Carrick's overtime goal lifts Rangers past Devils 3-2

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Carrick scored in overtime and Igor Shesterkin made 21 saves as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Thursday night.

Carrick one-timed a pass from Reilly Smith past Devils netminder Jacob Markstrom 2:48 into the extra session.

Carrick's third goal this season and gave the Rangers a much-needed home win before a three-game road trip.

Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin also scored for the Rangers, who have won two of their last three games.

Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes scored for the Devils, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games.

After Fox scored on the power play at 12:05 of the first, Hughes scored his 16th at 4:03 of the second.

Bratt put New Jersey ahead at 8:28, whipping a high shot past Shesterkin for his 15th goal. Hughes assisted for this team-leading 50th point.

Panarin tied the contest with his team-leading 17th goal on the power play at 17:13 of the second. Fox and Mika Zibanejad assisted.

Markstrom made 29 saves.

New York's Matt Rempe returned from an eight-game suspension. He had no penalty minutes in 11 shifts and 7:47 of ice time.

Rangers: Improved to 9-10-2 at home with their first overtime win of the season.

Devils: Hughes has five goals and three assists in three games against the Rangers this season. He leads the Devils with 50 points, one more than Bratt.

Shesterkin stopped Dawson Mercer on a short-handed breakaway with just over nine minutes left in the third.

Shesterkin, who returned after four games on injured reserve, improved to 12-15-1 with his first win since Dec. 20 at Dallas. Panarin leads the Rangers with 44 points and has points in 28 of his 39 games this season.

Rangers: Visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.

Devils: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) protects the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes (86) smiles after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Jersey Devils' Kurtis MacDermid (23) drives past New York Rangers' Reilly Smith (91) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Jersey Devils' Jesper Bratt (63) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) protects the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Jersey Devils' Jack Hughes (86) celebrates with teammates Ondrej Palat (18) and Brett Pesce (22) after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Rangers, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New Jersey Devils' Paul Cotter (47) pulls New York Rangers' Sam Carrick (39) away from Jacob Markstrom (25) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) celebrates with teammates Ryan Lindgren (55), K'Andre Miller (79) and Braden Schneider (4) as New Jersey Devils' Brett Pesce (22) leaves the ice after an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)