under two minutes to go in the second. The tally was the 684th of Messier's career and moved him past Penguins owner-captain Mario Lemieux into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time NHL list.
But after Messier deked Leighton, rookie Brent McLean broke in alone from center ice and restored Chicago's lead 5:05 into the third.
Chicago went 0-for-5 on the power play and is winless in its last five games (0-2-1-2).
"After what happened to them, we knew they would play hard and I think they're as happy with the point as we are," McLean said.
