The temperature at frosty Yankee Stadium had slipped to 22 degrees Wednesday night when Evgeni Nabokov, a 38-year-old Islanders' goaltender who is in his 13th NHL season, pulled a stocking cap over top of his mask and went to work. His huge task: to stop the Rangers.

Nabokov had played in one game for only 12 minutes, making one save, since suffering a quadriceps injury Jan. 6, but this was a critical game before a sellout crowd announced at 50,027. Nabokov was sharp, making 32 saves, but the Rangers prevailed, 2-1.

Feisty Rangers forward Daniel Carcillo pushed the rebound of a missed shot past a prone Nabokov at 4 minutes 36 seconds into the third period for his third goal of the season to snap a tie and propel the Rangers to their second victory at the Stadium in four days.

Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 of 31 shots for the Rangers (29-23-3), who had raced past the Devils, 7-3, before 50,105 on Sunday afternoon in the first game ever at Yankee Stadium. The ice was better and the Islanders (21-27-8) were ferocious in spells, but the Rangers held on.

After pressing the Rangers for long stretches of the first two periods, the Islanders finally scored at 18 minutes 33 seconds of the second period as the result of a gritty play by forward Cal Clutterbuck, who slid a pass across the Rangers' slot while falling to the ice.

The puck deflected off Islanders defenseman Matt Donovan to his teammate, forward Brock Nelson, who snapped his 10th goal of the season through Lundqvist's legs. The Islanders' fans in the crowd barely had time to celebrate the goal when the Rangers tied the score.

Derick Brassard, the Rangers' third-line center, won a face-off against John Tavares, the Islanders' captain and top-line center, leading to a shot by Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The puck bounced to Brassard, whose shot glanced off Nabokov.

But Rangers forward Benoit Pouliot was in front of the goal to pop in the rebound at 19:13—40 seconds after Nelson's goal—for his ninth goal of the season. The Islanders had a 25-20 edge in shots and had three power plays after 40 minutes, but the score was tied.

Although the Rangers entered Wednesday having played one more game at Yankee Stadium than the Islanders, they played most of a scoreless first period in their end, as the Islanders handled the bouncing, rolling puck a little better and built a 10-6 edge in shots.

The Islanders also drew two penalties, and Kyle Okposo nearly scored at the end of the second power play, but Lundqvist snuffed his point-blank shot. Rick Nash, naturally, had the Rangers' best chance, but Nabokov stopped his open-ice backhand shot with his left pad.

Islanders coach Jack Capuano sounded as if he'd done his homework entering Wednesday's game. After watching tape and consulting with other coaches, he'd apparently decided the best approach to playing outside would also be the simplest.

So he named Nabokov, who has played 672 NHL games, as his starter Wednesday, even though the night was cold and Nabokov had been hurt.

Then came part two: Capuano told his team to keep it simple, not to try anything fancy, to stay within the team's structure. That gave them more leeway to be aggressive.

"We want to enjoy this game, but at the same time, we need guys to be difference-makers," Capuano said before the game.

Distractions abounded. Certain privileges came with being designated as the home team at the two hockey games this week at Yankee Stadium. The Devils, then Islanders, got to use the Yankees' plush clubhouse as their dressing room, entering and exiting through their dugout.

The teams also got to wear their home sweaters, use their public-address announcers and goal horns, and, probably most important to them, match the line changes made by the Rangers, the visitors in both games (even though the Rangers held an edge in fan support).

But those advantages don't necessarily guarantee victories for the home teams in the NHL's series of outdoor games. The Islanders were trying to crack a trend Wednesday: Through Sunday, the visitors had won eight of 10 outdoor games.

Make it nine of 11.