PITTSBURGH (AP) Ondrej Pavelec didn't know he was getting just his third start in the last six weeks until late Tuesday afternoon, when New York Rangers star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist came down with the flu.

The short prep time against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins seemed to suit Pavelec just fine. Pavelec stopped a season-high 41 shots and the Rangers took advantage of a fortunate bounce to edge the Penguins 4-3.

''It was a good hockey game, I think,'' Pavelec said after beating Pittsburgh for just the third time in 17 career starts. ''Not so much fun for the goalies, but we got the win. So, that's huge for us.''

And huge of Pavelec, who came in just 1-4 on the season and has been a spectator during Lundqvist's recent resurgence. Yet he withstood a steady barrage from Pittsburgh and more than a little luck. The Penguins hit a handful of posts, including one by Evgeni Malkin in the final seconds that would have forced overtime.

''We had 44 shots,'' Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. ''We had a significant amount of scoring chances. We just couldn't get that tying goal.''

Boo Nieves, Jesper Fast, Mats Zuccarello and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers. Buchnevich provided the game-winner when his centering pass deflected off Pittsburgh's Kris Letang and by Tristan Jarry 11:12 into the third period.

''It's about finding a way to win on the road, we did that,'' Rangers forward J.T. Miller said. ''We got pucks to the net and a couple bounces. But sometimes, it's not pretty.''

WASHINGTON (AP) After believing in the Washington Capitals' potential during a slow start, Matt Niskanen did his part to push them further up the standings.

Niskanen scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:22 remaining and the Capitals beat the New York Rangers 4-2 Friday night to move into a tie for first place with Columbus in the stacked Metropolitan Division. Washington has won four in a row and seven of eight to increase its total to 37 points.

''We're doing a lot of good things,'' said Niskanen, whose goal was his first of the season. ''Hockey's a lot more fun when you're playing well, playing hard for each other like we are right now.''

The Rangers had won six of seven and had their two-game win streak snapped. Henrik Lundqvist allowed a goal to Beagle 14 seconds in on Washington's first shot, slammed his stick on the crossbar when Niskanen scored and otherwise made 36 saves to keep New York in it.

''When they turn it up, they're a good team,'' said Lundqvist, who was back in net after missing the Rangers' win at Pittsburgh with an illness. ''They're a good home team. When they get going, they can move the puck and make it tough for you.''

Ranger goals, Grabner, Fast

NEW YORK (AP) After a dreadful start to the season, the New York Rangers have finally caught up to the pack thanks to their strong play at home.

Mats Zuccarello scored twice, Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 shots and the Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 Saturday night for New York's 10th win in its last 11 on home ice.

Jimmy Vesey, Jesper Fast and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Rangers, who are 15-6-0 - including 11-2-0 at Madison Square Garden - after opening the season with one win in eight games (1-5-2).

''We dug ourselves a pretty big hole,'' said Rick Nash, who had two assists. ''We have bounced back well but when you are underneath that line and you are chasing those teams, points are hard to come by. . Last night was a tough loss, it was a good bounce back tonight.''

New York, coming off a 4-2 loss at Washington on Friday night is sixth in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind fifth-place Pittsburgh for Eastern Conference's last wild-card spot and five behind division-leading Columbus.

NEW YORK (AP) The Dallas Stars put themselves in position for a big win on Monday night. It just took them a while to finish off the New York Rangers, thanks to Ondrej Pavelec.

Jason Spezza scored in the shootout, and the Stars snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the Rangers.

''It would have been a shame to not get two points in this game the way we played,'' Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock said. ''We are starting to really play strong 5-on-5 hockey right now. We are getting a lot of scoring chances and we are not giving up a lot which is a really good sign.''

Kari Lehtonen made 24 saves for Dallas in the opener of its four-game East Coast road trip against the Metropolitan Division. It was Lehtonen's 299th career NHL victory.

Dallas outshot New York 45-25, but Pavelec kept the Rangers in the game with an outstanding performance in goal.

''I don't think anyone in our dressing room doesn't know that other than Pavelec, we didn't play real well tonight.'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. ''There are two positives, Pavs played unreal and because of his performance we were able to get a point. Other than that, we weren't good.''

The Stars had a 1-0 lead before Rick Nash tied it for the Rangers when he tipped in Brady Skjei's wrist shot with 3:41 left in regulation.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators are happy to be home.

Anderson made 27 saves to stop his seven-game losing streak and Ottawa snapped its five-game skid Wednesday night with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.

''I think when that final buzzer went there was a sigh from a lot of people, fans included,'' Senators forward Zack Smith said. ''It was a good feeling. They're a good team over there with a good goaltender so it was a big confidence boost for us.''

Bobby Ryan, Cody Ceci and Smith scored for the Senators (10-13-7), who returned from a seven-game road trip and improved to 2-10-2 in their past 14 overall.

It was only their second victory in regulation since Nov. 11, which was the last time Anderson had won.

''Probably not enough traffic,'' New York defenseman Ryan McDonaghlamented. ''We had a lot of shots but he saw a lot of them. ... He played really well.''

Michael Grabner and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers (16-12-3), who dropped to 4-7-0 on the road. Henrik Lundqvist had 27 saves, becoming the 15th goalie in NHL history to reach 20,000 for his career.

NEW YORK (AP) Stopped on a similar chance in the first period, Rick Nashchanged his approach when he got another opportunity with the score tied late in the game, and it worked.

Nash scored the tiebreaking goal with 3:27 remaining to lead the New York Rangers to a 4-2 victory over the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kingson Friday night.

Nash stole the puck in the Kings' zone on the left side near the center line, drove into the left circle and beat Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick on the blocker side for his ninth of the season to give the Rangers their third lead of the game.

''I tried to go high glove and he kind of moved his chest right in front of it,'' Nash said of his attempt in the first period. ''So I thought I had to switch it up and try to go blocker.''

J.T. Miller added an empty-netter with 54 seconds remaining, and New York won for the eighth time in 12 games (8-3-1). Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayesalso scored, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 shots to help the Rangers improve to 11-1-1 in the last 13 at home.

BOSTON (AP) Henrik Lundqvist has seen Mats Zuccarello's shot many times during practice so he knows how tough it is to stop.

Zuccarello scored a power-play goal 1:56 into overtime to lift the New YorkRangers to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Skating 4-on-3 in the OT after Boston was whistled for too many men on the ice, Zuccarello beat Rask with a rising shot from the right circle to lift the Rangers to their ninth win in 13 games overall (9-3-1) and their seventh straight against the Bruins.

''It's such a quick release,'' said Lundqvist, who made 33 saves playing on back-to-back days. ''Every team has one or two players that can snap the puck like that. As a goalie, you just have to be on your toes at all times.

''It's hard. He fakes it. Looks you off and it comes at you real fast.''

Michael Grabner and J.T. Miller also scored for New York, which recovered after giving up a 2-0 lead.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault treated this one like an important game, going to Lundqvist again.

''Like I said before, it was a big game and Henrik had been playing real well,'' he said. ''I just thought it was the right thing to do.''

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy thought the penalty in OT was the correct call.

''It was all three of them. Sometimes you try to gain an advantage and get away with it.'' he said. ''I can't complain about it. It's a lousy way to lose.''

NEW YORK (AP) As he has so many times before, Henrik Lundqvist kept the New York Rangers in the game long enough for its scorers to break through.

Lundqvist stopped 39 shots, Paul Carey scored twice and the Rangers beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night to win their third straight. Kevin Hayes and Michael Grabner also scored for New York, and Nick Holden and David Desharnais each had two assists.

It was the 422nd career win for the 35-year-old Lundqvist, who is 9-2 over his past 12 starts, including a no decision.

''I think the way I take care of myself right now as I am getting older - the way I eat, the way I sleep, the way I prepare - I try to do everything I can to stay on top of my game,'' Lundqvist said. ''I feel like the team is playing really well and that's helpful. I can focus on the shooter a lot. It's a big thing for me to commit to the shooter a lot more, feeling that support from the guys around me.''

Ondrej Kase scored for the Ducks, who have lost three straight. John Gibsonmade 28 saves.

The Ducks outshot the Rangers 16-10 in the first period and had several quality scoring opportunities. However, Lundqvist covered up a few defensive breakdowns, giving New York's offense time to get on track.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Brian Boyle didn't take any extra satisfaction in playing a big role against the New York Rangers, his former team.

The satisfaction came from giving the New Jersey Devils a big win in a rivalry game that had a playoff atmosphere.

Boyle continued his remarkable comeback from cancer by scoring the tying goal in the third period and the game-winner in a shootout as the Devils overcame a season-high 45 saves by Henrik Lundqvist in a 4-3 victory Thursday night.

Boyle has been on a tear. He has nine goals and six assists this season, including three goals and four assists in the last three games, all Devils wins.

''I'd like to have them every night,'' Boyle said when asked about his emotions. ''I play a little bit better and tonight was against a rivalry team and a team that has played some great hockey the last two months. We're out to prove we're legit and we have to earn that every single night.''

The Devils are doing that. They had the worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, but are currently 20-9-5 and tied for the second-most points in the conference.

After a slow start, the Rangers are three points behind the Devils, who have played one fewer game.

''It's critical, try to push them down, even by a point,'' said New Jersey goalie Cory Schneider, who made 25 saves plus pivotal shootout stops on Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Shattenkirk. ''We still have a lot of hockey left, but this one feels good.''

John Moore and Blake Coleman also scored in regulation, and Kyle Palmiericonverted in a four-round shootout for the Devils.

Vesey, Nick Holden and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, who had won three in a row. Mika Zibanejad had a goal in the shootout.

Boyle tied the game at 3 with 8:06 left in regulation on a power-play goal on a whirling backhander in close.

Hayes had given the Rangers the lead earlier in the period, banking a pass from behind the net off the skate of New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson past Schneider.

Lundqvist was the only reason the game was tied 2-all after two periods. He stopped 36 of 38 shots in the first 40 minutes, including 22 of 23 in the second period. The only one that got past him was a short-handed wrist shot by Coleman on a 2-on-1 break with 3:33 left in the period.

The goal came a little more than a minute after an apparent tying goal by Nico Hischier was waved off because of a cross-checking penalty on Palmieri in front of the Rangers net.

''Thinking back on the first two periods, we did everything we could to lose that game,'' Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. ''There was one player who wouldn't let us lose it and that was Hank. He played unreal.''

New York built a 2-1 lead in the first period despite being outshot 15-10. Vesey tied it 1-all at 9:55, scoring off a scramble in front of Schneider. Holden put the Rangers ahead a little more than two minutes later, lifting the rebound of Chris Kreider's shot over Schneider.

NEW YORK (AP) A healthy Auston Matthews clearly makes a difference as the Rangers learned in a tense late-December battle with the Maple Leafs.

Matthews led Toronto to a 3-2 victory against New York in his first game back since suffering a concussion on Dec. 9. He scored the winning goal midway through the second period and the Leafs held off a late push.

''Having one of the best players in the world back in the lineup is a pretty nice Christmas gift,'' veteran forward Matt Martin said.

Nylander and Ron Hainsey also scored for Toronto, and Frederik Anderson stopped 30 shots.

Matthews sat out the previous six games. The top pick in the 2016 draft made a pretty move just outside the crease to give the Maple Leafs a 3-1 lead at 11:22 of the second period. Zach Hyman and William Nylanderassisted on the play.

''The lineup is better and deeper and when you get Matty back it is what you do and (Zach) Hyman was what he was,'' Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. ''Willy (Nylander) is a much better winger than he is at center at this point in his career and when you get him back we are a much deeper team. Obviously, that makes a big difference, plus we had a chance to freshen up.''

Jimmy Vesey and J.T. Miller scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvistmade 34 saves that included two breakaway stops on Matthews and James van Riemsdyk. New York dropped only its third game at Madison Square Garden in the last 15 contests.

The Rangers appeared to have tied it at 3 at 12:09 of the third period. Michael Grabner snuck a shot between Anderson's pads. However, Babcock challenged the play and the call was overturned after the referees determined Kevin Hayes was offside.

NEW YORK (AP) Ondrej Pavelec and Philipp Grubauer were unbeatable for 65 minutes. Pavelec kept it up in the shootout, and the New York Rangers finally found a way to score on the Washington Capitals' goalie.

Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad scored in the tiebreaker to lift the Rangers to a 1-0 victory over their Metropolitan Division rivals on Wednesday night.

Pavelec stopped all 30 shots he faced through overtime and then denied T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin in the shootout. The backup goalie's first shutout this season and the 18th of his career helped the Rangers improve to 4-1-1 in their last six games.

''We played really well defensively, especially in the third period,'' Pavelec said. ''We had a great start. We set the tone in the first period. The second period we were up and down. ... That's a really dangerous team if you put them on the power play and I think we did a great job. Overall, I think we can be happy with the effort and move on.''

After neither team could get anything past the backup goalies through overtime, Zuccarello finally put one past Grubauer on the first shootout attempt as he skated in, moved to the right and beat the Washington goalie with a backhand. Pavelec then stopped Oshie and, after Zibanejad also beat Grubauer from the right side, the Rangers' goalie denied Ovechkin to secure the win.

Asked what he was thinking as Ovechkin was approaching on his attempt, Pavelec said: ''That I have to make the save. That's pretty much all you can do, just focus on you. ... He has some moves and he can shoot the puck really well. I was just trying to be patient and be square. Actually, I didn't make that save, he missed the net.''

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault praised his team's defensive effort in the first game after the NHL's three-day Christmas break.

''I'm hoping that we are going to continue to play that way,'' Vigneault said. ''A big part of tonight if you want to talk about our defensive game was our play with the puck. Play with the puck quick, make the right decisions, and you can create some great looks offensively like I thought we did.''

Grubauer had 37 saves for the Capitals, who have lost three straight (0-1-2) since winning 11 of 13.

DETROIT (AP) Jimmy Howard grew up in Syracuse, New York, cheering on big Rangers' victories. He's since learned to take a little pleasure in their losses, too.

Howard made 37 saves, including a penalty-shot stop on Brady Skjei in overtime, and foiled all three Rangers in the shootout as the Detroit Red Wings beat New York 3-2 on Friday night.

''Being my childhood team, I always enjoy going out and playing against them,'' said Howard, who is 6-3-3 lifetime against the Rangers with a 1.72 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.

Frans Nielsen scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Wings to the victory. Nielsen beat Henrik Lundqvist through the pads for his 47th career shootout goal and 21st winner, both NHL records.

''He's got so many moves in the shootout that you never know what he's going to do,'' Lundqvist said.

Both the Wings and Howard ended three-game skids.

''Howie was big in the shootout, the whole game,'' Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. ''He always plays good against Lundqvist.''

Lundqvist has also enjoyed his share of success against the Wings. He's 7-1-2 in his last 10 decisions versus Detroit dating back to March 21, 2012, and his goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.937) against the Wings are his best against any opponent.

''It's always fun, it's always a great battle,'' Howard said of facing Lundqvist. ''He's one of the best in the league and he has been for a while.''

Zetterberg and Andreas Athanasiou scored for the Wings, and David Desharnais and Vinni Lettieri scored for New York.

Zetterberg stuffed his own rebound behind Lundqvist at 7:05 of the third period to tie it at 2. It was his second goal in 30 games.

''It's nice to win, it's nice to get two points,'' Zetterberg said. ''But we've got to do it again and again and again.''

The Wings have fallen 11 points behind the Boston Bruins for the third Atlantic Division playoff position and are nine points behind the New York Islanders for the final Eastern Conference wild card.

Lettieri, making his NHL debut, drove a cross-ice feed from Boo Nieves for his first goal 3:25 into the third.

''The skill level here is incredible for every player, and you really have to stay focused,'' Lettieri said. ''I was nervous on my first couple shifts, but I settled down after that.''

The Rangers, who didn't get their first shot on goal until 6:31 into the first, opened the scoring with 2:25 remaining in the period. Left unattended at the edge of the crease, Desharnais easily shoveled Jimmy Vesey's feed to end an 11-game scoring drought.

NEW YORK (AP) J.T. Miller was in the perfect spot in front of the goal to take advantage of a rebound in overtime and keep the New York Rangers perfect in four regular season outdoor games.

Miller scored a power-play goal 2:43 into the extra period to lift the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday in the NHL's 10th Winter Classic at Citi Field.

The Rangers went on the power play 2:15 into overtime when Jacob Josefson was whistled for tripping Jimmy Vesey. On the winner, Kevin Shattenkirk fired a shot that rebounded right to Miller, who put it in.

''Fortunate to get a good shot to the net,'' Miller said. ''Not too often they come right on the stick like that.''

Paul Carey and Michael Grabner scored in the first period for the Rangers, who improved to a league-best 4-0 in outdoor games during the season. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31 shots to help New York improve to 6-2-3 in its last 11 overall.

''We talked about going into this game there's no way you're going to look back at this as a great memory if you don't win,'' said Lundqvist, who is 4-0-0 with a 1.98 goals-against average outdoors. ''Now we got a big win and we can always look back at this game as a great experience.''

Rasmus Ristolainen had a goal and an assist, Sam Reinhart also scored and Kyle Okposo had two assists for the Sabres. Robin Lehner finished with 39 saves for Buffalo, which has just 10 wins this season but is 4-3-5 in its last 12 games.

''The first 10 minutes were not very good, we were kind of dipping our toe in,'' Okposo said. ''Once we calmed down and played our game, we played well. So I'm proud of the guys, proud of the way we played.''

The game, played at the home of baseball's New York Mets, was on the 10th anniversary of the Sabres' 2-1 shootout loss to Pittsburgh in Buffalo in the first Winter Classic. This was also the league's 24th regular season outdoor game.

Lundqvist made a sensational save on an attempt by Zemgus Girgensonswith 2:12 remaining to keep the score tied.

''It was a fun game to play,'' Lundqvist said. ''Overall, I thought we were the better team, but we took a lot of penalties that put us on our heels a little bit.''

The national anthem was performed by the Every Voice Choirs, a New York City-based group of children born in 2008, the year of the first Winter Classic. The Goo Goo Dolls, a rock band that started in the Buffalo area, performed during the first intermission.

Despite the official temperature at puck drop at 20.5 degrees, the game drew a sellout crowd of 41,821.

''It was loud, the crowd was behind both teams,'' Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. ''It was great for us to find a way to come through in overtime.''

NEW YORK (AP) Jeff Glass is starting to get comfortable in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Glass, the 32-year old rookie who bounced around the hockey world before finally reaching the NHL last month, made 23 saves to lead Chicago to a 5-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

''This is my chance right now,'' Glass said after securing his second career NHL victory. ''We played a strong game as a unit, I just did my part. It was a lot of fun out there.''

Patrick Sharp broke a tie early in the third period as the Blackhawks concluded a six-game trip. Nick Schmaltz, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane also scored

''Contributing offensively is to be expected from every line,'' Sharp said. ''We're more than capable of doing it but more than anything, I thought we played real stingy tonight and didn't give up a whole lot so that was one of the keys tonight.''

Nick Holden and Mika Zibanejad scored for New York in the Rangers' second regulation loss at home since Nov. 28.

New York struggled to get through the neutral zone most of the evening and only converted one power play chance on six opportunities in their first game back since the Winter Classic at Citi Field.

''I saw one team playing hockey and the other chasing the whole night,'' Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. ''It's really disappointing. We know we are coming off a big emotional win and a big stage but we're almost at the halfway point of the season where we need to start playing with some consistency and we didn't give ourselves a chance there. They were able to do whatever they wanted. We didn't finish checks, slow them down, their speed. They had time and space and we left our goalie out to dry.''