Georgiev's 32 saves leads Rangers over Predators 2-1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Nashville had some chances, but Alexandar Georgiev stood tall.

Georgiev made 32 saves to lead the New York Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Filip Chytil and Ryan Strome scored for the Rangers, who have won three of four. Viktor Arvidsson had the lone goal for Nashville, which has lost two straight.

The Rangers killed off three Nashville power plays in the third period, including two in the final five minutes.

''I thought our pace was good, we had gaps all over the ice, we had some great scoring chances today to make it 3-1, couldn't do it,'' New York coach David Quinn said. ''I thought our penalty kill was huge down the stretch. Just a gutsy effort.''

Georgiev has allowed one goal against in three of his five starts this season.

''The guys helped me with a lot of blocked shots and they played really hard from the beginning,'' Georgiev said. ''The penalty kill was really good.''

Chytil scored the game's first goal at 16:05 of the opening period. He carried the puck from inside New York's defensive zone on the left side on a 2-on-1 with Chris Kreider. After crossing the Nashville blue line, Chytil made a toe-drag move around Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis before beating goaltender Juuse Saros with a wrist shot on the short side.

''That was a good drive to the net from (Kreider) and he opened up space for me,'' Chytil said. ''(With) the D lying on the ice, I just tried to toe drag and shoot it from there. I was able to get it on net. It was a great feeling.''

Chytil has scored in consecutive games since being recalled from Hartford of the AHL Oct. 28.

Strome made it 2-0 at 4:16 of the second.

After catching Nashville on a bad line change, Jesper Fast sent a pass from the right point to Artemi Panarin in the slot. There, Panarin found Strome skating through the right side where he redirected the puck past Saros.

''We were chasing the game,'' Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. ''I actually thought we were probably at our best parts of the game defensively and fell down 2-0. (It's) kind of unfortunate the way that happened. From there, you are pressing. You've got to give them some credit, they played good defense (and) their goaltender played well.''

Saros finished with 28 saves.

Arvidsson halved the New York lead at 14:34 of the second.

With Nashville on a power play, Filip Forsberg sent a pass from above the left circle toward the slot and Arvidsson was able to tip the puck by Georgiev.

''We got enough chances to win, obviously their goalie played great for them,'' Forsberg said. ''We just couldn't find that last goal.''

Notes: Hamhuis played his 1,100th career NHL game. ... Earlier Saturday, the Predators unveiled the jersey that will be worn at New Year's Day's Winter Classic in Dallas. ... Panarin has 13 points in 14 career games played against Nashville. ... The Rangers have allowed a power-play goal in three consecutive games. ... New York has won three of their last four games played in Nashville.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: Host Ottawa Senators Monday.

Pageau scores twice, Senators rout Rangers 6-2

NEW YORK (AP) The didn't have their best start, yet after spotting the an early goal, Ottawa dominated the rest of the way and earned their first road win this season.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored twice and Anders Nilsson stopped 32 shots as the Senators routed the Rangers 6-2 on Monday night.

Tyler Ennis, Ron Hainsey, Brady Tkachuk and former Ranger Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for the Senators, who have four victories in 13 games. Ottawa also snapped the Rangers' two-game winning streak, scoring twice on the power-play after they had only two power-play goals in their first 12 games overall this season.

''They came out flying in first 10 minutes, really pushed us back but it was nice to see our response,'' said Nilsson, who won for the second time this season. ''We kind of took over the game and turned the momentum.''

Rookie Kaapo Kakko opened the scoring for the Rangers with his third goal at 8:47 of the first period. Kakko accepted a pass from defenseman Adam Fox before backhanding the puck past Nilsson. Brendan Lemieux also assisted.

Pageau tied the contest at 14:56 of the first, assisted by former Ranger Anthony Duclair.

Ennis put Ottawa ahead with a power-play goal at 18:31 while the Senators were on a 5-on-3 advantage. Thomas Chabot and Namestnikov assisted on Ennis' third. It was the third power-play goal of the season for Ottawa, which entered the contest 2 for 42 with a man-advantage.

The teams played a feisty first period with several skirmishes and two fights. Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo fought Ottawa's J.C. Beaudin, and Lemieux battled Senators' defenseman Mark Borowiecki.

But the fisticuffs did little to inspire the Rangers, who didn't exhibit the same zip displayed in their two most recent games, solid wins over Tampa Bay and Nashville. It was a clear case of the Rangers playing down to their opponent, as Ottawa entered the contest with a league-worst seven points in 12 games.

''We didn't respect our opponent enough. We just continued to dig ourselves a deeper hole,'' Rangers forward Chris Kreider said. ''Going up 1-0, you'd think we'd stick to the script better than this.''

The Senators outshot the Rangers 14-11 in the first period. The Rangers had a 12-10 advantage in the second, but the Senators scored three times against Alexandar Georgiev.

Hainsey, the 38-year-old defenseman, made it 3-1 with his first of the season at 4:12, one second after a hooking penalty to Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba expired.

Pageau, who had a four-goal playoff performance against the Rangers in 2017, netted his second goal of the contest and fifth of the season racing on a breakaway at 11:43 of the middle period. Brady Tkachuk made it 5-1 for the Senators with his fourth at 14:56.

''Luckily I scored,'' Pageau said of his breakaway score. ''My stick was broken and I just realized that when I got to the bench. I guess my shot is not too hard.

Artemi Panarin cut the deficit to 5-2 with a power-play goal for the Rangers at 17:34 of the second, with assists to Kakko and DeAngelo. Panarin extended his points streak to five games with his team-best sixth goal of the season.

Namestnikov then made it 6-2 for Ottawa with another power-play goal at 5:35 of the third to complete the scoring. The 26-year-old Russian forward has five goals and four assists in 11 games with Ottawa since his trade from the Rangers on Oct. 7. He scored 13 goals in 99 games with the Rangers.

''Tonight we were the better team out there,'' added Pageau, an Ottawa native in his eighth season with the Senators. ''Everyone showed up.''

Georgiev started his third straight game in goal for the Rangers after impressive wins over the Lightning and Predators, allowing one goal in both. Henrik Lundqvist, who last played in a 7-4 loss to Boston on Oct. 27, figures to return for the next game, on Wednesday against Detroit.

''They got one goal and everything broke down for some reason,'' Georgiev said.

The Senators were coming off a 5-2 defeat at Boston on Saturday. They had only 10 goals in their five road losses before scoring six against the Rangers.

For the third-straight game, the Rangers dressed seven players 21 years old or younger - Kakko and fellow forwards Lias Andersson, Filip Chytil, Brett Howden plus defensemen Libor Hajek, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren.

''That first 11 minutes, they thought it would be easy,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said after his team's lackluster performance. ''Give Ottawa credit. They upped the ante. They were competing and battling and it cost us severely.''

NOTES: The Rangers scratched defenseman Marc Staal for the third straight game, plus forward Greg McKegg and Mika Zibanejad, who missed his third straight game with an upper body injury. ... Senators forward and former Ranger Anthony Duclair played his 300th career game. ... The Senators scratched forward Artem Ansimov and defenseman Cody Goloubef. ... The Rangers won the previous meeting 4-1 at Ottawa on Oct. 5 when Zibanejad recorded a hat trick. ... The teams meet again Nov. 22 in Ottawa.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

DeAngelo, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 5-1 win over Red Wings

NEW YORK (AP) After a bad loss in their last game, the New York Rangers bounced back with a big win.

Tony DeAngelo had a goal and an assist in New York's three-goal second period, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 35 shots during his first start in 10 days, and the Rangers beat the struggling Detroit Red Wings 5-1 Wednesday night.

New York was coming off a 6-2 defeat against an Ottawa team that had been winless on the road this season.

''We had to have a performance like this after what happened last game,'' Lundqvist said. ''You need to learn from our ups and downs and I think we did.''

Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome also had a goal and an assist apiece, and Chris Kreider and Greg McKegg scored to help New York win for the fourth time in six games. Lundqvist, after sitting out the previous three games, made 24 saves over the final 28:06.

''It was really important (to get the win),'' Panarin said through a translator. ''We played more simple, with less mistakes.''

Valtteri Filppula scored and Jimmy Howard finished with 26 saves, but the Red Wings' fourth straight loss dropped them to 1-11-1 in their last 13 games.

''It's frustrating,'' Dylan Larkin said. ''It's night after night. We try different things, different lineups. It was special teams tonight. Seems like it's a different story every night. We can't really seem to generate a full 60 minutes, full complete game.''

Trailing 3-1 in the second, the Red Wings picked up the pressure. They outshot the Rangers 15-3 over a 16 1/2-minute stretch, but couldn't beat Lundqvist.

The Rangers' goalie credited his team's defensive effort in limiting Detroit's bona fide scoring chances.

''I think that was the most structured game I've had in front of me so far this year,'' Lundqvist said. ''We were in the right place, and the few chances they had I felt we were there to help out on rebounds and didn't give them too much room.''

McKegg pushed the lead to 4-1 at 8:44 on the Rangers' third shot of the period. With the Red Wings on a power play, he brought the puck up the left side and sent a shot that went off the shaft of Howard's stick and up in the air. With the goalie unaware where the puck was as it lay in front, McKegg skated up and put it in for New York's third short-handed score of the season.

The Rangers also had two power-play goals and one at even strength, and held the Red Wings to 0 for 2 on their power play.

''Penalty killing and power plays is going to be the difference a lot of nights,'' Lundqvist said. ''We know that and we continue to work on it in practice and talk before games. It's such a big part of winning and it's nice when we take care of business like that.''

Panarin added an empty-netter with 2:37 left for his seventh goal and 14th point, both team highs.

After a scoreless first period, the Rangers took control with three goals in the first 8:49 of the second - including two on their first three shots.

DeAngelo got New York on the board with a power-play goal, knocking in the rebound of Brendan Lemieux's shot in front for his sixth at 4:25.

Kreider made it 2-0 as he beat Howard up high on the glove side from the right side for his third at 6:04.

The Rangers made it 3-0 with their second power-play goal of the period as Adam Fox's shot deflected off Strome's right shoulder and in at 8:49. Strome has five goals and six assists in his last eight games.

Just 52 seconds later, Filppula put the puck past Lundqvist on an odd-man rush to pull the Red Wings to 3-1.

NOTES: Panarin extended his point streak to six games (three goals, five assists). He also has eight goals and 10 assists in 11 career games against Detroit. ... Rangers C Mika Zibanejad missed his fourth straight game with an upper body injury. ... The teams meet two more times this season in a home-and-home on consecutive nights: Jan. 31 back at Madison Square Garden, and Feb. 1 in Detroit. ... The Red Wings have been outscored 55-24 over the second and third periods this season. ... After the game, Detroit acquired center Robby Fabbri from St. Louis for center Jacob de la Rose.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host the Boston Bruins on Friday night.

Rangers: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Buchnevich, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 4-2 win at Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) goalie Henrik Lundqvist didn't want to sit out - certainly not against the .

Lundqvist made a season-high 45 saves, Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist, and New York beat Carolina 4-2 on Thursday night.

Following a home win over Detroit on Wednesday, Lundqvist lobbied coach David Quinn to make back-to-back starts against an opponent he's long dominated.

''I was pushing him to let me play one more game,'' said Lundqvist, who has 31 career wins over the Hurricanes. ''I have been sitting a lot. When you play more games, you get into a flow where it almost feels like an extension of the last game.''

Artemi Panarin also had a goal and assist for the Rangers, who continued their recent mastery of the Hurricanes. Adam Fox added an empty-net goal in the third period.

The Rangers have won 28 of their past 34 games with Carolina, and Lundqvist has won 22 of his past 26 starts against them.

Lundqvist, who didn't play in the three games prior to his back-to-back starts, didn't know his exact 31-12-1 career record against Carolina but had an idea it was remarkable.

''I have a pretty record here,'' Lundqvist, 37, who is his 15th NHL season. ''It must be something in the water.''

Dougie Hamilton and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who had a 47-to-19 shot advantage. The Hurricanes, who lost for the third straight game, dominated the first period.

Lundqvist made 22 stops and staved off two Carolina power-play opportunities in the first period. Panarin scored with 27.5 seconds left in the first to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.

''We were just hanging on for dear life,'' Quinn said. ''To get out of that period 1-0 was unbelievable in a lot of ways.''

Carolina tied it up at 14:32 in the second period with a tip-in by Hamilton off a deep shot from Jaccob Slavin.

Lemieux countered with his first goal of the season at 18:04 when he tipped in a long shot from Tony DeAngelo.

Buchnevich, who assisted on Lemieux's goal, scored on a backhander. It came just 75 seconds into the third period and after a turnover by Carolina defenseman Jake Gardiner.

The Rangers have won five of their past seven games, after going winless in the five games.

NOTES: LW Erik Haula, who leads Carolina with eight goals, missed his second straight game with a knee injury. ... The Rangers have 13 sets of back-to-back games this season. They beat Detroit 5-1 on Wednesday and the Hurricanes on Thursday. They lost both games in their first set of back-to-backs earlier this season. ... The 22 shots in the first period were the most for Carolina in any period this season.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: At Ottawa on Saturday.

Rangers: At Florida on Sunday.

Trocheck helps Panthers outlast Rangers in shootout, 6-5

NEW YORK (AP) The Florida Panthers' resiliency and determination helped them earn two points.

Vincent Trocheck recorded the shootout winner, and the Panthers beat the New York Rangers 6-5 on Sunday.

Frank Vatrano scored in regulation and converted in the shootout as the Panthers snapped a two-game skid.

Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and two assists, while Aleksander Barkov had a goal and a helper. Sam Montembeault made 34 saves.

''It was an entertaining game,'' Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. ''First and foremost, you want to make sure you are playing the right way. We have been getting into these games recently with a lot production, a lot of goals. I still think there is room for us to tighten it up.''

Kaapo Kakko scored the lone shootout goal and had a power-play goal, and Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin each had two assists as the Rangers' two-game win streak ended. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves in his third straight start.

The other goals from the Panthers came from Dominic Toninato and Brian Boyle.

The Rangers got goals from Ryan Lindgren, Filip Chytil, Brady Skjei and Chris Kreider, who capped off a combined six-goal second period with a power-play tally at 18:35 that gave New York a 5-4 lead.

The Panthers tied the game for the third time 7:01 into the third period when Boyle redirected a slap shot from the point by Keith Yandle.

`We weathered the storm,'' Vatrano said.

Kakko gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead when he converted on the man advantage at 7:31 of the second period. New York has scored on six power plays over the last four games.

Vatrano scored the prettiest goal of the chaotic middle frame when he completed a backhand deke at 8:30 as the Panthers evened the game at 4-4.

Chytil knotted the score 2-2 after he danced around former Ranger Anton Stralman and fired a wrist shot past Montembeault at 1:28 of the middle period. Pavel Buchnevich sent a well-placed pass near center ice, which allowed Chytil to gain the offensive zone with speed. The Russian winger has five assists in the last three games and leads the team with 11 on the season.

Dadonov gave the Panthers a brief one-goal lead when he hammered a one-timer from the high slot at 4:42 of the second. The Panthers connected on the power play for the sixth consecutive game.

''The toughest part of this league is consistency. You need so much from every player,'' Lundqvist said. ''That's the key if you want to get into the playoffs to become a consistent team. Will keep working on it.''

Skjei sneaked a backhand shot past Montembeault 42 seconds after the Dadonov goal. The 25-year-old defenseman picked up his second of the season after being scratched for the first time the season in the Rangers' previous game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lindgren opened the scoring at 5:06 of the first period when he beat Montembeault with a short side wrist shot as he recorded his first NHL goal. The 21-year-old defenseman originally kept the play alive by pinching into the offensive zone, helping New York maintain possession. Strome eventually delivered a cross-ice pass to set up the goal.

Florida answered with two goals within 30 seconds of each other. First, Barkov tied the game when his wrist shot zipped past Lundqvist at 18:13. The Panthers captain made a nifty deke as Jesper Fast over-skated the play, allowing Barkov to release the wrist shot.

Toninato gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead when he collected a rebound in front to score his first goal of the season at 18:43 of the first.

''It was fun winning that one,'' Yandle said. ''We found a way. It's big.''

NOTES: Florida defenseman MacKenzie Weegar did not return after blocking a shot with the side of his head in the second period. ... Yandle skated in his 814th consecutive game and is the NHL's active ''Iron Man'' streak leader. ... Florida scratched defenseman Mark Pysyk. ... Rangers top-line center Mika Zibanejad missed his sixth straight game since sustaining an upper-body injury against the Boston Bruins two weeks ago. ... On Saturday, New York practiced outside at Lasker Rink in Central Park for the second time in three seasons. Before the practice, Rangers announced alternate captain Marc Staal had surgery for an infection in his ankle and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. ... New York scratched forward Micheal Haley for the second straight game.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Visit the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.

Rangers: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Kakko scores 2, lifts Rangers past Penguins 3-2 in OT

NEW YORK (AP) Kaapo Kakko likes the way his game is improving.

The 18-year-old Finnish rookie scored his second goal of the night 2:36 into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

''It's getting better,'' Kakko said. ''I guess it's always good when you score a couple of goals.''

Adam Fox had a goal in regulation and set up Kakko's winner as New York recovered after blowing a two-goal lead and improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games. Alexandar Georgiev finished with 30 saves.

Kakko also scored in regulation and had a shootout goal in the Rangers' 6-5 loss to Florida on Sunday. New York coach David Quinn has noticed a difference in Kakko as he's gained some confidence.

''Just talking to him, the way he walks around now, there's just a whole new level of swagger to him,'' Quinn said of the second overall pick in this year's NHL draft. ''There's a comfort level that I think he's attaining and you can see it in his face. There's a lot more smiling and a lot more swagger.''

In the extra period, Fox brought the puck up the left side, skated toward the middle and sent a pass to the left doorstep, where Kakko redirected the puck past Penguins goalie Matt Murray for his sixth of the season.

''First couple of minutes were so hard for us, then we had the puck and a great pass by Foxy,'' Kakko said. ''That was easy for me. ... It's always so fun scoring in overtime, I think everybody likes it. A good game.''

Justin Schultz and Jared McCann scored for the short-handed Penguins, who earned at least a point for the sixth time in seven games (4-1-2). Murray, making his seventh straight start and 15th in 18 games this season, stopped 24 shots.

The Penguins were without star center Sidney Crosby due to a lower body injury, as well as defenseman Kris Letang and forward Patric Hornqvist.

With the score tied 2-all, both teams had chances in the third, with Georgiev and Murray making great stops on both ends. The Rangers went on their second power play with 4:10 left but managed just one shot on goal as Pittsburgh killed off its 16th straight penalty and 22nd in the last 23.

In the closing seconds, Brian Dumoulin had a shot blocked by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba and his follow was stopped by Georgiev to send the game to overtime.

The Penguins trailed 2-0 after getting outshot 11-8 in the first period. It marked the 12th time in 17 games Pittsburgh gave up the first goal of the game.

''We weren't ready to play, they were ready to play and they outplayed us in the first period,'' Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. ''I give our guys a lot of credit for fighting back, but it's hard to play if you're in a two-goal deficit. It's hard to climb out of it. ... For me the lesson learned is we've got to play a full 60 (minutes).''

Schultz got Pittsburgh on the scoreboard at 1:13 on the team's second shot of the period. He took a pass from Evgeni Malkin, skated through the left circle and fired the puck past Georgiev for his second.

The Penguins tied it with 7:27 left in the second as Dominik Simon mishit the puck off his own skate and got it to McCann, who fired it past Georgiev for his sixth. That ended Pittsburgh's 11-game drought without a power-play goal, and snapped an 0-for-28 skid with the man advantage.

Pittsburgh, which has been outscored 11-9 in the first period, has 28 goals in the second - one behind Washington for most in the middle period.

The Rangers grabbed the lead in the first when a streaking Kakko took a pass from Brendan Lemieux, went forehand to backhand and put the puck past Murray from the right side at 6:42.

New York had a 9-1 advantage in shots over the first 7 1/2 minutes, but had only one more shot on goal until Fox got a cross-ice pass from Artemi Panarin and beat Murray top shelf from the right circle for his third with 9.3 seconds left.

NOTES: Pittsburgh came back from a multiple-goal deficit for the fourth straight game, but is 2-1-1 in that stretch. ... Malkin has points in four straight games (one goal, five assists) since returning from an 11-game absence due to injury. ... McCann extended his point streak to four games, with two goals and four assists in that stretch. ... As part of Veterans Night, the Rangers wore customized jerseys and had camouflage tape on their sticks during warmups. The jerseys and sticks will be auctioned off to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. ... Fox extended his point streak to five games, with two goals and six assists. ... Panarin extended his point streak to nine games, tying a career high. He has nine assists and 13 points in that stretch.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At New Jersey on Friday night before playing five of the next six at home.

Rangers: At Tampa Bay on Thursday night to open a two-game trip to Florida.

Kucherov, Stamkos key Tampa Bay’s 9-3 rout over Rangers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) The Tampa Bay Lightning scored early and often in their first home game after an overseas trip.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists, Steven Stamkos scored his 399th career goal and added two assists, and the Lightning routed the New York Rangers 9-3 on Thursday night.

''These are unique games because in this league nobody is 9-3 better than the other,'' Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ''In 82 games you are going to see one or two of these. Guys are feeling it on your side and it's frustrating (on the other). I've been on their side as well.''

Tampa Bay's nine goals tied a team record. Five scores came on the power play, which also matched a franchise mark.

Kucherov had a goal and a pair of assists as Tampa Bay scored four times in the opening seven minutes. Stamkos got his second goal in 10 games on the power play during a four-goal second that made it 8-1.

''I mean, we just didn't want to take our foot off the gas,'' Stamkos said. ''Not often do you have a game where you're up like that so quick. I thought for the most part we did a pretty good job of attacking.''

Alex Killorn scored two power-play goals and picked up an assist, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots to tie Ben Bishop for the most wins by a Tampa Bay goalie with 131.

The Lightning, who hadn't played since Saturday when they completed back-to back wins over Buffalo in Stockholm, Sweden, also got goals from Luke Schenn, Ondrej Palat, Pat Maroon, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Yanni Gourde. Victor Hedman had three assists and Gourde recorded two assists.

''We had a great response coming back from the tough schedule that we just came back from,'' Stamkos said. ''Let's keep this thing going.''

Filip Chytil scored two goals and Chris Kreider also scored for the Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev was pulled early on after allowing four goals on nine shots, before returning to start the third period. Henrik Lundqvist replaced Georgiev and gave up four goals on 19 shots.

''It's hard not to have that one not stick with you a little bit,'' Kreider said. ''Obviously, it's pretty embarrassing.''

After Schenn opened the scoring 2:39 into the game, three minutes later Tampa Bay scored three goals in 61 seconds to go up 4-0.

With New York's Brendan Lemieux (cross-checking) and Tony DeAngelo (slashing) sent off at 5:36, Killorn had a waist-high deflection five seconds later.

Kucherov added another man-advantage goal at 6:20 before Palat made it 4-0 just 22 seconds later.

''We just lost to a really good hockey team that was on their 'A' game and we were far from our 'A' game,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''We were overwhelmed from the start all the way to the finish.''

Maroon, Shattenkirk and Killorn had second-period goals, while Gourde picked up a power-play goal in third.

Kreider scored at 14:33 of the first. Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to a career-high 10 games with two assists.

Chytil scored twice in the third and has six goals in eight games this season.

NOTES: New York rookie RW Kaapo Kakko (flu) was scratched and D Jacob Trouba left during the second with an upper-body injury. ... Schenn stopped a 32-game goal drought, dating to March. 31, 2018.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: Play Saturday night at Florida Panthers.

The New York Rangers closed out their Florida road trip this evening and came up winless after being defeated 4-3 by the Florida Panthers. Kaapo Kakko was designated as a game-time decision again tonight but failed to dress for his second straight game due to an illness. Henrik Lundqvist got the nod in goal after making a brief appearance against the Tampa Bay Lightning and turned away 26 of the 30 shots he faced this evening.

1st Period

Mike Hoffman (8) PPG - Keith Yandle (14) & Jonathan Huberdeau (16) - 2:05 1st Period

Coming off of a 9-3 blowout on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers didn’t do themselves any favors early in this game. An ill-advised hooking penalty by Pavel Buchnevich gave the Panthers an early power play opportunity and they immediately capitalized with the man-advantage. Mike Hoffman picked up his eighth goal of the season after absolutely wiring a slap shot over Henrik Lundqvist’s shoulder and gave Florida the 1-0 lead.

Ryan Strome (6) - Jesper Fast (6) & Ryan Lindgren (3) - 2:39 1st Period

Thankfully, the Rangers were able to respond a little over 30 seconds later as Ryan Strome deflected home his sixth goal of the season. Ryan Lindgren started the play with a great outlet pass to Jesper Fast and Fast found Strome on the far side of the ice with a ridiculous saucer pass. Sergei Bobrovsky was unable to full slide to his left in time, and Strome just barely slipped the puck over the goal line.

Evgenii Dadonov (9) PPG - Jonathan Huberdeau (17) & Keith Yandle (15) - 6:50 1st Period

Another undisciplined penalty wound up costing the Rangers and this time around it was Micheal Haley taking a seat for slashing Vincent Trochek. Florida absolutely ripped apart the Rangers’ penalty kill unit on the ensuing power play and Evgenii Dadonov opened up in the high slot for a wide open shot.

Artemi Panarin (9) - Ryan Strome (12) & Libor Hajek (4) - 8:47 1st Period

Despite giving up their second power play goal of the evening, the Rangers fought back yet again as Artemi Panarin tied the game back up at the 8:47 mark. Panarin’s seemingly harmless shot wound up fooling Sergei Bobrovsky enough through a partial screen in the crease and beat the goaltender inside the right post.

2nd Period

Tony DeAngelo (6) - Artemi Panarin (14) & Greg McKegg (1) - 5:47 2nd Period

After an eventful first period for the Rangers, New York finally took their first lead of the game early in the second period courtesy of Tony DeAngelo. Artemi Panarin’s incredible play making ability was put on full display yet again as he sent a misdirection pass to Tony DeAngelo to open up the shooting lane. DeAngelo was able to collect the puck in stride and flipped the puck over Bobrovsky to make it 3-2 Rangers.

Brett Connolly (7) - Brian Boyle (4) - 7:51 2nd Period

New York’s lead would only last a little over two minutes before the Panthers eventually tied the game on Brett Connolly’s seventh of the season. Henrik Lundqvist is definitely going to want this goal back after a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle somehow eluded Lundqvist and tied the game for Florida.

Evgenii Dadonov (10) - Keith Yandle (16) & Jonathan Huberdeau (18) - 17:44 2nd Period

Following an extended shift in the defensive zone, a blown assignment off to the right of Henrik Lundqvist wound up being the difference maker in this game. Evgenii Dadonov picked up his second goal of the game after wiring home a great cross-ice feed from Keith Yandle. Henrik Lundqvist picked up the pass too late and was unable to kick over to his right far enough to make the save.

3rd Period

No scoring.

The Rangers made a late push in the third period with the goaltender pulled but were unable to locate the tying goal. Artemi Panarin had two great chances in the left faceoff dot but a diving save by Sergei Bobrovsky kept the Panthers on top. Following tonight’s rough loss in Sunrise, the Rangers will head back home for a meeting with the Washington Capitals on Wedneday night.

New York Rangers Assign Lias Andersson to Hartford, Recall Tim Gettinger

Panarin, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 4-1 win over Capitals

NEW YORK (AP) The young New York Rangers showed just how well they can do when they play smart and limit mistakes.

Artemi Panarin scored twice, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 shots and the Rangers beat the short-handed Washington Capitals 4-1 Wednesday night.

''I think that was one of our better efforts as of late,'' Lundqvist said. ''A big part of their success is their power play, so the key really is to stay out of the box. ... Us being disciplined is a huge part of this win.''

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and an assist, Brett Howden also scored and Kaapo Kakko added two assists for the Rangers, who ended a two-game skid and improved to 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.

''This was a true team effort,'' coach David Quinn said. ''Hank was really good in the net. I thought we defended well, we didn't give up a lot of crazy chances, we did some really good things offensively, the power play was good and we had a big kill.''

Lundqvist earned his 454th win, tying Curtis Joseph for fifth on the NHL's career list.

''It's an honor to be in that company,'' Lundqvist said. ''There's so many really great guys (on the list). A lot of them have been an inspiration to me growing up. ... It means a lot to me. It really does.''

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored and Braden Holtby made 27 saves for first-place Washington, which lost in regulation for the second time in four games after an 11-0-2 stretch. The Capitals, who hit iron four times in the first two periods, failed to earn a point for only the fourth time in 24 games, including the second time in 13 on the road.

''We've obviously found different ways to win,'' coach Todd Rierden said. ''Tonight there were some opportunities. We beat the goalie a few times and it's an inch off from going in the net. Maybe that's a different game for us when we get rolling a little bit.''

The Capitals played without suspended right wing Garnet Hathaway and injured center Nicklas Backstrom.

Panarin made it 2-0 with his second power-play goal of the night on a rebound of Kakko's shot from the left side for his 11th at 3:57 of the third period.

Panarin, signed to a big free-agent deal in the offseason, knows he is being counted on to provide the scoring punch the Rangers lacked since they went into rebuilding mode in February 2018.

''I feel I have more responsibility but I try not to think about it,'' he said through a translator. ''When you think about it, it just gets in the way. The most important thing is we won and we beat a really good team.''

While Panarin's goal was being announced, Buchnevich beat Holtby on the right side off a cross-crease pass from Filip Chytil for his third just 23 seconds later.

Kuznetsov scored from the right circle on a power play at 7:24 for his 10th.

Howden beat Holtby on the blocker side from in front for his third with 6 1/2 minutes remaining to restore the Rangers' three-goal lead.

''They make it 3-1, and then we make it 4-1, and that's a great sign,'' Quinn said. ''We've all talked about us managing our emotions and managing the ebbs and flows of a hockey game. I thought we did a really good job of that tonight.''

New York's Brendan Lemieux and Washington's Tom Wilson fought with 3 1/2 minutes to go, after Wilson ran into Lemieux while he was being hit by Alex Ovechkin near the Capitals' bench.

Washington pulled Holtby for an extra skater with more than three minutes left but couldn't score.

With the Rangers still on a power play that carried over from the final minute of the first period, Panarin got a pass from Kakko in the left circle and fired it past Holtby's glove side at 1:14 of the second. That extended Panarin's point streak to a career-high 12 games.

After making 10 saves in the first period, Lundqvist had 14 in the second and was helped out by a post for the fourth time when Lars Eller's shot clanged off iron during Washington's power play about 7 1/2 minutes into the middle period.

NOTES: Panarin has seven goals and 19 points during his streak. He also has eight goals and 12 points in 14 career games against Washington. ... Lundqvist appeared in his 869th regular-season game, breaking a tie with Grant Fuhr for 10th on the NHL's career list. ... Rangers C Mika Zibanejad missed his 10th straight game due to an upper body injury. ... The Capitals won the first meeting this season, 5-2 at home on Oct. 18. The teams also play March 5 back at Madison Square Garden and March 26 in Washington. ... Referee Furman South was hit in the face by the puck on a clearing attempt by Ovechkin with 9 1/2 minutes left in the first period. South was down on the ice for several minutes and tended to by the Rangers' medical staff. He stayed in the game and received five stitches during the first intermission.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday to open a three-game homestand.

Rangers: At the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.

Chabot, Nilsson lead Senators to 4-1 win over Rangers

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) The Ottawa Senators have finally found a winning game plan.

Thomas Chabot had a goal and an assist, Anders Nilsson stopped 30 shots, and the Senators beat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Friday night for their first three-game win streak of the season.

Logan Brown, Tyler Ennis and Anthony Duclair also scored for Ottawa, which has won seven of its last nine and has 23 points in 23 games (11-11-1) this season,

''I think we're playing some really good hockey,'' said Nilsson, who has won his last four starts at home while allowing just five goals in that stretch. ''You saw the way we played (Friday) and especially the way we played in the first period. We came out and had one of the best periods all year in the first and shut them down completely.''

Jacob Trouba scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist finished with 35 saves.

The Rangers have been going through their own struggles and Lundqvist admitted New York could take a page from the Senators' playbook.

''They work hard and that's why they've been winning,'' Lundqvist said. ''If you look at their record the last few weeks they win because they work really hard and pay attention to the details within their game. They earn their wins.''

Ottawa got off to a fast start, scoring twice in the first 6 1/2 minutes. Chabot got the Senators going just 57 seconds in with his first goal in 17 games, and Brown scored on the power play at 6:32 for his first NHL goal.

''That's something I've dreamt about my whole life,'' said Brown, who was playing his 15th career game. ''Especially the past couple weeks with all the unlucky bounces I've had. I've been thinking about getting that one.''

Trouba got the Rangers on the scoreboard with a shot from inside the blue line that took a bounce that fooled Nilsson with 2:40 left in the opening period.

Ottawa continued to control the pace of the game for much of the second period. Ennis gave the Senators a 3-1 lead at 1:11 as he fought his way to the net and beat Lundqvist with a wrist shot.

After failing to score on two power plays, including a double-minor Ottawa's Christian Jaros, the Rangers got into penalty trouble themselves.

''An abysmal game in so many ways,'' New York coach David Quinn said. ''Give Ottawa a lot of credit. They played hard, they played smart, they won every foot race and they won every 1-on-1 battle. This is as disappointing as it's been because I thought we were going in the right direction and building off a couple real good ones for us, but it's back to square one.''

Ottawa had a two-man advantage, and Lundqvist made three big saves, but was then beat by Duclair with 6:36 remaining.

The Senators had another two-man advantage 16 seconds later, but were unable to beat Lundqvist again.

NOTES: This was the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Rangers won the first meeting, 4-1 here on Oct. 5, and the Senators won 6-2 at New York on Nov. 4. ... Ottawa recalled Max Lajoie and Jaros from Belleville of the AHL as it deals with injuries on the blue line. ... Lundqvist remained in a tie with Curtis Joseph for fifth place on the NHL's goalie wins list at 454. ... Rangers F Artemi Panarin snapped a career-high 12-game point streak in which he had seven goals and 12 assists. ...

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Montreal on Saturday night.

Rangers vs Canadiens: Rangers Erase 4-0 Deficit, Steal 6-5 Win in Montreal

The New York Rangers did the unthinkable this evening as they erased a 4-0 AND a 5-3 deficit in the third period to complete the comeback against the Montreal Canadiens. This game looked like it was going to be yet another blowout loss for this young Rangers squad, but unlike last game, they didn’t quit and kept pushing forward. Even after recovering for a few minutes, I’m still not entirely sure how the Rangers pulled it off.

1st Period

Max Domi (5) - Nick Suzuki (5) & Artturi Lehkonen (6) - 2:03 1st Period

Alexandar Georgiev didn’t exactly have a great start to this game, and the Canadiens were able to capitalize on his early mistakes. A sharp angle shot by Artturi Lehkonen gave Georgiev some trouble, and the puck deflected high up in the air well above the scramble in front of the net. Georgiev was still trying to locate the puck when Nick Suzuki tapped the puck over Max Domi on the far post, and made it 1-0 Montreal.

Artturi Lehkonen (4) - Joel Armia (5) & Mike Reilly (3) - 10:00 1st Period

The Canadiens doubled up their lead exactly at the halfway mark of the first period on a quick shot from Artturi Lehkonen coming into the zone. While Georgiev clearly misplayed the puck again, the Rangers didn’t exactly help the cause by backing down at the blue line and handing Lehkonen the clean zone entry.

Max Domi (6) - Nick Suzuki (6) & Ben Chiarot (6) - 19:26 1st Period

Max Domi picked up his second goal of the evening with under a minute to play in the opening frame, and gave Montreal a sizable three-goal lead. Montreal was clearly targeting Georgiev’s up around the shoulders all game long, and Domi scored yet again from just inside the faceoff circles. To Domi’s credit, he did an excellent job of using Jacob Trouba as a screen, and getting his shot through traffic.

2nd Period

Shea Weber (7) - Ben Chiarot (7) & Charles Hudon (1) - 2:51 2nd Period

Montreal continued to pile on the goals early in the second period as Shea Weber picked up his seventh goal of the season. During a delayed penalty call on the Rangers, Montreal was able to keep possession of the puck and eventually worked the puck over to Weber at the blue line. Weber wound up for a cannon of a slap shot, and the puck somehow slipped between Georgiev’s right arm.

Filip Chytil (7) - Artemi Panarin (15) & Brady Skjei (5) - 6:10 2nd Period

Shayna?@hayyyshayyy

Skjei brings the puck up the ice, Panarin threads it to Chytil, and the #NYR are finally on the board

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After spotting the Canadiens a four-goal lead, the Rangers finally got on the board at the 6:10 mark of the second period. Brady Skjei created the entire goal with a great end-to-end rush into the offensive zone, and tapped the puck over to Artemi Panarin. Almost instantaneously, Panarin found Filip Chytil on the far side of the ice and he snapped home his seventh of the year.

Pavel Buchnevich (4) - Brett Howden (3) - 7:06 2nd Period

Shayna?@hayyyshayyy

Buchnevich scores just a minute after Chytil and the #NYR are back in it.

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About a minute after Chytil’s opening tally, Pavel Buchnevich brought the Rangers back within a pair of goals. Brett Howden setup Buchnevich with a great seam pass through the middle of the ice, and Buchnevich was able to broke in on a partial breakaway. The puck wound up slipping off of his stick during the move, but a little puck luck finally broke in the Rangers favor and made it a two-goal game.

Brendan Lemieux (2) - Adam Fox (7) & Jacob Trouba (7) - 9:30 2nd Period

Then, about two minutes later, Brendan Lemieux finally picked up a goal of his own after coming so close on numerous chances throughout the game. Lemieux picked up his goal right in front of the net after Adam Fox placed a stick-high shot on goal, and Lemieux deflected it past Carey Price.

3rd Period

Artturi Lehkonen (5) - Max Domi (10) - 5:20 3rd Period

After the Rangers crawled back within a goal during the second period, Montreal appeared to silence the Rangers efforts early in the third period. Artturi Lehkonen picked up his second goal of the night after corralling a pass from Max Domi, and snapping home a shot from the high slot. A bad clearing attempt by Tony DeAngelo lead to the goal, and Lehkonen slipped the Rangers coverage in the defensive zone.

Artemi Panarin (12) - Chris Kreider (7) & Ryan Strome (14) - 5:51 3rd Period

Shayna?@hayyyshayyy

Kreider Panarin #NYR

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While most teams would crumble after a momentum changing goal, the Rangers got right back on the ice and responded with a goal 31 seconds later. A hard forecheck by the Rangers caused a turnover, and Chris Kreider made a gem of pass over to Artemi Panarin to tie the game. Kreider went no-look, between-the-legs right across the crease, and Panarin tapped home the loose puck to make it a one-goal game again.

Brendan Lemieux (3) - Brett Howden (4) & Brady Skjei (6) - 8:40 3rd Period

Shayna?@hayyyshayyy

Down 4-0 early in the second period, the Rangers come back to tie 5-5 in the third with a short-handed goal from Lemieux, with the assist from Howden. That's right, a short-handed goal! #NYR

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The Rangers were tasked with a huge penalty kill midway through the third period, and not only did they kill it off, they tied the game with a short-handed goal. With a little help on the deflection by Nick Suzuki, Brendan Lemieux broke in 2-on-1 on Carey Price, and tied the game with a great passing play. Brett Howden did an excellent job of selling the shot once he got the puck, and tapped the puck right back to Lemieux for the easy goal.

Jacob Trouba (3) - Ryan Strome (15) - 12:10 3rd Period

A little under four minutes after tying the game, the Rangers stunned Montreal with a quick shot off of the faceoff by Jacob Trouba. Carey Price never fully saw the shot as it came in on goal, and the puck slipped over the line after deflecting off Price’s right arm. After trailing by four goals early in the game, the Rangers somehow completed the unthinkable.

Montreal had some extended zone time at the end of the third period, but the Rangers did a great job of locking it down defensively in front of Georgiev. Following tonight’s memorable comeback victory, the Rangers will have a day of rest before returning home on Monday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Rangers edge Wild 3-2 in OT, Lundqvist 5th on wins list

NEW YORK (AP) Mats Zuccarello’s emotional return to Madison Square Garden ended up being a memorable night for good buddy Henrik Lundqvist, too.

Tony DeAngelo scored 32 seconds into overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild that moved Lundqvist into sole possession of fifth place on the NHL’s career wins list Monday.

Lundqvist made 26 saves for his 455th victory, breaking a tie with Curtis Joseph.

"It's a cool thing and I'm proud of it,'' Lundqvist said. “I am grateful for all the teammates who helped get me here."

Chris Kreider tied it for the Rangers on a power-play goal with less than three minutes left in the third period. Brady Skjei scored early and Artemi Panarin had three assists, giving him at least one point in all 11 games New York has won this season.

“It was a good night, for sure,” Lundqvist said. “I liked the way we played tonight. We kept pushing. We didn’t give up. It’s a great sign for our group.”

Zach Parise and Ryan Donato scored for the Wild, who are 3-0-3 in their last six games.

The 5-foot-8 Zuccarello, one of Lundqvist’s best friends and a fan favorite during nine seasons with the Rangers, was back to play at The Garden for the first time since New York traded him to Dallas at the deadline last February.

Minnesota’s new left wing was showered with cheers and choruses of “Zooook!” as he hopped onto the ice, waved to the crowd and patted his chest to acknowledge a video tribute during the first period.

“It was emotional for sure, leading up to the game. It was really nice - a good moment for me,’’ Zuccarello said. “I had to fight back some tears. It was a really nice moment for me and for my family.”

With the teams skating 3-on-3 in overtime, DeAngelo moved in from the blue line and snapped the puck past Minnesota netminder Alex Stalock. Ryan Strome and Panarin assisted on the play.

“It was good to get some open space and finish it off,’’ DeAngelo said.

Donato put the Wild ahead 2-1 with his second goal of the season at the 10-minute mark of the third. After a turnover by Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the neutral zone, Donato eluded a sliding Skjei before snapping a high shot past Lundqvist.

Kreider tied it at 17:10 of the third when he tapped a rebound past Stalock. Strome and Panarin assisted on Kreider’s sixth of the season.

“You can’t take a penalty every game in the last five minutes,’’ Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. “You give them a great opportunity to score and they do it.”

The inconsistent Rangers were coming off a frenetic 6-5 comeback win at Montreal on Saturday after a lackluster 4-1 loss at Ottawa the night before. Their previous home game was a 4-1 victory over Eastern Conference-leading Washington last Wednesday.

“We knew this would be a hard game,’’ Rangers coach David Quinn said. “We got the power-play goal and made a great play in overtime.”

Skjei opened the scoring at 14:50 of the first when his shot from inside the blue line eluded Stalock through traffic. DeAngelo and Panarin assisted on Skjei’s third of the season.

Panarin continues to pile up points for the Rangers, who signed the Russian forward to an $81.5 million, seven-year contract in July. Panarin has points in 14 of the last 15 games and leads New York with 30 overall - 12 goals and 18 assists.

New York outshot the Wild 10-2 in the second but Minnesota managed the only goal when Parise tied it 1-all at 17:11 with his ninth of the season. Kevin Fiala and Jared Spurgeon assisted.

The shaggy-haired Zuccarello faced the Rangers for the first time since his trade to Dallas. The 32-year-old Norwegian subsequently signed a five-year contract with the Wild in July. He had 352 points (113 goals, 239 assists) in 509 games with the Rangers and led the team in scoring four times. Each time he touched the puck, there were choruses of “Zooook!”

"When you start closing in on 10 years together, you experience so much together. That's why it's special seeing each other like that,'' Lundqvist said. "What I loved most of his game here is that he's very passionate. He competes 100 percent every night."

Zuccarello, who had said he was hoping to celebrate a goal against his pal Lundqvist, was buzzing early in front of the New York net with linemates Jason Zucker and Eric Staal.

Late in the third, Zuccarello made a slick pass to Zucker, who raced down right wing on Lundqvist on a 2-on-1, only to be denied by a vintage glove save from the Swedish netminder.

Lundqvist has made 999 career appearances (regular season and playoffs combined) with the Rangers. He is one short of becoming the sixth player to play in at least 1,000 games for the team.

NOTES: Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk missed his fourth consecutive game because of a family issue. ... The Rangers dressed center Boo Nieves, who was recalled from Hartford of the AHL to replace injured center Greg McKegg. … Rangers center Mika Zibanejad missed his 13th straight game with an upper body injury. The team hopes he will be in the lineup Wednesday against Carolina. … The Rangers were also missing injured defenseman Marc Staal. … The Wild scratched forward Nick Foligno and defenseman Nick Seeler. … The teams meet again Feb. 13 in Minnesota.

UP NEXT

Wild: At the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

Rangers: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Fox, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 3-2 win over Hurricanes

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have put together a three-game winning streak with a different script in each contest.

Adam Fox had a goal and an assist, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 41 shots, and the Rangers held on to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 Wednesday night.

Mika Zibanejad scored in his return after missing 13 games with an upper body injury, Brendan Smith also had a goal and Artemi Panarin added two assists to help the Rangers improve to 9-4-1 in their last 14 games.

''It's a fun feeling when you win in different ways,'' Lundqvist said. ''I thought the other night (against Minnesota) it was more the skill that helped us. Tonight, I thought it was more the will. You're going to have different things to help you win games along the way, tonight was definitely the will and our mindset in the third.''

Ryan Dzingel and Warren Foegele scored for the Hurricanes, who had won two straight. Petr Mrazek finished with 22 saves.

Fox capped a strong first period when he deflected Panarin's one-timer past Mrazek with 1:40 left to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

''This is a guy that has taken bigger players on, closing on them quickly and has great hockey strength,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said of Fox. ''He's made the transition to the National Hockey League look a little bit easier than it should be.''

Panarin's second assist of the game gave him at least two points in 10 of the last 12 games. .

Dzingel got Carolina on the scoreboard with 5:31 left in the second when he redirected Dougie Hamilton's shot from the point. Andrei Svechnikov assisted on the play, extending his point streak to nine games.

Just 1:29 later, Foegele pushed a loose puck in front past Lundqvist to pull Carolina within one.

''We weren't ready to start, we were a little sluggish,'' Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''Then, bing, bing, bing and now you have to dig yourselves out of a hole and we weren't able to do that. We dug in after that but it's too late.''

Lundqvist made his best save of the night late in the second period when he robbed Martin Necas to preserve New York's 3-2 lead. Necas fired a sharp-angled wrist shot but Lundqvist somehow knocked the puck out of mid-air with his stick.

Zibanejad opened the scoring at 2:54 of the first when Fox delivered a perfect cross-ice pass to set up the power-play goal. Zibanejad played for the first time since sustaining his injury against Boston on Oct. 27. The Rangers were 8-4-1 without their top center, including come-from-behind victories in their previous two games.

''He just gives up so much more depth,'' Quinn said. ''It's amazing what one center can do to your whole lineup. Your lineup looks a lot longer and a lot deeper.''

Smith got his second of the season when his shot sailed past Mrazek at 4:12 after the puck was deflected by a Hurricanes skater. Smith, a natural defenseman, has spent the majority of this season playing forward but skates on the blue line during the penalty kill. Rangers defensemen have recorded 21 goals this season, the most in the NHL.

NOTES: Lundqvist, who earned his 456th win, became the sixth player in Rangers history to skate in 1,000 NHL games (regular season and playoffs). ... Panarin has at least one point in 15 of the last 16 games. ... New York has registered three or more goals in 10 of the past 11 games. ... Hurricanes D Haydn Fleury returned to the lineup after being scratched in the previous five games.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: At Boston on Friday.