Lundqvist makes 39 saves, Rangers beat Blues 2-1

ST. LOUIS (AP) The St. Louis Blues threw everything they could at Henrik Lundqvist over the final two periods and it still wasn't enough.

Lundqvist made 39 saves and the New York Rangers got goals from Mats Zuccarello and Boo Nieves in a 2-1 victory over the Blues on Monday night.

''It was intense. As a goalie, when you feel the guys battle as hard as they do, you get excited,'' Lundqvist said. ''You want to play even harder. You want to make that extra save. We worked so hard and we came up with the big plays at the end and at the right time. That wins you a lot of games in this league.''

New York has won consecutive games for the first time since taking three in a row from Nov. 17-21. The Rangers' 4-3 victory at Nashville on Saturday night was their first on the road in regulation this season, and they followed it right up with another one.

The Rangers had allowed at least four goals in eight of their past 11 games before shutting down St. Louis. The Blues have 11 home losses in regulation this season, tying them with the Coyotes and Kings for most in the NHL.

''We're in a dry spot right now,'' center Jaden Schwartz said.

The only goal Lundqvist gave up came at 10:08 of the first period when the Blues went ahead 1-0. David Perron fed Ryan O'Reilly, who fired a slap shot from the left faceoff circle for his 15th goal.

O'Reilly has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last seven games against Rangers.

''We have to find a way to bury something,'' O'Reilly said. ''We shot a lot of pucks. We had chances. It's simple. It wasn't good enough.''

New York tied it on its third power-play chance in the first period. Zuccarello scored his fourth goal this season when his shot from the right faceoff circle nicked goalie Jake Allen's pad and trickled in at 19:40. It was the seventh time in their last eight games that the Blues have allowed a power-play goal.

The Rangers outshot the Blues 14-7 in the first period.

New York took a 2-1 lead at 3:11 of the second when Nieves scored on a backhand from the right faceoff circle. Ryan Strome and Kevin Shattenkirkwere credited with assists.

Shattenkirk was back in the lineup for the first time since separating his left shoulder Dec. 10 at Tampa Bay. He missed seven games.

Shattenkirk returned to St. Louis for the first time since he was traded to Washington on Feb. 27, 2017. The defenseman played parts of seven seasons with the Blues. He signed a $26.6 million, four-year contract with the Rangers as a free agent in the summer of 2017.

St. Louis had three power-play chances in the second period and outshot New York 17-5 but failed to beat Lundqvist.

For the game, the Blues outshot the Rangers 40-23 - including 16-4 in the third.

''We didn't look like for the last 35 minutes we were skating or interested in confrontation, so you're going to pay the fiddler and we did,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''We got the two points and over an 82-game season you're going to have nights like this. You get two points and you get on the plane and head home and you don't complain about it.''

The Blues finished 0 for 4 on the power play. St. Louis went 3 for 32 on the power play in December.

''We have to find a way to score more goals,'' center Brayden Schenn said. ''We can all make better plays.''

St. Louis pulled Allen, who had 21 saves with 2:35 remaining. The Blues attacked Lundqvist to no avail.

''That's Henrik being Henrik,'' Rangers forward Chris Kreider said. ''When you've got a goalie like that he can cover up a lot of your mistakes and he definitely did tonight.''

NOTES: The Blues fell to 1-16-2 when trailing after two periods. ... Blues C Robby Fabbri was activated from injured reserve and played. Fabbri missed 11 games with a shoulder injury. ... The Blues recalled 20-year-old goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick from their AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. Jordan Binnington, who has been backing up Allen for the past three weeks, was assigned to the Rampage. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Fitzpatrick is in his first professional season. He has appeared in just two games, including one start, for the Rampage. Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Blues with the 59th overall pick in 2016. ... Rangers D Marc Staal played in his 799th career game. ... Rangers forward Filip Chytil, 19, was scratched for the first time in his career. ... Last season, the Blues won both meetings with the Rangers.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

Murray helps Penguins beat Rangers 7-2 for 7th straight win

NEW YORK (AP) Matt Murray doesn't think he's made any big changes since coming back from an injury last month. He's just focusing on details and helping the Pittsburgh Penguins pile up wins.

Murray stopped 28 shots to keep up his strong play since his return, and the Penguins beat the New York Rangers 7-2 Wednesday night for their season-high seventh straight victory.

''There's nothing really game-changing you can do. It's just about doing the little things harder and better,'' said Murray, who improved to 6-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average in six games since Dec. 15.

''Battling through traffic, just competing,'' he added. ''The way the game's played nowadays, there's going to be a lot of tips and screens and weird bounces. You've just got to do your best and put yourself in the best position that you can to make the save.''

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang and Dominik Simon each had a goal and an assist. Zach Aston-Reese and Tanner Pearsonalso scored to help the Penguins win for the ninth time in 10 games. Patric Hornqvist had two assists.

''I don't think we were at our best,'' Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. ''We were opportunistic on some of the chances we got and Matt was there to make timely saves for us.''

Pittsburgh has recovered nicely from a 10-10-5 start. The Penguins are 12-2-1 in their last 15 games.

''Early in the year we might have made mistakes to beat ourselves,'' said Crosby, selected an All-Star for the eighth time earlier in the day. ''We're making teams earn their chances a little more. ... We're getting a lot of different guys contributing.''

Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers, who were 2-0-2 in their previous four games and 2-0-5 in their past seven at home.

Henrik Lundqvist, picked as an All-Star for the fifth time earlier in the day, gave up six goals on 18 shots before he was pulled less than five minutes into the third period. Alexandar Georgiev replaced him and finished with six saves.

''They are incredibly opportunistic,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said of the Penguins. ''I thought they elevated their game. Just one of those nights in the National Hockey League.''

Malkin pushed Pittsburgh's lead to 5-1 with his 13th goal at 1:03 of the third. He brought the puck up the middle, lost control of it as he skated through some Rangers defenders and then made a lunging poke to send it through Lundqvist's legs before sliding into the goalie.

Buchnevich pulled the Rangers back within three just 19 seconds later, putting the puck past Murray from the right side for his seventh.

However, Pearson beat Lundqvist with a shot into the top right corner on a power play for his fifth at 4:40. That ended Lundqvist's night.

''Tonight I couldn't find it for some reason,'' Lundqvist said. ''This was probably my worst game.''

Crosby made it 7-2 with 6:04 left, matching a career high with his fifth straight multipoint game. He has three goals and nine assists during that stretch,

After a scoreless first period, the Penguins took control with four goals in the second - including three in a 5:51 stretch midway through.

Aston-Reese, a native New Yorker facing the Rangers for the first time, got the Penguins on the scoreboard first. He took a pass from Matt Cullen from behind the end line, settled the puck off his skate and beat Lundqvist for his sixth at 6:29.

''Just an incredible feeling,'' Aston-Reese said. ''A local kid ... that's something you dream about when you're little. To have it actually happen is huge.''

Guentzel, who signed a five-year, $30 million contract extension last week, doubled the lead with 8:39 left in the period as his shot from the left circle deflected off Rangers defenseman Marc Staal's stick into the left corner for his 17th.

Letang made it 3-0 when he beat Lundqvist for his ninth with 7:40 left.

Strome got the Rangers on the scoreboard only 26 seconds later with a deflection of Brady Skjei's shot past Murray.

Simon restored Pittsburgh's three-goal lead with his fifth with 4:15 remaining in the middle period.

NOTES: Murray also moved to 8-0 in his career against the Rangers, including the playoffs.. ... Crosby has four goals and 14 assists in his last 10 games. ... Pittsburgh forward Phil Kessel was held without a point, ending a streak of three consecutive three-point games. ... The teams play three more times this season: on Feb. 17 at Pittsburgh, March 25 back in New York, and April 6 at Pittsburgh. ... Staal appeared in his 800th regular-season game, becoming the 10th player in franchise history to play that many with the Rangers. Staal also joined brothers Eric (1,130) and Jordan (872) to become the first trio of siblings in NHL history to each play at least 800.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host Winnipeg on Friday night to open a three-game homestand.

Rangers: At Colorado on Friday night to begin a three-game road trip.

Avalanche break 6-game skid with 6-1 win over Rangers

DENVER (AP) The Colorado Avalanche had New York boxed in from the start.

All game, really, with Colorado going on 10 power plays to keep the Rangerson the defensive throughout.

Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen set the early tone with power-play goals in the first period, helping the Avalanche end a six-game slide with a 6-1 win over the Rangers on Friday night.

Colorado finished with its most power-play opportunities since Oct. 16, 2008, when the team had 11 against Philadelphia.

''The way we've been struggling lately it feels so good to get a win,'' defenseman Tyson Barrie said.

Gabriel Landeskog added a goal off his right skate, Alexander Kerfoot tipped in a shot, Rantanen deflected in yet another and Ryan Graves closed out the scoring with his first career NHL goal as a struggling Avalanche squad won for the first time since Dec. 19.

Colorado finished 3 of 10 on the power play, with two of the goals scored following a 5-minute boarding call on former Avalanche player Cody McLeod just 2 1/2 minutes in.

''It's been losing hockey. It's been negative - negative video, a negative vibe around the rink,'' MacKinnon said. ''It's nice to finally end it.''

To Rangers coach David Quinn, this loss boiled down to one thing - all those penalties. The Avalanche had 15:23 of power-play time.

''You have zero chance to win a hockey game in that way,'' Quinn said. ''It wasn't our night from the get-go. We created a lot of our own problems with the penalties.''

Philipp Grubauer made 24 saves, including one on a penalty shot by Jimmy Vesey late in the third.

Ryan Strome scored the Rangers' lone goal midway through third period on a night they were outshot by a 47-25 margin. Alexandar Georgiev attempted to keep things close while giving Henrik Lundqvist a night off. Lundqvist was pulled Wednesday after allowing six goals in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Barrie had three assists to give him 278 career points, the most by a defenseman in franchise history. Barrie broke the mark held by John-Michael Liles.

''Finally nice to get it out of the way and put it behind me,'' Barrie said. '' It's something I can look back on and take pride in it. Johnny's a great guy and a great player, so it's nice to pass him and take him out to dinner.''

After the morning skate, the Avalanche reiterated over and over the importance of a fast start to break out of their 0-4-2 skid.

This helped their cause: Going on the power play early when McLeod slammed the face of defenseman Samuel Girard into the glass on a big hit. MacKinnon scored on a high wrist shot over Georgiev's glove at 4:40, with Rantanen adding another 2:13 later when his pass went in off the stick of New York defenseman Neal Pionk.

''It's hard to play games when you sit that long in the box,'' Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello said. ''At the end of the day, they were the better team than us.''

Colorado was getting all the bounces, with Landeskog knocking in a goal with his right skate midway through the second period. The Avalanche led 5-0 in the third before Strome ended Grubauer's shutout bid on a breakaway.

Graves scored his first career goal following a rebound in the third. He was selected by New York in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, before being dealt to Colorado last February.

''Regardless of who we were playing, it's pretty sweet,'' Graves said of his goal.

NOTES: Rangers C Kevin Hayes missed the game with an upper body injury. ... Avalanche G Semyon Varlamov remains day-to-day with a lower body injury. ... The Avs are stumping for Landeskog to make the All-Star team through the ''Last Men In'' vote from the fans. There were buttons and signs that read, ''Vote Gabe in.'' ... MacKinnon and Landeskog each have 25 goals this season.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: Stop No. 2 on a three-game trip will be Sunday in Arizona.

Garland, Kuemper help Coyotes beat Rangers 5-0

Garland was credited with two goals - the first appearing to just graze his uniform - and Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for his first shutout of the season and 12th overall to help the Coyotes beat the New York Rangers 5-0 on Sunday to end a three-game losing streak.

''If you look at his goals, too, I don't care if they go off his pants or not, he's in front of the net,'' Arizona coach Rick Tocchet, who recorded his 100th NHL victory. ''It doesn't matter how they go in. I have to give him a lot of credit because he is in front of the net.''

Garland was stationed just outside the crease when Oliver Ekman-Larsson's wrister from inside the blue line got past Henrik Lundqvist on a power play to open the scoring at 7:19 of the first period, the beginning of another tough game for Lundqvist.

Alex Galchenyuk had a goal and two assists, and Mario Kempe and Clayton Keller also scored as the Coyotes scored all their goals in the first two period while winning for the second time in their last nine home games

Galchenyuk has 10 points in his last eight games and Garland has three goals in his last two games and five in his last seven. He was recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League early last month.

''I feel more comfortable every game,'' Garland said. ''You get to see film, talk to the coaches after a game and pick up new things. It is slowing down. It feels good.''

Lundqvist stopped 27 of 32 shots before being replaced by Alexander Georgiev with 3:22 left in the second period. Lundqvist also was pulled in his last start, a 7-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

The Rangers have been outscored 18-3 while losing three straight games and have lost six of eight and nine of 12. They were shut out for the third time this season and have given up four power play goals in the last two games - three in a 6-1 loss at Colorado on Friday night.

''We're fragile mentally and physically right now, the ways things are going,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said.

''There are a whole heap of problems, and we have to address them. We had no legs today. They had way more jump than we did. It was every man. We just didn't have any energy. You can't play with no energy in this league.''

The Coyotes had scored only four goals in their last three games and had been held to one or fewer goals in seven of their last 12, including a 3-2 overtime loss to New Jersey on Friday.

''We wanted a good bounce-back game, and it starts with the first period,'' Garland said.

Kempe made it 2-0 exactly two minutes later when the Rangers could not clear a bouncing puck near the left circle. Kempe fired a wrist shot that beat Lundqvist high to the blocker side.

Garland struck again at 6:34 of the second, when a shot from the slot deflected off Kevin Shattenkirk's stick and fluttered past Lundqvist. Galchenyuk's poke check at his own blue line started the rush.

''We're not starting very well, and it's snow-balling on us,'' New York's Marc Staal said.

Keller and Galchenyuk added goals in second, with Keller's shot through the five-hole sending Lundqvist to the bench.

NOTES: Rangers center Kevin Hayes, who is second on the team with 34 points, did not play for the second straight game. He suffered what is believed to be mid-body injury when he ran into the boards in a Dec. 14 game against the Coyotes. ... The Rangers played the eighth game of a stretch in which they are to play 12 games in 23 days in four time zones. They are 2-4-2 thus far. ... Kuemper's mask was knocked off by Brandon Smith's wrist shot 1:30 into the second period, and play was stopped while he got a new one. ... The Coyotes swept the two-game season series after overcoming a 3-0 lead for a 4-3 overtime victory in New York on Dec. 14. ... Tocchet was asked about his 100th victory: ''It took a long time,'' he said, smiling. It came in his 272nd game over three-plus seasons, the first two with Tampa Bay.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Vegas on Tuesday night.

Coyotes: At Vancouver on Thursday night.

Golden Knights beat Rangers 4-2 for 7th straight victory

Fleury, who leads the NHL with 25 wins and 39 starts this season, has 429 career victories and is eight shy of tying Jacques Plante for eighth place.

Cody Eakin, Brandon Pirri, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan Carpenterscored for the Golden Knights, who once again moved into a first-place tie with Calgary in the Western Conference. Both teams have 58 points.

The Golden Knights, who improved to 15-3-3 at home, are 19-4-3 overall since Nov. 18, when Nate Schmidt returned to the team after serving a 20-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Vegas owns the NHL's longest active home point streak (10-0-2) since Nov. 23, matching the 12-game home point streak it accomplished last season.

Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast scored for the Rangers. Backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 27 shots but has allowed nine goals in his last two starts.

New York has been outscored 22-5 during a four-game losing streak.

Though the Rangers have earned at least one point in 10 of their past 13 games against Western Conference opponents, the last three games of their four-game skid came on the road at Colorado, Arizona and Vegas.

Vegas opened the scoring when Alex Tuch chipped a pass backward to Eakin, who flew through the neutral zone and beat Georgiev on a breakaway for his 13th goal of the season. Tuch extended his point streak to seven games (two goals, six assists) and leads Vegas with 34 points.

The Golden Knights extended the lead to 2-0 when Max Pacioretty's slap shot from the circle trickled through Georgiev's pads, clanked off the post and landed in perfect position for Pirri to tap it in. Pirri, recalled on Monday, has seven goals in eight games for Vegas.

Pirri's power-play goal snapped Vegas' 0-for-17 slump with the man advantage, a drought that spanned seven games.

After Deryk Engelland swatted the puck from Fleury's crease, Marchessault picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated in on a breakaway to beat Georgiev top shelf and give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead late in the second period.

The Rangers ruined Fleury's bid for a seventh shutout this season, and 55th of his career, when they executed a rush perfectly for a backdoor one-timer by Zibanejad to make it 3-1 with 8:17 left.

The goal snapped Fleury's scoreless streak at 134:46. Fleury has 68 career shutouts overall - 54 in the regular season and 14 in the playoffs - and the team he has the most against is the Rangers (seven).

Carpenter had an empty-net goal before Fast scored with 23 seconds remaining.

NOTES: Vegas top-line forward Reilly Smith was placed on injured reserve shortly before the game. ... The Rangers dropped to 5-1-0 on Tuesdays. ... New York forward Jimmy Vesey played in his 200th game. ... Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist, selected for his fifth All-Star Game, is one appearance from tying Plante for 12th place on the career list with 837.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the rival New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Bailey scores late to lift Isles over Rangers yet again

NEW YORK (AP) A mostly quiet third period nearly cost the New York Islanders. It took just one shot by Josh Bailey to make up for it.

Bailey scored with 1:26 remaining - on the Islanders' first shot on goal in the period - to edge the Rangers 4-3 on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.

''It was pretty ugly on our part,'' said Mathew Barzal, who had a goal and two assists. ''We all know that, our coaches know that. ... It was a tough period, but it was obviously nice to get a goal there at the end.''

Cal Clutterbuck found Bailey cutting to the back post, and he beat Henrik Lundqvist to help the Islanders improve to 13-2-0 in the last 15 meetings between the Big Apple rivals.

''We found a way,'' Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. ''One shot, and our shooting percentage is really good.''

Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee also scored for the Islanders, Johnny Boychukhad two assists, and Robin Lehner made 27 saves.

''We want to be peaking at the right time and playing our best hockey coming up here,'' Bailey said. ''You're going to have your moments where you're maybe not at your best, but in those moments, good teams around the league find a way to win.''

Ryan Strome, Kevin Shattenkirk and Jesper Fast scored for the Rangers, who dropped their fifth straight to open 2019. Lundqvist stopped 16 shots.

''We have a lot to compare it to because we've had some heartbreaking losses, but that's right up there,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''It might be at the top of the list.''

Fast tied it 3-3 midway through the third period by knocking the puck out of the air and past Lehner. That came after Lee put the Islanders ahead 3-2 by redirecting Nick Leddy's slap shot on the power play early in the second period.

''Obviously, it's a tough one,'' Lundqvist said of the loss. ''We played really well and put ourselves in a really good spot to win the game. I don't know what to say.''

Strome, a former Islander, opened the scoring 1:38 into the game with a power-play goal, but Barzal answered just 53 seconds later with a nifty deke past Lundqvist. The speedy forward has been terrific against the Rangers, recording 14 points in seven games. Barzal will represent the Islanders at All-Star weekend in San Jose.

''He was good,'' Trotz said. ''I thought he played the right way, he had the puck all night, lots of legs and all that. His line was really good. You look at the scoresheet and you can see his line and his linemates, that's where all the points are.''

Eberle made it 2-1 five minutes later after mishandling a puck but recovering to snap a wrist shot by Lundqvist.

Shattenkirk tied it 2-2 when he scored his second of the season at 1:11 of the middle frame.

NOTES: Lundqvist appeared in his 837th career game, tying Jacques Plante for 12th place on the NHL's career list. ... Rangers F Kevin Hayes missed his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. .... Rangers scratched Ds Tony DeAngelo and Brendan Smith. ... Islanders scratched Fs Michael Dal Colle and Tom Kuhnhackl along with D Lucas Sbisa.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Visit Islanders on Saturday

Islanders: Host Rangers on Saturday.

Zuccarello, Rangers get 1st win at Barclays Center vs Isles

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers knew all about their long-running struggles in Brooklyn. Any win over the Islanders these days was going to be welcome.

Mats Zuccarello's well-placed skate sent the Rangers happily back to Manhattan.

Zuccarello scored late in the third period, redirecting a shot from the point with his foot to lift the Rangers over the Islanders 2-1 on Saturday for their first ever win at Barclays Center. Filip Chytil also scored and Alexandar Georgiev made 24 saves to help the Rangers win in Brooklyn for the first time since their intra-city rivals began playing home games there in 2015.

The Islanders had been 13-2-0 in the teams' previous 15 meetings overall.

''We didn't talk about it before the game or anything, but I was well aware,'' Marc Staal said. ''It was nice to see that goal go in during the third and us able to hang on and get a win.''

The Rangers had been 0-6-1 in their previous seven games in Brooklyn, with their only point coming on Dec. 2, 2015 in a shootout loss.

''We have to string a few more like this together,'' Brady Skjei said. ''Keep building off this one and get back in the playoff hunt.''

The game completed a home-and-home between the Islanders and Rangers, which began on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. It also marked the final meeting between the Big Apple rivals this season, with each team winning two games.

Saturday's win was an important one for the Rangers, who had yet to win since the calendar flipped to 2019. The Rangers had been 0-5-0 since the start of January and scored three or more goals just once in that span.

''We battled. We were determined to get a win here finally,'' Mika Zibanejadsaid. ''I thought we played right from minute one. Just battled hard on the PK, on the power play, 5-on-5. It was a really good win and I'm happy.''

Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Islanders and Robin Lehner made 24 saves in his second consecutive start. Saturday was the Islanders second loss in their last three games, but they remain in a wild-card spot a point ahead of the Montreal, which plays Saturday night against Colorado.

''I thought our game was way better than it was last game,'' Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. ''We weren't able to capitalize on some of our chances. We had a big 5-on-3 kill for and we sort of gave it right back to them. ... We got the lead we just couldn't put them away.''

Beauvillier broke a scoreless tie at 8:40 of the second period. The forward took a pass from Josh Bailey near the side of the net, quickly spun around and slid the puck past Georgiev.

The goal came moments after the Islanders' Nick Leddy hit the post with a backhand.

Chytil evened it at 14:09 after an Islanders turnover in the neutral zone. The goal was Chytil's seventh of the season and came just after the Islanders had managed to kill a five-on-three advantage for the Rangers.

NOTES: The Rangers had been 2-6-2 in their previous 10 games. The Islanders had been 8-2-0. ... Rangers F Kevin Hayes missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Islanders D Luca Sbisa appeared in his first game since Dec. 23 against Dallas. He has appeared in nine games this season with the Islanders. ... The Rangers scratched D Brendan Smith and D Neal Poinl. ... The Islanders scratched D Adam Pelech, F Tom Kuhnhackl and F Michael Dal Colle.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: At Columbus on Sunday night.

Foligno leads scoring flurry, Blue Jackets beat Rangers 7-5

It wasn't going to be that easy, though.

The New York Rangers scored two quick goals later in the third to turn a rout into a tight game down the stretch. It wasn't until Nick Foligno scored a wrap-around goal with 1:21 left that Columbus had some breathing room on the way to 7-5 victory.

Foligno scored twice and Sergei Bobrovsky returned from a team suspension to stop 22 shots for the Blue Jackets, who have won four of the last five and jumped Pittsburgh to move into second place behind Washington in the Metropolitan Division.

''It's a weird game when you're up 6-3 and they're pushing and pressing and get some flukey ones,'' Foligno said. ''But we stuck with it and did the right things and found a way to get the job done. That's what you have to do - you don't care how it gets done, just get those two points.''

Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist, Ryan Murray had two assists and nine other Blue Jackets picked up points in the offensive explosion. Columbus had 19 shots in the first period and outshot the Rangers 40-27 for the game.

''We had the puck all night long,'' Columbus coach John Tortorella said.

Mats Zuccarello had two goals, and Ryan Stome, Chris Kreider and Jimmy Vesey also scored for New York, which has lost six of the last seven and is languishing near the bottom of the Metro.

Alexandar Georgiev, spelling regular starter Henrik Lungqvist on the second night of a back-to-back, had 33 saves.

Rangers coach David Quinn channeled the salty Tortorella in his postgame comments, referring to his team's effort as ''a freakin' joke.'' The Rangers, he said, lacked what he called ''a bit of a snarl.''

''(Columbus is) a team that competes hard on pucks and tests your mettle, and we failed miserably tonight,'' Quinn said. ''Miserably. Our lack of determination on one-on-one battles, fishing for pucks. You do that in this league, that's what happens ... .''

Anthony Duclair, Lukas Sedlak and David Savard also scored for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky - who had been benched for Thursday's game for violating a team policy and didn't play in Saturday's overtime win over Washington - wasn't terrific, but held off the Rangers after they pulled the goalie for a sixth skater late in the game.

The team didn't release details of what happened with the two-time Vezina Trophy winner, but Bobrovsky acknowledged he let his emotions run away him. He said he spoke to the team and cleared the air.

''We'll move ahead,'' said Bobrovsky, who hasn't been able to come to terms with the team on a contract extension and may be traded. ''I'll get back to work and do my thing, try to do my best to help this team win.''

NOTES: Columbus' 19 shots in the first were the most in a period for the team this season. ... Blue Jackets D Zach Werenski played in his 200th NHL game. He had the assist on Atkinson's second-period goal. ... Rick Nash, who was the first star of the Columbus franchise, did the ceremonial puck drop. The 34-year-old Nash retired because of concussion issues after 15 seasons. ... New York D Neal Pionk returned after missing a game with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

New York: Hosts Carolina on Tuesday.

Zibanejad, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 6-2 win over Hurricanes

NEW YORK (AP) With players up and down the lineup producing multiple points, the New York Rangers broke through for a confidence-building victory they desperately needed.

Mika Zibanejad had two goals and two assists to help the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Pavel Buchnevich and Tony DeAngelo also scored twice for New York. Mats Zuccarello had three assists and Chris Kreider added two as the Rangers won for only the second time in eight games.

Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves for his 444th win, one behind Terry Sawchuk for sixth place on the NHL's career list.

''I think we played faster, played simpler,'' Zibanejad said after tying his career high with four points. ''We scored on the power play, took advantage of the chances we had. It was a good response from the guys.''

Saku Maenalanen had two goals and Curtis McElhinney stopped 22 shots but the Hurricanes lost for just the second time since the new year.

Zibanejad scored his first goal after McElhinney misread a long carom off the end boards. Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk sent the puck deep from just inside the red line and Kreider controlled it a few feet in front of the goalie. McElhinney misjudged the bounce and came out too far, allowing Zibanejad an easy tap-in opportunity at 12:41 of the first period.

''I don't think we had enough guys emotionally invested,'' Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''Special teams killed us. We needed a little more from some guys. Just didn't have it tonight.''

Zibanejad scored again when Zuccarello delivered a backhand pass from below the goal line at 14:22 to give New York a 3-1 lead. Kreider got his second assist of the game on the play.

Zuccarello has six points in the past three games.

''You just see a little bit more of a bounce in his step. His personality is back. He is playing with a lot of passion and enthusiasm,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''Best hockey he's played since the season started, for sure.''

DeAngelo, skating in his 100th NHL game, opened the scoring when a fluttering wrist shot sailed past McElhinney at 1:16 of the first. Jimmy Veseyand Boo Nieves assisted.

''The big thing when you have a good start and cash in a couple of goals is not to have a letdown,'' Lundqvist said. ''We continued to push hard and keep our focus. It's a step for us in becoming a better team.''

Carolina knotted the score at 9:24 when Maenalanen benefited from Brett Howden's turnover. The rookie center struggled to control a pass in his own end and Maenalanen took advantage, scoring his third career goal. Howden skated on the fourth line for the second consecutive game after spending a majority of the season on one of New York's top three offensive trios.

Maenalanen also redirected Victor Rask's wrist shot at 11:51 of the third period. Justin Faulk assisted on the play.

Buchnevich scored the first of two power-play goals at 3:41 of the second when Zibanejad found the Russian all alone at the top of the crease. Zuccarello also had an assist.

Buchnevich added his second of the game and ninth this season early in the third period. Zibanejad and Zuccarello assisted on the goal.

DeAngelo scored his fourth of the season at 12:55 of the third to extend New York's lead to 6-2. Nieves and Vladislav Namestnikov helped set up the goal.

''We have to keep building off this,'' Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei said. ''One game is not going to change the season.''

NOTES: Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren made his NHL debut. The 20-year-old Minnesota native was acquired at the trade deadline last season from the Boston Bruins as part of a package for recently retired Rick Nash. ... Zuccarello passed Anders Hedberg for the most assists by a Rangers player born and trained outside North America. ... Kevin Hayes missed his seventh straight game with an upper-body injury but skated in a non-contact jersey at the most recent practice. ... Rangers defenseman Neal Pionk missed the game due to a lingering lower-body injury. ... New York scratched defenseman Brendan Smith. Carolina scratched forward Clark Bishop.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host the Ottawa Senators on Friday.

Rangers: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

Kreider, Lundqvist lead Rangers to 4-3 win over Blackhawks

Chris Kreider had a goal and an assist, Henrik Lundqvist moved into a tie for sixth place on the NHL's career wins list and the Rangers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 Thursday night for their third victory in four games.

The Rangers won nine of 11 to move to 12-8-2 heading into Thanksgiving, but then followed that with just five wins in 21 games (5-11-5). Now, coming off a 6-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday night, New York has consecutive wins for only the second time since a three-game streak Nov. 17-21.

''I think guys are just sick of losing,'' coach David Quinn said. ''Sometimes you employ your will in those situations and just make sure you do everything you can under your control to make sure that you get your job done and do your part. ... I think we've done a better job of that over the last few games.''

Mats Zuccarello, Filip Chytil and Mika Zibanejad also scored for New York. The line of Zibanejad, Zuccarello and Kreider has totaled nine goals and 10 assists over the last four games.

''We're skating with confidence,'' Zibanejad said, ''just demanding the puck, all three of us. Just holding onto pucks and making the right plays, not overthinking things.''

Lundqvist stopped 24 shots to tie Terry Sawchuk with 445 wins, nine behind Curtis Joseph for fifth place.

''It's an honor to be up there, getting closer and closer to and already passing names that meant a lot to me growing up,'' Lundqvist said. ''It's a very cool feeling.''

Brandon Saad, Alex DeBrincat and Dominik Kahun scored for Chicago, which has lost five straight (0-3-2) and seven of eight. Collin Delia, making his eighth start of the season, finished with 29 saves.

''We just have to stop giving them chances off our mistakes,'' DeBrincat said. ''Teams capitalize on that and we've just got to play, battle a full 60 minutes and not give up those Grade-A chances.''

DeBrincat pulled the Blackhawks to 3-2 with his 24th goal on a one-timer off a pass from Eric Gustafsson at 1:40 of the third period. It was Chicago's second power-play goal of the night and ninth during a seven-game streak with at least one.

Delia, 0-2-3 in his last five starts, made a stellar save on Jimmy Vesey in front about six minutes later, and corralled an attempt by Zuccarello from the left circle with 7:40 left to keep Chicago within one.

New York went on its first power play of the game less than 30 seconds later and managed six shots on goal during the advantage, but Delia stopped them all.

Zibanejad scored an empty-netter with 18 seconds remaining to give the Rangers a two-goal lead. Kahun beat Lundqvist from between the circles with 1.5 seconds left for the final margin.

With the Rangers leading 2-1 after one period, Zibanejad appeared to push the lead to two a little more than seven minutes into the second, but his goal was overturned after a coach's challenge for offside.

Kreider put New York up 3-1 on his 22nd with 6:51 left in the middle period after Zuccarello's centering pass for Brady Skjei was deflected by Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith.

Saad got the Blackhawks on the scoreboard first with a power-play goal 5:41 into the game, putting in a rebound of Artem Anisimov's deflection off a post for his 14th.

Chytil tied it with 6:40 left in the first as he picked up a loose puck in the defensive zone, skated up the right side, sped around fellow 19-year-old Henri Jokiharju, skated in on Delia and fired the puck into the top right corner for his eighth.

The Rangers went ahead a little more than four minutes later when Zuccarello knocked in a deflection off a post by Kreider with 2:22 left in the period. It was Zuccarello's eighth goal of the season, and fourth in the last four games.

''We had a couple of letdowns, mental errors,'' Chicago coach Jeremy Colliton said. ''I thought we played really well at the beginning of the game, scored the first goal and things are going well. And then we end up down 2-1. Again, we're playing uphill after that.''

NOTES: Patrick Kane had an assist on DeBrincat's goal, extending his point streak to seven games (10 assists, 15 points). It was his 554th career assist, tying Doug Wilson for third place in franchise history. Stan Mikita leads with 926 and Denis Savard is second with 719. ... Rangers forward Kevin Hayesmissed his eighth straight game due to an upper-body injury. ... Zuccarello, who had a career-high three assists in New York's 6-2 win against Carolina on Tuesday night, extended his point streak to four games.

UP NEXT

Blackhawks: Host the Washington Capitals on Sunday to open a two-game homestand before the All-Star Game.

Rangers: At the Boston Bruins on Saturday night in their final game before the All-Star break.

Zibanejad, Lundqvist lead Rangers past Bruins 3-2

He'll also have some time to reflect on his climb up the NHL's career wins list.

Lundqvist made 27 saves to take over sole possession of sixth place in wins and New York beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 Saturday night.

''I'm very proud to be on that list,'' Lundqvist said. ''It's not something you think about when you start your career or seven, eight, nine years into your career. When you reach top 10, that's probably the first time you look at that list.''

Mika Zibanejad scored two goals and Filip Chytil had the other for New York, and Lundqvist got his 446th win to break a tie with Terry Sawchuk and move eight behind Curtis Joseph for fifth. It was New York's fourth win in five games, and its eighth in the last nine meetings against Boston.

The Rangers will now be off for nine days for their bye week and the All-Star break.

''I think it's good to get a break and reflect why did we have a good week here,'' Lundqvist said. ''Maybe we can do that on the beach somewhere and come back recharged.''

Danton Heinen and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who lost in regulation for just the second time in 10 games (7-2-1). Boston also lost starting goalie Tuukka Rask to a concussion late in the first period.

''He's concussed and that's all I know, so he'll go into the protocol,'' Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. ''Best case scenario for those is next day he's up and running.''

Rask was hurt in a hard collision with Chytil, who was sent flying into his head by Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy after scoring a goal charging the net at full speed with 1 1/2 minutes left in the opening period.

The hit sent Rask onto his back, where he was down for a while before being helped to the bench and down the tunnel to the locker room. He entered tied with Cecil ''Tiny'' Thompson as the winningest goaltender in club history with 252 victories and was 6-0-1 in his previous seven starts. Rask had six saves and backup Jaroslav Halak finished with 11.

''It was scary,'' McAvoy said. ''He seemed down and out. You saw firsthand the force that the guy went right into him. It didn't look good right away. I just wanted to make sure he was OK. He came back to and we got him off the ice. Just hopefully he's feeling all right.''

Zibanejad scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with wrist shot from the top of the left circle with 10:55 left in the third.

''You want to go into the break with a good feeling especially when you're sitting with this game for nine days,'' he said.

He became the second player in team history to score the winning goal in three straight games. Rod Gilbert did it in 1966.

New York coach David Quinn, who led Boston University the last five seasons and played at the school, was back in TD Garden for the first time with the Rangers. Hanging above the ice was the Hockey East tourney championship banner the Terriers won last March.

Trailing 2-1, Boston tied it on Marchand's goal when banged in a shot from the top of the crease off David Pastrnak's feed 3:24 into the third.

With both teams facing the long layoff, the first period was somewhat surprisingly lackluster with limited hits, chances and rushes until Boston took a 1-0 edge on Heinen's goal with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

Chytil's goal tied it a minute later and Zibanejad redirected Brady Skjei's shot by Halak to give the Rangers the lead at 5:22 of the second.

NOTES: Rangers D Adam McQuaid got a video tribute and a standing ovation, waving to the crowd twice midway into the opening period. He played his first nine NHL seasons with Boston before being traded to New York in September. ... New York F Kevin Hayes missed his ninth straight with an upper-body injury. ... Boston D John Moore, a member of New York's 2014 Stanley Cup finalist team, was a healthy scratch.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

Bruins D Matt Grzelcyk, who played three seasons for Quinn at BU, said after the morning skate that he developed a great relationship with him.

''He certainly means a lot to me,'' he said. ''He's still a close friend. It's obviously nice to have that connection. It's going to be fun to see him tonight.

''He seems to really care for each and every player. He's fully invested in their lives and helping them become better on and off the ice. A lot of players really appreciate that.''

McAvoy and Boston F Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson also played for Quinn at BU.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Off until they host Philadelphia on Jan. 29.

Lindblom scores, Stolarz leads Flyers past Rangers 1-0

NEW YORK (AP) Anthony Stolarz was unbeatable during his first NHL game in six weeks.

Oskar Lindblom scored early, Stolarz stopped 38 shots for his second career shutout and the Philadelphia Flyers held on to beat the New York Rangers 1-0 Tuesday night for their season-high fifth straight win.

Stolarz, out since Dec. 15 while recovering from a lower-body injury, got his first shutout since Dec. 11, 2016, at Detroit in his second NHL start.

''It's good to get the win,'' the 25-year-old said. ''For me to come out there and kind of just hold the fort down for the team, and they did a great job, too. I remember looking up at all the blocked shots. ... A credit to the boys in front of me.''

Stolarz, who missed last season rehabbing from knee surgeries, was making his eighth start this season and the 12th of his career.

''It felt great coming back,'' he said. ''If I wasn't ready I wouldn't be back. ... Points are at a premium now, so we are going to want to go in every night, and we're going to have to play like it's a playoff game if we want to get back into (the race).''

The Flyers, who have won six of seven overall, have outscored opponents 20-10 during their winning streak. Philadelphia was coming off a 3-1 win at home over Winnipeg on Monday night in its first game back after an extended break for its bye and the All-Star Game.

With the two wins in two days, the Flyers have pulled 10 points behind Pittsburgh for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. However, coach Scott Gordon doesn't want his team looking too far ahead,

''We don't have to worry about eighth place right now,'' he said. ''We have to worry about what's in front of us, the closest team in front of us. ... We get to a point where we can leapfrog them, then we worry about the next grouping of teams that are in front of us.''

Alexandar Georgiev finished with 18 saves - including all seven Philadelphia shots he faced over the final two periods. New York, playing for the first time in 10 days, had won three straight.

The Rangers pulled Georgiev for an extra skater with just under two minutes remaining, but couldn't beat Stolarz.

''It's frustrating, obviously, when the game ends and you don't get a goal,'' New York coach David Quinn said. ''There were opportunities and you have to capitalize on your chances and we didn't do that today.''

The 6-foot-6 Stolarz made 13 saves in the first period, 12 in the second and 13 in the third.

''One of his strengths (is) to get across laterally,'' Gordon said. ''With his size he's getting there before a lot of goalies. ... It was a tough challenge for our team (tonight) and it was a lot easier because of the effort (Stolarz) gave us.''

Filip Chytil hit a goalpost from between the circles about eight minutes into the third, keeping the Rangers off the scoreboard. Stolarz then made a sprawling save in front on Brendan Smith's shot that deflected off a Flyers player with about two minutes to go.

Trailing 1-0, New York controlled play in the second period, outshooting Philadelphia 12-3.

The Rangers went on their second power play of the game with just under eight minutes remaining in the period and had several good chances. Stolarz stopped a deflection by Chris Kreider from the right side, then denied Kevin Hayes and Kreider on successive tries in front 30 seconds later.

The goalie also made a save on Vladislav Namestnikov's backhand in front with 6:09 remaining, then made a sensational smothering save on Kreider seconds later.

Kreider also hit a post from the left side with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the second.

Philadelphia got on the board when Lindblom followed a flurry in front and backhanded a loose puck high for his sixth goal 1:40 into the game.

''I was trying to find the puck in front of the net,'' Lindblom said. ''It was a nice goal to get.''

NOTES: Philadelphia improved to 12-3-4 when scoring first and 17-2-2 when leading after two periods. ... The Flyers have won all three meetings this season, including 4-0 at home on Nov. 23 and 3-2 in a shootout at New York on Dec. 23. The teams conclude their season series March 31 at Philadelphia. ... Rangers forward Brett Howden left briefly in the first period after a hip check near the boards. Though he was back on the ice several minutes later, he did not play in the final two periods. The Rangers announced Howden sprained his knee and will be re-evaluated Wednesday. ... Hayes was back in the lineup after missing nine games with an upper-body injury.

UP NEXT

Flyers: At Boston on Thursday night to cap a two-game road swing before a five-game homestand.

Rangers: At New Jersey on Thursday night before returning for a five-game homestand.

Mika Zibanejad has hat trick, Rangers beat Devils 4-3

Zibanejad capped his second career hat trick with the winning goal with 4:36 to play and the Rangers overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-3 on Thursday night.

The win was the fifth in seven games and it pulled New York within eight points of Columbus for the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference with 32 games to play.

''We can't look too much at the standings right now,'' said Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 19 saves. ''We have to take every game as an opportunity to get better and we will see where we are at the end.''

The Rangers chances of overcoming the odds will improve if Zibanejad's line continues to flourish.

Zibanejad also had an assist on Kreider's goal and Zuccarello had three assists, including the backhand pass that set up Zibanejad's backhand winner. The line had eight points.

''It's just clicking for us right now and it's good to see Zuc back and I'm super happy,'' Zibanejad said after hitting the 20-goal mark for the season. ''But again, it's the whole, like with Kreider's skating as well.''

The line has recorded 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists) in the last six games which all three players were in the lineup, and 25 points (11 goals, 14 assists) in the last four games which all three players were in the lineup, dating back to Jan. 15.

Zibanejad has eight goals and three assists in his last five games.

Rangers coach David Quinn talked to Zibanejad earlier this season when the pucks were not going in.

''We talked about how when goals come, they come in flurries and they're coming at a snowstorm rate for him right now which is good for us,'' Quinn said. ''The way Kreids and Zuc are playing that line has been dominant.''

Nico Hischier, Marcus Johansson and Egor Yakovlev scored for New Jersey, which has lost seven of 11 games. Keith Kinkaid finished with 21 saves.

''Losing is tough,'' said veteran Brian Boyle, who had a last-minute tip stopped by Lundqvist. ''There was some self-inflicted stuff but it's always disappointing. This was a big one. This was a big game for us. I think we had pretty good control of it but we're still a work in progress.''

Kreider gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead early in the third period with a shot from the right circle that Kinkaid should have stopped. Yakovlev got his second career goal after being set up by Johansson between the circles less than a minute after Kreider scored.

The winner came after the Rangers controlled play in the Devils' zone for more than a minute and got the puck to Zibanejad.

Zibanejad got his first on a deflection with two seconds left in the first period to cut the Devils lead to 2-1. It came five seconds after Johansson was penalized for interference. His 19th goal came with 3:24 left in the second period when he one-timed a Zuccarello pass into the top corner of the net.

Hischier gave New Jersey the lead with a shot from the left circle 5:10 after the opening faceoff. Johansson made a head-first dive to poke a loose puck into an open net.

NOTES: Devils placed D Sami Vatanen on injured reserve with a concussion sustained Monday against Pittsburgh. D Eric Gryba was recalled from Binghamton (AHL) but did not play. ... Rangers F Brett Howden is going to be out 3-4 weeks with a sprained knee. He was hurt Tuesday against Philadelphia. ... NHL MVP Taylor Hall missed his 15th straight game for the Devils with a lower body injury. He resumed skating on Sunday. ... Yakovlev spent more than 30 seconds on his knees in front of Kinkaid after his skate blade broke late in the first period. ... Lundqvist played in his 841st game for the Rangers, tying him with Vic Hatfield for seventh in franchise history.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Tampa Bay on Saturday night.