For much of his first season on Broadway, Chris Drury has struggled to fit in. Despite an impressive resume helping Colorado win their second Cup and being an integral part of two Sabres teams the past two seasons which got to the Eastern Conference Final, the well respected 31 year-old former Trumbull Connecticut Little League World Series (LLWS) hero hasn’t played up to capability as a Blueshirt.

However, if tonight was any indication, Drury looks primed to breakout and have a much better second half for his favorite team growing up.

With the Rangers laying a proverbial egg in a brutal second period which saw the visiting Canadiens please their loyal French Canadian supporters scattered around Madison Square Garden with goals 2:36 apart by Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec, Drury took it upon himself to knot the contest up with a money goal rebounding home a deflected Paul Mara point shot off a faceoff win for his 10th with 5:51 left to force overtime.

But Mr. Clutch as he’s come to be known wasn’t done helping setup veteran finisher Brendan Shanahan’s game-winner just 1:06 into the extra session.

After being outscored 2-0 and outshot 7-1 in a dreadful second, the Rangers came to play in the third outshooting Les Habitants 8-3 and were rewarded for their hard work.

Though they had an apparent tying goal from defenseman Fedor Tyutin wiped out by a lengthy video review up in Toronto moments earlier, the Rangers persevered to tie it up when who else but Drury won a crucial draw and went to the net and found the rebound.

On Shanny’s game-winner, the Blueshirts took advantage of a Roman Hamrlik turnover at his own blueline forced by Ranger defenseman Daniel Girardi. With essentially a two-on-0, even though Drury stumbled, he still had the presence to push the puck to a streaking Shanahan who did the rest beating Cristobal Huet on the breakaway going top shelf to send the MSG fans home happy.

It was a good comeback win making it three straight and a winning streak as the Rangers get ready for a tough three-game trip in Western Canada to start 2008.

At least they can be happy as they celebrate the new year.

 ”I think we still have a lot of work to do,” top pivot Scott Gomez told the Associated Press after extending his career best point streak to 12 in a row with two primary assists on first period markers by Girardi and team captain Jaromir Jagr (three straight for No.68).

“Good hockey clubs find a way in the third. You’ve got to be able to come from behind in this league, and I think we are starting to show that.”

That they are. We’ll see if they can keep it going in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton.

More Rangers