NEW YORK -- Center Derick Brassard didn't mince words when asked about a late, game-tying goal by the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.

"It (stunk)," he said.

Brassard felt much different a few minutes later, as he assisted on right winger Mats Zuccarello's overtime goal that gave the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory at Madison Square Garden and snapped the team's three-game losing streak.

The Rangers enter their five-game holiday break with four wins in their past 15 games but feeling much better about themselves after nearly letting two points slip away on home ice.

"In any sport, there a lot of teams that go through their struggles," said Brassard, who scored both Rangers goals in regulation. "We're trying to stay positive and trying to find solutions. We just have to work hard and compete and the rest is going to take care of itself."

"It was a must-win for us for so many reasons," said Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who made 20 saves. "Going into this break, you try to feel good about yourself and about the game. I think you could tell it was two teams that were looking for a good feeling out there."

While the Rangers (20-12-4) entered Tuesday in the midst of a 3-9-2 stretch, the Ducks (12-15-6) have been searching for consistency throughout the season. They have lost four of five and sit at the bottom of the West one season after losing in seven games in the conference finals to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Coach Bruce Boudreau wasn't displeased with the overall effort of his club but expressed a mix of anger and disbelief that Brassard's goals were the result of ghastly turnovers in front of the Ducks net by defenseman Josh Manson and left winger Jiri Sekac that left goaltender John Gibson in a helpless position.

"It's tough on John," Boudreau said. "I thought he played a perfect game. There's nothing he can do on those goals. The mistakes we're making, this is the NHL. This isn't Junior B at 14 years old when you expect that. This is the National Hockey League. Those guys have to make better plays coming out of our zone.

The first two periods were a defensive slog, as Brassard and right winger right winger Corey Perry exchanged goals in the first period and the teams combined for 23 shots. Brassard's second goal early in the third period looked as though it would be the difference, but center Rickard Rakell knotted the game at 2 with 2:54 remaining with a shot that glanced off Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh and past Lundqvist.

McDonagh atoned for the goal in overtime by drawing a hooking penalty that led to Zuccarello's game-ending, one-time blast off the inside of the post.

"It was nice to get a power-play goal at the end there," Zuccarello said. "When we lose, no one is more upset than the guys in this room. But we have to stick together. We are a family in here and we work hard for each other."

The Ducks are facing similar adversity, although unlike the Rangers, they didn't build an early-season cushion. Because of the parity in the West, the Ducks are one good week from sitting in a playoff spot.

Then again, they are one bad week from perhaps falling into too deep of a hole.

"We fought and competed, but we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times, which led to opportunities for them to score goals," said Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, who was whistled for the overtime penalty. "We got ourselves an opportunity to win the game and just too many mistakes, myself included.

"It's a tough thing right now but we're going into the break (to) recharge and get ready for the latter half of the season."

NOTES: Anaheim LW Max Friberg was assigned to the team's AHL affiliate in San Diego. ... Ducks D Clayton Stoner returned to the lineup. He took the place of D Korbinian Holzer, who played 15:59 against the Islanders on Monday. ... Ducks C Nate Thompson played in his first game since Dec. 11 and took the place of RW Chris Stewart. ... Rangers D Dan Girardi (knee) and D Kevin Klein (oblique) missed their fifth and 11th consecutive game, respectively, but could be back when the team returns from its holiday break Monday. ... With Rangers G Antti Raanta (head) out of the lineup, G Magnus Hellberg served as the backup. ... Rangers LW Viktor Stalberg was a healthy scratch.