OFFICIAL: #NYR made the following roster changes:

Andersson, Fogarty, Hajek, Lindgren, Lindqvist, Meskanen & O’Gara have been assigned to Hartford.

Bigras, Holland, Mazanec, Schneider & Tokarski have been placed on waivers & will be assigned to HFD should they not be claimed.

The New York Rangers will not have a captain to start the 2018-19 season, as the club announced five players will serve as an alternate captain.

New York Rangers?@NYRangers

#NYR will have five alternate Captains this season!

Chris Kreider
Jesper Fast@MikaZibanejad @zuccarello36
Marc Staal

Prior to this, Marc Staal and Mats Zuccarello were the alternate captains with a number of players wearing a third “A” on the road after the departure of Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash.

Subban helps Predators beat rebuilding Rangers 3-2

STATS/AP

NEW YORK (AP) The Nashville Predators liked the way a lot of things went in their season opener, especially since they came away with a win.

P.K. Subban scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Predators held on to beat New York 3-2 Thursday night and spoil the regular-season debut of new Rangers coach David Quinn.

''I thought we played a pretty good game,'' Subban said. ''For our team, we're at our best when we're disciplined. At the end, I think we would've liked to shut it down a little sooner and quicker and a little easier, but we got it done.''

Subban fired a one-timer from beyond the inside edge of the right circle in front of the blue line at 3:28 of the final period to put Nashville ahead.

Filip Forsberg and Colton Sissons also scored and Pekka Rinne stopped 34 shots for the Predators, the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners with 117 points last season.

''Every time you start the season, you always feel butterflies and you are a little nervous before the game,'' Rinne said. ''It was a good game for us. I thought we created a lot, starting in the first period. ... It was a good first game.''

Sissons' long empty-netter with 1:24 left pushed Nashville's lead to 3-1, before Pavel Buchnevich pulled the Rangers back within one with 35 seconds remaining.

''We did some good things,'' Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. ''There are things that we could be better at. ... We were competitive and turned the puck over a little bit too much.''

Jesper Fast scored and Henrik Lundqvist had 30 saves for the rebuilding Rangers.

New York traded several stars at the trade deadline last winter in a youth movement and then missed the playoffs last spring for the first time in eight years. Quinn was hired from Boston University to replace the fired Alain Vigneault.

''I didn't think we really played to the level that we're looking for,'' Quinn said. ''Obviously, we are up against a team that's one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, so it was certainly a great test. I just thought we were hesitant. I didn't think we hounded the puck like we did in the preseason.''

After a scoreless first period, each team broke through in a fast-paced second in which the Rangers outshot the Predators 17-15. Both goalies made big stops to limit the other team to just one goal.

Nashville took a 1-0 lead on Forsberg's wrist shot from the right slot into the top left corner at 3:54.

Fast tied it at 7:37 as he deflected Filip Chytil's centering pass from behind the goal line on the left side.

Both teams had chances in the opening period.

Lundqvist denied Mattias Ekholm in close about 90 seconds in, stopped Ryan Johansen on a 2-on-1 break with 8:14 left, and then gloved Craig Smith's hard wrist shot on a Nashville power play with 2 1/2 minutes to go.

Rinne, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the league's top goalie, stopped Buchnevich's shot on a Rangers rush 6 1/2 minutes in, turned away a wraparound attempt by Zuccarello midway through the period, and then made a sprawling save on Zuccarello's attempt in the closing seconds to keep it scoreless.

NOTES: Forsberg now has three goals and nine points in nine games against the Rangers. ... The Predators improved to 4-5-0 in season openers on the road. ... The teams conclude the season series Dec. 29 at Nashville. ... The Rangers fell to 8-5-1 in their last 14 openers. ... Fast is one point away from 100 in his career. ... Lundqvist became the ninth player in franchise history to appear in at least one regular season game in 14 different seasons with the Rangers, joining Rod Gilbert (18), Brian Leetch (17), Harry Howell (17), Ron Greschner (16), Jean Ratelle (16), Ott Heller (15), Walt Tkaczuk (14), and Mike Richter (14).

UP NEXT

Predators: At the New York Islanders on Saturday night.

Rangers: At Buffalo on Saturday night.

Sheary scores twice in Sabres' 3-1 win over Rangers

STATS/AP

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) After being booed at home throughout a shutout loss to open the season, the Buffalo Sabres gave their fans something to cheer about.

Conor Sheary scored two goals and Carter Hutton made 43 saves as the Sabres beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Saturday night for their first victory of the season.

''We knew this was an important one,'' Sheary said. ''We kind of got spanked in our home opener there, so we wanted to come out and have a strong effort and it was good to get two points.''

Captain Jack Eichel added an empty-net goal in the final seconds and had an assist for the Sabres, who snapped a six-game losing streak at KeyBank Center dating to last season.

''It's great to get a win on home ice,'' Eichel said. ''We were desperate. We won battles when we needed to. It's great to see us get a team win like that.''

Hutton, who led the NHL in save percentage and goals-against average as a backup in St. Louis last season, drew a standing ovation during his first win as the Sabres' starter when he made a sliding save against Howden on a three-man breakaway in the second period. Hutton held up against 14 shots (six on power plays) while the Rangers controlled the action for most of the first period. He made 19 saves in the third period.

''Our goalie was our best player tonight, and sometimes that needs to be the case,'' Eichel said. ''Credit to Hutts. I thought he was tremendous.''

Sheary, acquired in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, scored both of his goals on power plays and played on the Sabres' top line. The former linemate of Sidney Crosby was moved up from Buffalo's second group of forwards in the third period of the 4-0 opening loss to Boston.

Rookie Brett Howden scored off a rebound with 4:39 remaining in the game for the Rangers, who started a two-game trip by falling to 0-2 under first-year coach David Quinn.

''I thought we played pretty well but I don't think we played winning hockey enough throughout the game,'' Quinn said. ''We did a lot of good things better than we did the other night. At the end of the day, though, this is a game of taking advantage of your opportunities and they took advantage of two of theirs and we only took advantage of one of ours.''

Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves for New York. The Rangers outshot the Sabres in all three periods and finished with a 44-29 advantage in shots on goal.

''The difference was special teams,'' Lundqvist said. ''If you look at how hard we played and the amount of chances we had, we should be happy about that. At the same time, this league isn't about playing great, it's just making key plays at the right time and finding a way to win games. That's what it's all about.''

Rangers center Filip Chytil went to the locker room in the second period after taking a hit to the head from Buffalo's Patrik Berglund but was able to return.

''I had a big problem with the hit,'' Quinn said. ''He didn't have the puck and they hit him in the head. From what I've been told already, the league is already looking at it.''

Sheary skated off the bench to score Buffalo's first goal of the season with 6:45 left in the first period. Rasmus Ristolainen set up Sheary's wrist shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1 rush.

''When that first one went in, truthfully for me, it was nice to hear the roar of the crowd,'' Hutton said.

Replays showed the Sabres had six men on the ice when Casey Mittlestadt created the scoring chance with a backhand pass from the right board to Ristolainen.

Eichel and Sam Reinhart pinged the puck to Sheary for his second goal from the right side of the net 1:42 into the second period.

NOTES: Sheary recorded his eighth multi-goal game and his teams are 8-0-0 in those games. His last came in a Penguins win over the Sabres on Nov. 14, 2017. ... F Remi Elie made his Sabres debut after being claimed off waivers from Dallas on Thursday. Elie replaced Vladimir Sobotka, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained during the season-opening loss to Boston. ... Rangers F Cody McLeod entered the lineup in place of Vladislav Namestnikov (healthy scratch). ... Eichel played for Quinn during his lone season at Boston University in 2014-15. ... Hutton is now 4-0-0 with a .960 save percentage and 1.35 goals-against average in five career appearances against the Rangers.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Conclude a back-to-back at Carolina on Sunday. Backup goaltender Alexandar Georgiev will get the start.

Hurricanes beat winless Rangers 8-5

STATS/AP

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Andrei Svechnikov long dreamed of scoring his first NHL goal. It could not have come at a better time for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Warren Foegele had two goals and an assist, Svechnikov got his first career goal to snap a tie midway through the third period, and the Hurricanes rallied to beat the New York Rangers 8-5 on Sunday.

Svechnikov, the No. 2 overall pick in June's draft, deflected Justin Faulk's shot in front of the net with 9:16 remaining to break a 5-5 tie and give the Hurricanes their first lead. Foegele followed with his second goal 47 seconds later and Teuvo Teravainen added an empty-netter to secure Carolina's first home win under new coach Rod Brind'Amour.

''I waited for this my whole life,'' said the 18-year-old Svechnikov, who became the first NHL player born in the 2000s to score a goal. ''This was my dream, and my dream came true.''

Svechnikov's go-ahead score was one of four unanswered goals by the Hurricanes in the third period as they erased a 5-4 deficit. Lucas Wallmarkscored the tying goal for the Hurricanes with 14:59 left.

Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal and Micheal Ferland also scored and Justin Williams had three assists for Carolina.

The Rangers had leads of 2-0, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 and failed to hold each of them.

''Even when we got down two, thankfully it was early, you could just feel it on the bench: There was no panic, there was no `Oh man we're not coming back.' It was `Ok, let's just get to our game and we'll see what happens,''' said Brind'Amour, who picked up his first win Friday on the road at Columbus. ''I think that's a real positive, especially with the young guys. Maybe they don't know any better. I just liked that they kept digging in.''

Jimmy Vesey and Chris Kreider each scored twice and Pavel Buchnevichadded a goal for New York, which remains winless in three games under new coach David Quinn.

''Defensively we looked like we had never gone over these coverages or anything we had been working on,'' Quinn said. ''We had a hard time handling success tonight. When we got up, we didn't pay attention to detail in the same situation.''

Petr Mrazek made 19 saves for the Hurricanes and Alexandar Georgiev had 32 for the Rangers in a wild offensive game.

The teams combined for four goals in each of the first two periods and were tied 4-4 heading to the third.

Vesey and Kreider scored on the Rangers' first two shots of the game, only to have the Hurricanes battle back.

Foegele and Martinook scored to pull the Hurricanes into a 2-2 tie by the end of the first. Vesey again opened the scoring with a quick goal in the second, and again Carolina responded. Just as the Hurricanes killed off a 4-on-3 power play, a long pass from Jaccob Slavin and chip ahead from Foegele set Staal loose on a breakaway, and the Carolina veteran forward finished it off a vicious wrister over Georgiev's blocker.

Buchnevich gave the Rangers the lead once again in the second when he stuffed home a rebound on a power play, but a critical mistake by Georgiev allowed the Hurricanes to tie it back up in the final seconds of the period. As the clock moved under a minute, the Rangers' goalie left his crease to try and clear a puck out of the corner. His clearing attempt went right to Ferland at the point, and Ferland flipped a wrister over Georgiev's shoulder as he raced back to his net, making it a 4-4 game with 31 seconds left in the second period.

''A lot of it was sloppy puck management,'' Quinn said. ''Making bad decisions, vacating the net front.We've got to learn to handle a little bit of success.''

It was more of the same in the third.

Kreider gave the Rangers the lead again, only to have Wallmark tie it 35 seconds later.

This time though, the Hurricanes charged ahead, taking their first lead on Svechnikov's tally and piling on from there.

''Every time we were down coach just told us just keep going, play hard, and we did our job,'' Svechnikov said. ''It was good.''

When the final buzzer sounded, the entire Hurricanes team lined up along the blue line, began clapping over their heads in synch with the crowd, and then raced down the ice and jumped into the boards behind the net in celebration, bringing the crowd to a frenzy.

''We want to have fun when you win,'' Brind'Amour said. ''The game should be fun. That's what we're doing. I want the players to enjoy winning and the fans to enjoy being here and our owner has been pushing that all the way, making it a fun experience for all involved, why wouldn't you try something a little different? I'm happy the guys did something.''

NOTES: The game marked the first time in Whalers/Hurricanes franchise history the team overcame four separate deficits to win. ... Vesey has more goals (six) and points (eight) against the Hurricanes than any other team in his career. ... Hurricanes F Martin Necas recorded his first career point with an assist on Foegele's first-period goal. ... The Rangers swept the season series against the Hurricanes last season 4-0-0. ... Hurricanes F Staal and Rangers D Marc Staal are brothers and alternate captains for their respective teams. ... The Hurricanes scratched D Haydn Fleury and F Valentin Zykov. ... The Rangers scratched F Vinni Lettieri, F Cody McLeod and D Fredrik Claesson.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host San Jose on Thursday night.

Hurricanes: Host Vancouver on Tuesday night.

Quinn gets first win, Rangers beat Sharks in overtime 3-2

STATS/AP

NEW YORK (AP) Brady Skjei used overtime to redeem an earlier mistake and give Rangers coach David Quinn his first NHL victory.

Skjei buried a wrist shot 37 seconds into overtime to lift New York over the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Thursday night.

''With three-on-three and his skating he's going to be a threat,'' Quinn said of Skjei. ''It was a heck of a goal, that's for sure.''

Marcus Sorensen beat Skjei on his way to a short-handed goal for San Jose in the first period. Sorenson worked around Skjei with a nifty move and snapped a shot past Henrik Lundqvist's glove at 4:31.

That had Skjei looking to make amends.

''You want to play with urgency all the time,'' Skjei said. ''We knew we needed to get one here quick. We did. Now we are ready to move on to Saturday.''

New York's Brendan Smith tied it at 2 with 2:39 remaining in the third with a one-timer from the slot. Pavel Buchnevich set it up with a backhand pass from behind the net.

Aaron Dell made 24 saves and Brent Burns had two assists for the Sharks. Joonas Donskoi also scored in San Jose's third stop of a four-game trip.

Lundqvist stopped 41 shots and Brett Howden also scored for the Rangers.

''I don't know if we deserve it, but sometimes you just have to find a way,'' Lundqvist said. ''I think that sometimes more important than playing well.''

Howden had a highlight-reel goal to even the score at 1 at 13:52 of the opening period when he put the puck between his legs and then Dell's legs. The rookie moved up the depth chart prior to the game and skated alongside Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. New York acquired Howden from the Tampa Bay Lightning at last year's trade deadline as part of a package for defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

''He's impressed me since the first time I met him when training camp started,'' Quinn said of the rookie. ''I am not surprised by what he's doing and how much confidence he's gained from game to game. There's no nonsense to his game in addition to having great skill. That's a big component to having success at this level.''

Burns helped the Sharks take a 2-1 lead at 4:59 of the second when he cleared the puck from his own end, setting up an odd-man rush. Antti Suomela delivered a perfect cross-ice pass to set up a tap-in for Donskoi.

''I think it is pretty clear that we played a good hockey game,'' Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. ''We didn't give them much and I thought we created a lot. You have to tip your hat to Lundqvist, great goalie and that was a great effort by him to keep them in it through forty minutes.''

Quinn became the second coach in Rangers history to join the franchise with NCAA experience, along with Herb Brooks. In Brooks' inaugural 1981 season, it took the Rangers four games to capture their first victory.

''We didn't play our best hockey tonight, that's for sure,'' Quinn said. ''We know we have got a lot of steps to go. Knowing that we could win, getting that first win under our belt is huge, and we're ready to keep going from here.''

NOTES: New York Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk was scratched for the first time in his young NHL career. ... Fredrik Claesson made his season debut for the Rangers. . The Rangers have earned at least one point in seven of their last nine meetings against San Jose, dating back to Oct. 19, 2014. . With career win 432, Lundqvist is now five wins away from tying Hockey Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for seventh place on the NHL's all-time wins list

Up Next:

Rangers: Host the Oilers on Saturday.

McDavid scores on power play, Oilers edge Rangers 2-1

STATS/AP

NEW YORK (AP) Cam Talbot had every reason to celebrate as the buzzer sounded and the Edmonton Oilers cemented their first win of the season.

Talbot stopped 23 shots against his former team, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist to lead the Oilers past the New York Rangers 2-1 Saturday.

It was also Talbot's first win over the Rangers, the team he helped reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014 as a backup to Henrik Lundqvist. Talbot was all smiles as the Oilers prepared to fly home after their season-opener in Sweden and two weeks overall on the road.

''This is right up there with the first win of my career,'' said the 31-year-old goaltender, who spent two seasons with the Rangers before they traded him to the Oilers before the 2015-16 season. ''I hadn't gotten the best of them yet so I was definitely looking forward to that and happy to get this out of the way.''

McDavid scored his second of the season at 6:23 of the third period, redirecting the puck past goalie Henrik Lundqvist on the power play with Rangers forward Vladislav Namesnikov in the penalty box for holding. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had assists.

The Oilers lost their season opener 5-2 against the New Jersey Devils in Sweden before dropping their next game 4-1 on Thursday at Boston.

The 21-year-old McDavid, who has led the league in points each of the past two seasons, has points on all five Oilers goals in three games this season. The Edmonton captain, the Oilers' first overall selection in the 2015 NHL draft, is one of 11 first-round picks on the roster.

''We've only scored five goals in three games. When offense isn't there, you need to check. I thought we did a great job finally getting a win in a tough building,'' McDavid said. ''It wasn't the prettiest way to win a game but we needed to win a game.''

Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring for the Rangers with 7:11 to go in the first period. The fleet Zibanejad took a pass from defenseman Marc Staal and put the puck past the former Talbot. Defenseman Brendan Smith also assisted on Zibanejad's first goal this season.

Zibanejad also twice rang shots off posts behind Talbot, who also denied the forward in the waning seconds..

''We came out really well in the first 10 minutes and kind of slowed down a little bit after that,'' Zibanejad said. ''I thought we had plenty of chances to put this one away.''

Nugent-Hopkins tied it with 5:43 left, tapping a rebound past Lundqvist for his first this season. Defenseman Darnell Nurse - playing his 200th NHL game - and McDavid assisted.

The Rangers came out with purpose for the matinee against the previously winless Oilers. The home team was coming off its first win, a 3-2 overtime victory over San Jose on Thursday after opening the season with three losses under new coach David Quinn.

Lundqvist made 25 saves and the Rangers defense was steady for the most part. But timely scoring has emerged as a problem area as New York has started the season with four losses in five games.

Quinn - who made the leap from Boston University to the NHL when he replaced Alain Vigneault after last season - said he is seeking a fiercer approach when his squad has the puck.

''We have to have more tenacity offensively,'' Quinn said. ''And we have to shoot more. Shooting creates opportunities.''

The Rangers had won each of their last five games against the Oilers, dating back to Dec. 15, 2015.

Staal, 31, the second-most senior player on the Rangers' roster after Lundqvist, said he remained confident despite the result and was heartened by the team's work ethic.

''I liked the start of our game. We had good legs and good pace,'' he said. ''We just have to find a way as a team to be confident in these situations and close out a game.''

NOTES: The Rangers visit Edmonton on March 11 to complete the season series. ... Rangers D Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup after he was healthy scratch in the previous game. ... The Rangers scratched D Neal Pionk, D Tony DeAngelo and F Cody McLeod. ... Edmonton scratched F Zach Kassian, F Alex Chiasson and D Matt Benning.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Colorado on Tuesday night.

Shattenkirk lifts Rangers to 3-2 win over Avalanche in SO



NEW YORK (AP) Kevin Shattenkirk didn't like being held out of the lineup last Thursday. He came through with a strong effort in his second game back.

The defenseman had assists on both Rangers goals in regulation and then scored the deciding goal in the third round of a shootout to lift New Yorkover the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Tuesday night.

''Last Thursday was a tough pill to swallow, but I think it helped me,'' Shattenkirk said. ''When you get to sit back and analyze the game a little and realize where you need to be better, it's important to take that and learn from it.''

Rangers coach David Quinn stressed the benching last week was more about giving Shattenkirk, who injured his knee last January and missed the rest of the season, a mental break.

''When you come back from an injury of that magnitude, you are recovering in two ways - you are recovering physically and you're recovering mentally,'' the first-year coach said. ''I really felt it was the mental piece that he needed - take a step back, sit a game, collect his thoughts, get back to practice. He had a better game the other night and a better game tonight.''

Mats Zuccarello, who also had two assists, scored for the Rangers in the first round of the tiebreaker, and Mikko Rantanen tied it in the second. After Shattenkirk beat Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov in the third round, Henrik Lundqvist denied Gabriel Landeskog to secure New York's second win in six games this season (2-4-0).

Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider scored in regulation for the Rangers, and Lundqvist stopped 31 shots through overtime.

Nathan MacKinnon, who also had an assist, scored for Colorado to set the franchise record with a goal in each of the first six games to open a season. Tyson Jost also had a goal for the Avalanche, and Varlamov finished with 41 saves.

''There are some good things to take out of this,'' MacKinnon said. ''We did come back, we never gave up, saved the battle and got back in the game.''

MacKinnon was whistled for holding Brady Skjei on a Rangers rush 20 seconds into overtime, putting the Rangers on a 4-on-3 power play. Varlamov gloved a shot by Mika Zibanejad from the left circle about halfway through the advantage and then smothered a hard shot by Jesper Fast in the waning seconds.

Landeskog and MacKinnon each hit a post in the final minute of the extra period.

Both teams had chances in the third, but Lundqvist made 10 saves and Varlamov eight to keep the score tied at 2.

Trailing 1-0 after being outshot 19-7 by the Rangers in the first period, the Avalanche picked up their intensity in the second.

Colorado tied it on a power play at 8:13 of the middle period as Jost tipped a shot by Tyson Barrie from center point for his second of the season.

Hayes then regained the lead for the Rangers just 2:40 later on a one-timer from the right circle for his first.

Lundqvist made a pair of stellar saves with about 30 seconds left in the second, first on a tip by Matt Calvert and then a sprawling pad save of Matt Nieto's follow on the rebound.

However, the Avalanche tied it 2-all with 12.6 seconds left as MacKinnon tipped Rantanen's shot from between the circles that first deflected off Landeskog for MacKinnon's seventh. That broke Mats Sundin's franchise record set for Quebec in 1992-93. It also extended Rantanen's streak to at least one assist in Colorado's first six games.

''That was tough,'' Lundqvist said. ''It felt like that save was going to make a difference and you go into the third with a lead, and then you give up late like that. It was a challenge, to say the least. I needed a moment in here to gather my thoughts.''

Quinn has been urging his players to shoot more, and they followed his directions from the start.

With the Ranges on the power play, Kreider deflected a shot by Shattenkirk past Varlamov for his third with 7:53 left in the first. The Rangers had a 14-3 advantage on shots at that point.

The goal was New York's second on the power play in 13 chances this season. It was also the second allowed by Colorado, which was 22 for 23 on the penalty-kill in its first five games.

NOTES: F Marko Dano, acquired off waivers from Winnipeg on Monday, has not joined the Avalanche yet due to immigration issues. ... Rantanen tied Paul Stastny (2008-09) for second on the franchise list for consecutive games with an assist to open a season. Jean-Michael Liles is first with nine in 2010-11. ... The teams conclude their two-game season series on Jan. 4 in Denver. ... Quinn benched RW Pavel Buchnevich in favor of LW Cody McLeod, who played parts of 10 seasons with Colorado.

UP NEXT

Avalanche: At New Jersey on Thursday night in the second game of a four-game trip.

Rangers: At Washington on Wednesday night.

Ovechkin scores twice, Capitals beat Rangers 4-3 in OT

?

WASHINGTON (AP) It takes something special for a shot by Alex Ovechkin to surprise a goaltender.

That's exactly what happened to Henrik Lundqvist on Wednesday night when Ovechkin scored the first of two power-play goals to help the Washington Capitals beat the New York Rangers 4-3 in overtime.

John Carlson essentially bounced a pass to Ovechkin in such an awkward position that Lundqvist didn't expect him to get it on net and again was beaten.

''I should know with that guy he can shoot from anywhere,'' Lundqvist said. ''He received a pass and then, boom, he shot it, and before you know it it's coming at you and I wasn't able to recover. I learned my lesson there. I've played so many times against him I should know to be ready at all times.''

Ovechkin's two goals on Lundqvist gave him 24 in his career, the most he has scored against any goaltender in the NHL. He has six goals in six games to start the season and tied Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli for ninth on the all-time list for power-play goals with 232.

Asked how he keeps scoring from his usual spot in the faceoff circle, Ovechkin said, ''It's all about luck.''

Luck wasn't on Ovechkin's side when he hit the post with 3:30 remaining in regulation, but defenseman Matt Niskanen put the puck past a lunging Lundqvist 2:18 into overtime to end Washington's two-game losing streak. Niskanen credited do-it-all playmaker Evgeny Kuznetsov for setting up the winner.

''Nice to score,'' Niskanen said. ''I didn't do much. Kuzy did a lot of nice work there. I just had to put it in.''

Carlson scored the Capitals' other goal in regulation, and goaltender Braden Holtby stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced in arguably his sharpest performance so far this season. Holtby's most important save came with time running out in the second period when he denied Kevin Hayes on a short-handed breakaway.

Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Chris Kreider scored for New York, which picked up a point in the second half of a back-to-back after beating Coloradoin a shootout Tuesday. Lundqvist made 34 saves as he played for the second consecutive night and battled through fatigue with the kind of play the rebuilding Rangers will need all season.

''Personally, every time you play back-to-back, it's definitely a fun challenge to try to stay sharp,'' Lundqvist said. ''A little disappointing obviously not to come up with two points when you take it to overtime, but three out of four here in two nights, that's definitely a good step for us.''

Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk had three assists, a positive sign for the Rangers' youth movement and another signal of coach David Quinn pushing the right buttons. Quinn scratched Pionk earlier in the season and has gotten similar results from other players after taking them out of the lineup.

''Neal played outstanding,'' Quinn said. ''He probably was our best player. He certainly had a lot of energy. He did a great job on the power play, does a great job on the first goal. He's a big piece of what we've got moving forward.''

NOTES: Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom had two assists to reach 598 for his career. ... F Pavel Buchnevich returned to the Rangers' lineup, replacing Cody McLeod. ... F Nathan Walker was back in for the Capitals for the first time since Oct. 4. Dmitrij Jaskin was a healthy scratch to clear a spot for Walker ... Quinn returned to the arena he won the NCAA title in as an assistant with Boston University in 2009.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Return home to face the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

Gaudreau, Hathaway score twice as Flames top Rangers 4-1

STATS/AP

NEW YORK (AP) The Calgary Flames have had trouble winning in New Yorkin recent seasons. Opportunistic scoring and stellar goaltending changed that on this trip.

Johnny Gaudreau and Garnet Hathaway each scored twice and backup goalie David Rittich made 44 saves as the Flames snapped a six-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden with a 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Sunday night.

''I felt great and I want to say thank you to my defense,'' said Rittich, who won for the second time this season as the Flames improved to 5-3-0 and scored three or more goals for the seventh straight game. ''We know we had to be better in the third period and we got the two points.''

Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers, the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division at 2-5-1.

Gaudreau opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark of the first period, backhanding the puck past Henrik Lundqvist. Sean Monahan picked up the assist.

Hathaway made it 2-0 at 12:21 of the second with his first goal this season. Gaudreau scored again at 14:55, extending the lead to 3-0 with his fifth of the season. Flames captain Mark Giordano assisted on the score, which was Gaudreau's 300th career point.

''It's a cool accomplishment,'' the 25-year-old Gaudreau said of the milestone. ''Obviously, it makes it better with the team winning when you get an accomplishment like that, as well.''

The Rangers were coming off an overtime loss at Washington on Wednesday after winning in a shootout over Colorado the previous night. The Rangers have had trouble scoring goals under new coach David Quinn.

New York has yet to win in regulation. The Rangers have just 19 goals in their first eight games, including one shootout win and one in overtime.

''We have to find ways to score goals.'' Quinn said. ''We've got to be more tenacious with our shooting mentality. It's frustrating.''

Rittich, an undrafted 26-year-old goaltender from the Czech Republic, made 12 saves in the first period, 13 in the second and 19 in the third.

''We played better as the game went along and Ritter was great,'' Hathaway said. ''To have a player like that is a big part of this team.''

Rittich's lone blemish was Zibanejad's power-play goal at 6:41 of the third. Zibanejad's third goal this season was assisted by Neal Pionk and Mats Zuccarello.

The Rangers had an excellent chance to narrow the deficit just over a minute later, but Rittich made successive saves on Jesper Fast and Zibanejad. Rittich denied Filip Chytil on a backhand from the slot with four minutes left.

Hathaway completed the scoring for the Flames with his second goal at 18:07 of the third.

''It's too bad. I feel like these types of games are starting to add up, unfortunately,'' said Lundqvist, who made 22 saves in defeat. ''We are playing good enough to win games but we are not finding ways to win games. It's obviously something we need to change fast.''

Zuccarello echoed Lundqvist's growing angst as the Rangers struggle to get wins.

''We created a lot of chances and we can sit here and say that we didn't play a bad game, but we lost,'' said the 31-year-old Norwegian forward who leads the Rangers with six assists. ''So, it's not good enough. We have to come to practice, talk about it and see what can do better.''

The Rangers came into the contest with a 10-1-1 record against the Flames, starting with a 2-1 win at home on Nov. 22, 2010.

Gaudreau, who leads the Flames with 12 points, was a teammate of Ranger forwards Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider at Boston College when the Eagles won the national championship.

Gaudreau was a fourth-round pick by the Flames in the 2011 draft. He has points in seven of Calgary's eight games, so far.

''We found a way to score a goal towards the end of the first period, got our legs moving in the second and found a couple goals,'' Gaudreau added. ''Ritter obviously played really well for us tonight.''

NOTES: The teams meet again on March 15 in Calgary. . Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic missed his seventh straight game because of a facial fracture. . Calgary scratched forwards Anthony Peluso and Austin Czarnikand defenseman Dalton Prout. . The Rangers scratched defensemen Tony DeAngelo and Fredrik Claesson and forward Ryan Spooner.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Gaudreau, Hathaway score twice as Flames top Rangers 4-1

STATS/AP

NEW YORK (AP) The Calgary Flames have had trouble winning in New Yorkin recent seasons. Opportunistic scoring and stellar goaltending changed that on this trip.

Johnny Gaudreau and Garnet Hathaway each scored twice and backup goalie David Rittich made 44 saves as the Flames snapped a six-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden with a 4-1 victory over the Rangers on Sunday night.

''I felt great and I want to say thank you to my defense,'' said Rittich, who won for the second time this season as the Flames improved to 5-3-0 and scored three or more goals for the seventh straight game. ''We know we had to be better in the third period and we got the two points.''

Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers, the last-place team in the Metropolitan Division at 2-5-1.

Gaudreau opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark of the first period, backhanding the puck past Henrik Lundqvist. Sean Monahan picked up the assist.

Hathaway made it 2-0 at 12:21 of the second with his first goal this season. Gaudreau scored again at 14:55, extending the lead to 3-0 with his fifth of the season. Flames captain Mark Giordano assisted on the score, which was Gaudreau's 300th career point.

''It's a cool accomplishment,'' the 25-year-old Gaudreau said of the milestone. ''Obviously, it makes it better with the team winning when you get an accomplishment like that, as well.''

The Rangers were coming off an overtime loss at Washington on Wednesday after winning in a shootout over Colorado the previous night. The Rangers have had trouble scoring goals under new coach David Quinn.

New York has yet to win in regulation. The Rangers have just 19 goals in their first eight games, including one shootout win and one in overtime.

''We have to find ways to score goals.'' Quinn said. ''We've got to be more tenacious with our shooting mentality. It's frustrating.''

Rittich, an undrafted 26-year-old goaltender from the Czech Republic, made 12 saves in the first period, 13 in the second and 19 in the third.

''We played better as the game went along and Ritter was great,'' Hathaway said. ''To have a player like that is a big part of this team.''

Rittich's lone blemish was Zibanejad's power-play goal at 6:41 of the third. Zibanejad's third goal this season was assisted by Neal Pionk and Mats Zuccarello.

The Rangers had an excellent chance to narrow the deficit just over a minute later, but Rittich made successive saves on Jesper Fast and Zibanejad. Rittich denied Filip Chytil on a backhand from the slot with four minutes left.

Hathaway completed the scoring for the Flames with his second goal at 18:07 of the third.

''It's too bad. I feel like these types of games are starting to add up, unfortunately,'' said Lundqvist, who made 22 saves in defeat. ''We are playing good enough to win games but we are not finding ways to win games. It's obviously something we need to change fast.''

Zuccarello echoed Lundqvist's growing angst as the Rangers struggle to get wins.

''We created a lot of chances and we can sit here and say that we didn't play a bad game, but we lost,'' said the 31-year-old Norwegian forward who leads the Rangers with six assists. ''So, it's not good enough. We have to come to practice, talk about it and see what can do better.''

The Rangers came into the contest with a 10-1-1 record against the Flames, starting with a 2-1 win at home on Nov. 22, 2010.

Gaudreau, who leads the Flames with 12 points, was a teammate of Ranger forwards Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider at Boston College when the Eagles won the national championship.

Gaudreau was a fourth-round pick by the Flames in the 2011 draft. He has points in seven of Calgary's eight games, so far.

''We found a way to score a goal towards the end of the first period, got our legs moving in the second and found a couple goals,'' Gaudreau added. ''Ritter obviously played really well for us tonight.''

NOTES: The teams meet again on March 15 in Calgary. . Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic missed his seventh straight game because of a facial fracture. . Calgary scratched forwards Anthony Peluso and Austin Czarnikand defenseman Dalton Prout. . The Rangers scratched defensemen Tony DeAngelo and Fredrik Claesson and forward Ryan Spooner.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

Zuccarello, Zibanejad lead Rangers past Panthers 5-2

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers turned to two of their top goal-scorers to rally past the Florida Panthers.

Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad each scored twice as New York snapped a two-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over Florida on Tuesday night and won for the first time in regulation this season.

''I'm not saying we played great tonight but find a way to win. That's what you have to do,'' a relieved Rangers coach David Quinn said after earning his third victory in his inaugural season. ''You are not going to have 82 great nights. You got to find ways to win when you are not on your `A' game.''

Kevin Hayes also scored, Neal Pionk added two assists and Alexandar Georgiev made 36 saves for New York, which scored a season-high five goals on Madison Square Garden ice.

Vincent Trocheck and Mike Hoffman each scored their third goals of the season, and Jonathan Huberdeau had two assists for the Panthers, who fell to 1-3-3 despite holding the lead in each game.

''We have to manage games a little better,'' Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle said. ''We have to play confident when we have the lead. I think it's one of those things where we're letting it get away from us. A team gets a goal (and) it seems like we're letting them get another. It comes on us to fix that and find a solution.''

Georgiev earned his first win of the season in his second appearance. The Russian netminder returned to the NHL after a two-game stop in the American Hockey League.

Michael Hutchinson stopped 15 shots in his fourth game for Florida.

The Rangers benefited from strong special teams play, registering two power-play goals and a short-handed goal.

The Panthers outshot the Rangers 14-5 in the opening period and took a 1-0 lead when Trocheck's shot sailed past Georgiev at 18:15. Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov picked up the helpers while captain Aleksander Barkovscreened the goaltender.

The Rangers stormed back with three unanswered goals in the second period. Zibanejad scored his first of the game with a pretty wraparound while New York was short-handed due to a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty at 3:10. Adam McQuaid picked up the assist.

''It was big after a terrible first,'' Zuccarello said. ''We came out hungrier, making smart plays and helping each other out.''

Zuccarello benefited from a fortuitous bounce as his shot deflected off Panthers defenseman Michael Matheson's legs and into the goal at 11:36. Pionk registered the first of his two assists on the goal and extended his points streak to three games.

At 16:08 of the second period, Zibanejad struck again with a wrist shot that beat Hutchinson on the short side, giving New York a 3-1 advantage. Zibanejad became the first Rangers player to record a short-handed and power-play goal in the same period since Brandon Dubinsky in April 2009. Pionk and Chris Kreider assisted on the play.

''He is a complete player,'' Quinn said of Zibanejad. ''I knew he was a good player before he got this job, I didn't know he was this good. This is a guy that does a little bit of everything. He's got skill, he's tough, he can skate. We are lucky to have him.''

Zuccarello recorded his second of the game and season at 1:27 of the third period. Zibanejad picked up his second assist and fourth point of the game.

James Reimer replaced Hutchinson after the Rangers' fourth goal early in the third period. Panthers starting goaltender Roberto Luongo has been sidelined since opening night with a knee injury.

Hoffman made it 4-2 with wraparound of his own at 10:37 of the third.

''We came out and played pretty well and got the first goal. Usually that's enough to spark the team and inspire all of us to play at a higher level,'' Panthers alternate captain Aaron Ekblad said. ''Once we get that lead, we aren't playing aggressive enough. It's a combination of different things, but we've got to try to do that and move on.''

Hayes added an empty-netter in the final minute after Jesper Fast negated an icing to set up the goal.

The Panthers will finish off their road trip with games against the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils before heading to Helsinki, Finland, to take on the Winnipeg Jets for two games as part of the NHL Global series.

NOTES: Rangers defenseman Frederik Claesson will be out the next two to three weeks with an upper-body injury. ... Marc Staal skated in his 770th career game as a Ranger and is two games away from tying Adam Graves for 10th place on the team's all-time games played list. ... Defenseman Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch for the seventh time in New York's first nine games. ... Keith Yandle skated in his 722nd consecutive NHL game and has the longest active iron-man streak in the league. Yandle currently trails Jay Bouwmeester by 15 games for the sixth-longest streak.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: Visit the Blackhawks on Thursday.

Schmaltz makes key play as Blackhawks beat Rangers 4-1

STATS/AP

CHICAGO (AP) Nick Schmaltz waited and waited until he saw an opening.

The Chicago Blackhawks are making all the right moves right now.

Schmaltz set up Alexandre Fortin's tiebreaking goal in the second period, and the surprising Blackhawks beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Thursday night.

''It was good to see a play like that connect,'' Schmaltz said. ''Hopefully we can keep helping the team offensively.''

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews also scored as Chicago (6-2-2) won for the third time in four games. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist, and Corey Crawford made 18 saves in his fourth game after suffering a concussion last year.

The Blackhawks' solid start comes in the wake of their last-place finish last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

''A lot of good hockey players on our team. Proud guys,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Wanted to get back to doing what we want to do, and that's play in the playoffs.''

New York (3-6-1) managed just one shot on goal in the third period of its third loss in four games. Pavel Buchnevich scored in the opener of a four-game trip, and Henrik Lundqvist made 33 stops.

''That was really probably as poorly as we've played all year,'' coach David Quinn said. ''We've done a good job of skating and competing, but that certainly wasn't the case tonight.''

The Rangers also lost defenseman Adam McQuaid to an unspecified injury in the first period. Asked for an update on McQuaid, Quinn said it was too early to tell and he hadn't talked to the training staff yet.

The game was tied at 1 when Schmaltz circled around the offensive zone before taking the puck to the net and threading a pass through the goalmouth to Fortin for a tap-in 10:33 into the period. It was Schmaltz's sixth assist of the season, tied for the team lead.

''Once I saw his stick there all alone it was kind of an easy, no-brainer pass there,'' Schmaltz said.

The Blackhawks put it away when Kane knocked one off the post before slamming it home for his team-best ninth goal 15:39 into the third. DeBrincat added an empty-netter with 1:09 left.

''I think we got what we deserved tonight,'' New York forward Chris Kreidersaid. ''We really didn't give ourselves a chance to win.''

Chicago jumped in front on Toews' 298th career goal, matching Dennis Hull for sixth on the franchise list.

Toews went in all alone on Lundqvist after McQuaid and fellow New York defensemen Brady Skjei got tangled up near the blue line and fell down. The captain then slipped a shot under Lundqvist's legs for his sixth of the season 2:55 into the game.

Buchnevich responded for the Rangers, tying it with a hard wrist shot on a rebound at 4:09. It was Buchnevich's third of the year.

NOTES: Rangers F Matt Beleskey was assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League after clearing waivers. Beleskey has appeared in just one game with New York since he was acquired in the February trade that sent Rick Nash to Boston. ... Scott Foster is going to help the Blackhawks at some optional morning skates after his memorable appearance as an emergency goaltender last season. The 36-year-old Foster, an accountant who played college hockey for Western Michigan, was pressed into action March 29 against Winnipeg and stopped all seven shots he faced over the final 14 minutes of the Blackhawks' 6-2 victory. ... D Brent Seabrook played in his 1,014th regular-season game with the Blackhawks, snapping a tie with Eric Nesterenko for third on the franchise list. Hall of Fame forwards Stan Mikita (1,394) and Bobby Hull (1,036) hold the top two spots.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.

Martinez's late goal gives Kings win over Rangers, ends skid

LOS ANGELES (AP) Bad breaks and bounces piled up during the Los Angeles Kings' six-game skid, and it looked as if another gaffe would extend that drought when goalie Jack Campbell accidentally deflected a centering pass into his own net with his skate midway though the second period.

Instead, the Kings found the resolve they had been lacking to rally for their first win since Oct. 11.

Alec Martinez scored with 55 seconds remaining, and the Kings beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Sunday.

Martinez brought the puck from behind his net into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot through the legs of Brendan Smith and past goaltender Henrik Lundqvist for his first goal of the season.

''Yeah, when the buzzer sounds, it was obviously a good feeling,'' Martinez said. ''We haven't felt that in a while. That said, we enjoy it tonight and tomorrow it's back to work.''

Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, Trevor Lewis scored and Drew Doughty had two assists for the Kings.

Dustin Brown, making his season debut after breaking a finger in Los Angeles' final preseason game, also scored.

Vladislav Namestnikov and Tony DeAngelo each had a goal and an assist and Ryan Spooner also scored for the Rangers, who are winless in five road games. Lundqvist made 36 saves.

Spooner tied the game at 3-all with 4:44 remaining after Lewis had put the Kings ahead about five minutes earlier, ending a 410-minute span during which the Kings failed to hold a lead.

Los Angeles tied it on power-play goals from Brown and Kovalchuk just under three minutes apart in the second period after DeAngelo's pass ended up in Campbell's net to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

''I don't think anybody panicked. I gave up that bad one in the second and they just kept going,'' said Campbell, who made 22 saves in place of the injured Jonathan Quick.

Quick is day-to-day because of a lower-body injury. Kings coach John Stevens said Quick did not feel right after participating in practice Saturday.

''There wasn't one particular acute moment that had it, but he had a great practice and I thought he was terrific. So we're all a little surprised that he came up lame after that. In the course of practice something happened,'' Stevens said.

The Rangers have not won away from home this season, and the frustration was evident after another self-inflicted mistake for too many men on the ice resulted in Kovalchuk's power-play goal.

''You just have to stop beating yourself,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''It's hard enough in this league to beat teams when you're not beating yourself. We helped them win tonight, and that's got to stop. That's on me, and we're going to keep at it.''

The Rangers have been outscored 23-13 on the road and have allowed at least three goals in every road game.

NOTES: The Kings recalled Peter Budaj from Ontario of the American Hockey League to back up Campbell. F Michael Amadio was assigned to Ontario in a corresponding move. ... Rangers D Adam McQuaid did not play after sustaining a lower-body injury in a 4-1 loss at Chicago on Thursday. Quinn said Saturday there was a chance McQuaid could be available for either of the final two games of the four-game trip.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Continue their trip at San Jose on Tuesday.

Shattenkirk's shootout goal leads Rangers past Sharks 4-3

STATS/AP

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Allowing another late goal could have been debilitating to the New York Rangers. Instead, they managed to bounce back and get a well-deserved win.

Kevin Shattenkirk scored the lone goal in the shootout and Henrik Lundqvistrebounded after allowing the tying goal with 1.3 seconds left in regulation, helping the Rangers complete a season sweep of the San Jose Sharks with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.

''There was a moment where we were down and bowed our heads a little bit,'' Shattenkirk said. ''Take that moment, take it in and move on. We did a good job of it. ... The way we stuck with it was huge.''

Chris Kreider scored two goals in the third period and Mats Zuccarello also scored for the Rangers, who followed up a 3-2 overtime win at home against the Sharks earlier this month with another victory.

New York has just two wins in its other 10 games and lost a game Sunday in Los Angeles when the Kings scored with less than a minute left in regulation.

''That's a good team,'' Kreider said. ''It's a good team we've beaten twice now, regardless if we blew the lead. That's a good team. We played so much better than we did the past few games. There's no reason we can't do that consistently.''

Brent Burns and Timo Meier each scored for the Sharks to extend their points streaks to a career-high nine games.

The Sharks got Joe Thornton back in the lineup after missing nine games with an infection in his surgically repaired right knee, but struggled to control the game as coach Peter DeBoer spent much of the night juggling his lines.

''We didn't have the start we wanted today,'' Meier said. ''We were chasing them from behind. We had a lot of turnovers. We didn't play our game. We tried to shuffle around the lines a little bit. We fought back nicely. We tied up at the end. Too bad we couldn't get those two points.''

Martin Jones made 34 saves for San Jose, but couldn't stop Shattenkirk in the third round of the shootout.

Lundqvist stopped Hertl, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski in the shootout after robbing Burns with his glove in the final second of overtime for his 31st save of the game.

''I don't know if I would have made it through the night if they scored with two seconds to go in overtime as well,'' said Lundqvist, who was shaken up in the second period after a collision with teammate Cody McLeod. ''It would have been tough to accept. It was just a big relief to take it to the shootout.''

Kreider twice gave the Rangers the lead in the third only to have the Sharks tie it, with the last coming when Hertl got a pass in front of the net with the clocking running down and beat Lundqvist to send the game into overtime.

Kreider had given New York a 3-2 lead earlier in the period after a defensive breakdown by San Jose. Zuccarello was left alone in front after an offensive zone draw and took a pass from Mike Zibanejad before feeding Kreider at the side of the net to give New York the lead.

Kreider scored on a one-timer early in the period only to have Meier answer with a shot into the top corner on a two-on-one.

The Sharks struck first when Burns beat Lundqvist with a big shot from the point less than four minutes into the game, becoming the first Sharks defenseman to record points in nine straight games.

But the Rangers took over from there, outshooting San Jose 17-6 in the opening period and getting the equalizer when Zuccarello beat Jones from the top circle less than a minute after Burns' goal.

''Tonight was one of those tough games you are coming off the road, it's a little bit of a trap game,'' DeBoer said. ''We knew that coming in. The first period we were on our heels. They were the more desperate team tonight.''

NOTES: Thornton played in his 1,496th career game, passing Phil Housley for sole possession of 20th place on the all-time list. ... Sharks captain Joe Pavelski played his 900th career game. ... F Pavel Buchnevich was a healthy scratch for New York.

UP NEXT:

New York: Visit Anaheim on Thursday.