Stamkos, Domingue lead Lightning to 3-2 win over Rangers

NEW YORK (AP) The league-best Tampa Bay Lightning are finding different ways to get wins. They needed their goalie to cement their latest victory over the New York Rangers.

Steven Stamkos scored in the second period to give Tampa Bay a three-goal lead, Louis Domingue stopped 31 shots and the Lightning held on to beat the Rangers 3-2 Saturday night.

''We got in our groove after the first,'' said Domingue, who had 15 saves in the third period to improve to 17-4-0 this season. ''Our forecheck has been awesome. We get some huge blocked shots and there you have it.''

Domingue got the start after Andrei Vasilevskiy blanked the Islanders 1-0 in a shootout win on Friday night.

Yanni Gourde and Erik Cernak also scored to help the Lightning get their 39th win and become the first team to reach 80 points this season - 15 points ahead of second-place Toronto in the Atlantic Division.

''You want your team to get the lead, extend it and hold onto it,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. ''For the better part of this year, we've been able to do that.''

Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes had goals for the Rangers, and Mika Zibanejad had two assists. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 20 saves as New York lost for the second time in three games since the All-Star break.

The Rangers had a chance to tie it when former captain Ryan McDonaghtook a tripping penalty with 5:51 left in the third, but they were unable to generate any shots on the ensuing power play. They also pulled Lundqvist for an extra skater with just over two minutes left to no avail.

Gourde opened the scoring at 6:51 of the first, tapping a loose puck past Lundqvist for his 13th. McDonagh - in his second game back at the Garden since he was traded to the Lightning late last season - had an assist on the goal.

Cernak, a 21-year-old defenseman from Slovakia, made it 2-0 with his first career goal at 4:41 of the second, rifling the puck past Lundqvist from the slot. Another former Rangers captain - Ryan Callahan - had an assist.

''It was a long time, 30 games, and it was great to score my first goal,'' said the 6-foot-4 Cernak, who was drafted by Los Angeles in 2015 and traded to the Lightning two years later. ''Hopefully it's not my last one.''

McDonagh and Callahan were among five former Rangers skating for the Lightning. The list also included defensemen Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman, and forward J.T. Miller.

Stamkos made it 3-0 with his 28th at 8:33 of the second period with assists to Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov, who leads the Lightning with 80 points.

Zuccarello - playing his 500th game for the Rangers and becoming the first player from Norway to reach that milestone - got the Rangers on the scoreboard with 3:43 left in the middle period with his ninth.

Hayes narrowed the deficit to 3-2 when he converted a cross-ice pass from Zibanejad at 6:49 of the third on a power play. After Zuccarello's pass went awry out of the Lightning zone, Lundqvist retrieved the puck and sent it up the ice to Zibanejad. It was the third assist this season for Lundqvist. The Swedish goalie made a dazzling save with six minutes left in the third, denying Callahan on a breakaway with a right pad save.

The 31-year-old Zuccarello has points in his last seven games - with five goals and eight assists in the stretch - and the trio of Kreider, Zibanejad and Zuccarello has 35 points combined over the last seven games in which all three have played.

''We battled hard. We played a really good game,'' Zuccarello said. ''But it's not enough. You've got to win hockey games and we didn't do it.''

Domingue made eight saves in the first period, including two stops on Ryan Strome on a breakaway. Domingue stopped the original shot, the blocked Strome's rebound attempt. He also stopped Kreider from in close in the last minute of the third.

''Tonight you could say we deserved to win,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''But it's a result-driven business. You have to find ways to win.''

NOTES: D Marc Staal played his 812th game with the Rangers, passing Jim Neilsen for fourth place on the franchise list for defensemen. Only Harry Howell, Brian Leetch and Ron Greschner played more games on the Rangers blue line. ... The Rangers scratched D Tony DeAngelo for the second straight game. ... Tampa Bay's leading goal-scorer Brayden Point was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. ... The Lightning also scratched F Danick Martel and D Mikhail Sergachev. ... The Lightning won the previous meeting, 6-3 at home on Dec. 10. The teams meet again on Feb. 27 at the Garden.

UP NEXT

Lightning: Host Vegas on Tuesday night.

Rangers: Host Los Angeles on Monday night.

Toffoli's overtime goal lifts Kings past Rangers 4-3

NEW YORK (AP) The Los Angeles Kings have had a tough time winning this season.

Against the New York Rangers on Monday night, a late goal and a shot in overtime that clanged off the post helped secure a needed victory.

Tyler Toffoli scored 25 seconds into overtime as the Kings rallied to beat the Rangers 4-3.

Toffoli's ninth goal of the season came moments after the Rangers' Mika Zibanejad rang the puck off the post behind Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Toffoli was mobbed by his teammates as Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist skated away in disgust.

''We were in it the whole game and we found a way to come back,'' Toffoli said. ''I think it was overdue for us. We are really happy with this win.''

Adrian Kempe, who assisted on the overtime winner, scored twice and Anze Kopitar added a goal for the Kings, who scored in the last minute of regulation and the first minute of 3-on-3 overtime.

Toffoli and Michael Amadio assisted on the tying goal off a scramble in front of Lundqvist. Quick finished with 24 saves.

''They found a way to tie it,'' Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. ''And overtime isn't real hockey, so anything goes there.''

Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Adam McQuaid scored for the Rangers.

Lundqvist, who made 26 saves, was exasperated after yet another excruciating home loss. The Rangers have four overtime defeats at Madison Square Garden this season and two more in shootouts.

''That overtime goal sums it up - not only this game but a lot of games,'' he said. ''It's just really frustrating. Not getting rewarded two points for this effort, that hurts.''

The Kings tied the game at the 19-minute mark of the third on Kempe's second goal of the game and seventh of the season after Los Angeles had pulled Quick for an extra skater.

''You've got to play 60 minutes,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''I thought as the game went on we got more sloppy. You've got to finish the job.''

McQuaid had put the Rangers ahead 3-2 at 9:15 of the third when his fluttering shot from the point eluded Quick. It was McQuaid's first goal of the season and his first as a member of the Rangers.

The Rangers top line of Kreider, Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello continued to surge. The trio has 39 points - 18 goals and 21 assists - over their last eight games together.

Despite his stellar production lately, Zibanejad was frustrated after a vexing and stunning defeat.

''We put ourselves in a great place to win, but we couldn't close it,'' said Zibanejad, who has had multi-point games in four of his last five contests. ''It's just disappointing.''

The contest was another close game between the teams. Since Feb. 5, 2008, 17 of 18 meetings between the Rangers and Kings have been decided by two or fewer goals, and 11 have been decided by one goal. The Rangers won this season's earlier meeting, 4-3 in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.

Kreider opened the scoring with his team-leading 24th goal at 8:32 of the first period. The goal came on a crisp cross-ice pass from defenseman Tony DeAngelo, who had been healthy scratch the past two games. Zibanejad also assisted.

Kempe tied it for the Kings at 17:23 of the first on a setup by former Ranger Carl Hagelin and former New Jersey Devil Ilya Kovalchuk. It was Kempe's first goal since Dec. 11.

Zibanejad put the Rangers back on top 32 seconds into the second period with his 21st goal. It was his ninth goal in the last seven games, which included his first hat trick as a member of the Rangers on Jan. 31 against the Devils in Newark.

Zibanejad has 10 goals and eight assists over in his last 11 games, and has a career-high 52 points this season.

Zuccarello and Staal assisted on Zibanejad's goal. That extended Zuccarello's consecutive games points streak to eight. The Norwegian forward has five goals and nine assists in that stretch.

Kopitar tied the game for a second time at 5:04 of the third with his 16th goal of the season. Kovalchuk had the lone assist.

The Rangers were coming off a 3-2 loss to the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, while the Kings, who have the fewest points in the Western Conference, were playing the second game of a six-game trip. They lost 4-2 to Islanders on Saturday night.

In a season of struggles, Monday night's victory represented much needed relief for his squad, Kings coach Willie Desjardins emphasized.

''Our guys are excited. It was a good feeling tonight winning,'' he said. ''Quickie was great for us and we found a way.''

NOTES: The Rangers' last six games have been decided by one goal. . The Rangers dressed seven defenseman and 11 forwards, scratching forward Cody McLeod. ... The Kings scratched forwards Nate Thompson and Matt Luff and defenseman Sean Walker.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

DeAngelo gets deciding goal in shootout, Rangers beat Bruins

NEW YORK (AP) Successful in his only previous shootout attempt, Tony DeAngelo tried the same approach. And he got the same result.

DeAngelo scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of the shootout and the New York Rangers rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Wednesday night.

''I kind of did the same move as last time,'' said DeAngelo, who beat Jaroslav Halak with a forehand from the right side into the top right corner. ''To come back, pick up two points coming back down two in the third is a big win for us.''

Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Filip Chytil scored for New York and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 27 saves. The Rangers won for the second time in five games (2-2-1) after a stretch in which they won four of five.

''We gave them too many opportunities in the second period,'' New York coach David Quinn said. ''We talked about we just go to move past that, we can't let that bad second period get in the way of the third period. ... We did a pretty good job in the third.''

Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, Brad Marchand had two assists, and Halak stopped 36 shots. The Bruins, who squandered a 3-1 lead in the second, had a two-game winning streak end, but earned a point for the fifth straight game (2-0-3).

Zibanejad and Marchand each scored in the third round of the tiebreaker. After DeAngelo gave the Rangers the edge, they won it when David Krejcimissed on the Bruins' last attempt. That improved New York to 6-2 in shootouts this season.

Each team had chances as they alternated odd-man rushes in the 3-on-3 overtime, with Halak making a sensational save to deny Zibanejad with 1:06 left. Halak earlier thwarted Chytil in front. On the other end, Georgiev stopped Sean Kuraly's tip try with 1:23 to go.

''We let it slip in the third,'' Bergeron said. ''That's where it was played out. That game shouldn't be going to overtime.''

The Rangers pulled to 3-2 at 9:24 of the third when Jimmy Vesey sent a centering pass in front and Hayes poked it past Halak for his 12th.

Chytil then tied it on a power play, knocking in the rebound of Pavel Buchnevich's slap shot from the left side with 7:19 left for his 10th.

''We got the much-needed goals and kept working,'' Zibanejad said. ''Had some good chances in overtime, and finished it off in a shootout. It was nice.''

Boston was down 1-0 after one period, but took the lead with three goals about 4 1/2 minutes apart in the second.

First, Matt Grzelyck's slap shot from the left point deflected off Heinen and past Georgiev with 9:23 left. It was Heinen's seventh of the season.

Pastrnak then put Boston ahead with his 31st, deflecting a pass in front by Krejci into the right side with 8:11 remaining.

Bergeron, who played in his 1,000th game Tuesday night in a home victory over the Islanders, gave the Bruins a two-goal lead, tipping Torey Krug's pass in front for his 19th with 4:49 remaining. It was Boston's third power-play goal in 17 chances over the last six games.

The Rangers outshot the Bruins 12-8 in the first period.

Zibanejad gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from between the circles with 2:15 left in the opening period. It was his 22nd goal of the season, and 11th in the last 12 games.

NOTES: Pastrnak has six goals and 13 points in his last 10 games. ... Marchand has 11 assists and 14 points in his last nine games. ... The Bruins have lost nine of the last 10 meetings (1-7-2) against the Rangers. ... New York won the first meeting this season, 3-2 at Boston on Jan. 19. The teams conclude the season series March 27 at Boston. ... Rangers traded F Cody McLeod to Nashville earlier in the day in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft. Vinni Lettieri was recalled from Hartford of the AHL to fill the vacated roster spot. ... Zibanejad has totaled 19 points in the last 12 games. ... Zuccarello, who had an assist on Zibanejad's first-period score, extended his point streak to nine games, with 10 assists and 15 points in the stretch. ... The Rangers will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Stanley Cup championship team on Friday before the game against Carolina.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Los Angeles on Saturday to open a stretch of three straight at home.

Rangers: Host Carolina on Friday night in the fourth of a five-game homestand.

Hurricanes spoil Rangers' Cup celebration with 3-0 victory

NEW YORK (AP) Petr Mrazek and the Carolina Hurricanes had a reason to enjoy themselves, too, on Friday night.

Mrazek made 27 saves and the Hurricanes spoiled a celebration at Madison Square Garden that honored the last Rangers team to win the Stanley Cup, blanking New York 3-0.

Warren Foegele scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period as the Hurricanes ended a 16-game losing streak at the Garden. He took a pass from Saku Maenalanen in the slot and wristed a shot past Henrik Lundqvist at 6:43.

''It was nice to get rewarded there,'' Foegele said. ''It was a great play by (Kegger) Greg McKegg to enter the zone with speed and then a beautiful pass by Saku.''

Rookie Andrei Svechnikov and Brock McGinn added empty-net goals as Carolina won its third in a row. It was Carolina's first win at MSG since a 4-3 victory on Oct. 29, 2010.

In a 45-minute pregame ceremony, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and the players and coaches from the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup team were introduced. They were seated at center ice as a sellout crowd cheered the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of that championship.

To honor that club, Lundqvist wore a goaltender's mask similar to Mike Richter's with the Statue of Liberty prominently displayed on the front. Lundqvist's mask also has ''1994'' painted on the right side with a picture of Richter, his name and number.

''Unbelievable. It's a humbling thing. What a great statement by him,'' Richter said before the game.

''(He) didn't have to do it. It's very classy. I was shocked. ... Coming from him, look at the career the man has put together. He's been nothing but consistent from the day he arrived. He's had just a remarkable career, so it means a lot coming from him.''

Rangers coach David Quinn was disappointed in his team's effort in the game.

''There was definitely a lack of urgency which was surprising,'' he said. ''It certainly was set up to be a special night. We just didn't capitalize on it.''

Carolina, which is 13-4-1 in its past 18 games, climbed within a point of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

''I think we know where we are in the standings and how important each game is,'' Foegele said. ''We need wins and it's important we got two points there.''

These Rangers are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

After a tightly played opening period, both teams had better scoring chances in the second.

Kevin Hayes took a pass from Jimmy Vesey and faked Mrazek and attempted to stuff the puck into the net, but Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavinswept it out from the crease.

''That was a big save by him,'' Mrazek said. ''Hayes did a nice job holding the puck for a little bit, I get out and a great save by Slavin.''

Mrazek closed the second period by making a stellar stick-side save on Mika Zibanejad with the Rangers on the power play.

Lundqvist kept the game scoreless late in the opening period as he stopped Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway. He finished with 30 saves.

''We definitely had our looks, especially in the second period,'' Lundqvist said. ''It came down to one play. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end. We had our opportunities. But they defended really well the whole game.''

NOTES: For the national anthem, the Garden replayed John Amirante's version of ''The Star-Spangled Banner'' that he performed during the `94 Cup Final. ... The Rangers are 1-2-1 on their homestand. ... Defenseman Haydn Fleury was scratched for Carolina. Center Brett Howden and defenseman Neal Pionk were scratched by the Rangers.

UP NEXT:

Hurricanes: At the Devils on Sunday in the fourth game of a five-game road trip.

Rangers: Host Toronto on Sunday to close out a five-game homestand.

Hurricanes spoil Rangers' Cup celebration with 3-0 victory

NEW YORK (AP) Petr Mrazek and the Carolina Hurricanes had a reason to enjoy themselves, too, on Friday night.

Mrazek made 27 saves and the Hurricanes spoiled a celebration at Madison Square Garden that honored the last Rangers team to win the Stanley Cup, blanking New York 3-0.

Warren Foegele scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period as the Hurricanes ended a 16-game losing streak at the Garden. He took a pass from Saku Maenalanen in the slot and wristed a shot past Henrik Lundqvist at 6:43.

''It was nice to get rewarded there,'' Foegele said. ''It was a great play by (Kegger) Greg McKegg to enter the zone with speed and then a beautiful pass by Saku.''

Rookie Andrei Svechnikov and Brock McGinn added empty-net goals as Carolina won its third in a row. It was Carolina's first win at MSG since a 4-3 victory on Oct. 29, 2010.

In a 45-minute pregame ceremony, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and the players and coaches from the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup team were introduced. They were seated at center ice as a sellout crowd cheered the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of that championship.

To honor that club, Lundqvist wore a goaltender's mask similar to Mike Richter's with the Statue of Liberty prominently displayed on the front. Lundqvist's mask also has ''1994'' painted on the right side with a picture of Richter, his name and number.

''Unbelievable. It's a humbling thing. What a great statement by him,'' Richter said before the game.

''(He) didn't have to do it. It's very classy. I was shocked. ... Coming from him, look at the career the man has put together. He's been nothing but consistent from the day he arrived. He's had just a remarkable career, so it means a lot coming from him.''

Rangers coach David Quinn was disappointed in his team's effort in the game.

''There was definitely a lack of urgency which was surprising,'' he said. ''It certainly was set up to be a special night. We just didn't capitalize on it.''

Carolina, which is 13-4-1 in its past 18 games, climbed within a point of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference.

''I think we know where we are in the standings and how important each game is,'' Foegele said. ''We need wins and it's important we got two points there.''

These Rangers are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

After a tightly played opening period, both teams had better scoring chances in the second.

Kevin Hayes took a pass from Jimmy Vesey and faked Mrazek and attempted to stuff the puck into the net, but Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavinswept it out from the crease.

''That was a big save by him,'' Mrazek said. ''Hayes did a nice job holding the puck for a little bit, I get out and a great save by Slavin.''

Mrazek closed the second period by making a stellar stick-side save on Mika Zibanejad with the Rangers on the power play.

Lundqvist kept the game scoreless late in the opening period as he stopped Nino Niederreiter on a breakaway. He finished with 30 saves.

''We definitely had our looks, especially in the second period,'' Lundqvist said. ''It came down to one play. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end. We had our opportunities. But they defended really well the whole game.''

NOTES: For the national anthem, the Garden replayed John Amirante's version of ''The Star-Spangled Banner'' that he performed during the `94 Cup Final. ... The Rangers are 1-2-1 on their homestand. ... Defenseman Haydn Fleury was scratched for Carolina. Center Brett Howden and defenseman Neal Pionk were scratched by the Rangers.

UP NEXT:

Hurricanes: At the Devils on Sunday in the fourth game of a five-game road trip.

Rangers: Host Toronto on Sunday to close out a five-game homestand.

Georgiev's 55 saves help Rangers cool off Leafs 4-1

NEW YORK (AP) After his team allowed 56 shots on goal, Rangers coach David Quinn thought the defense was pretty good.

He had Alexandar Georgiev to thank for that.

Georgiev had a career-high 55 saves to lead New York over the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Sunday night. Georgiev had the second-most saves in a regular-season game in franchise history. Mike Richter has the record with 59 on Jan. 31, 1991.

''He played outstanding. He's getting better and better,'' Quinn said of his second-year goalie on his 23rd birthday.

''It was a special birthday,'' Georgiev said. ''I tried not to concentrate on the birthday wishes. I knew I had an important game in front of me. I'm very happy it ended the way it ended.''

Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Adam McQuaid scored for the Rangers, who finished their five-game homestand at 2-2-1.

''Sometimes you need a performance like this and he came up big for us, gave us a chance,'' Zibanejad said of Georgiev.

Kevin Hayes added an empty-netter, and Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreidereach had two assists.

Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Maple Leafs, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.

''We played a pretty good game,'' Kapanen said. ''Their goalie made 55 saves. He played a tremendous game. That's just hockey.''

Toronto had a season-high 56 shots, forcing Georgiev to be at his best throughout. He is the seventh goalie in franchise history with 50 or more saves in a game. The previous goalie to do it was Henrik Lundqvist last year - also on his birthday.

The Rangers penalty killers also helped to slow down the Maple Leafs. Toronto went 0 for 4 on the power play despite managing 23 shots.

''I actually thought we defended pretty well,'' Quinn said. ''That's a scary, scary team. I mean they have high-end talent. They can beat you 1-on-1, but boy I thought we did a good job clearing the net front out. They didn't have many second chances.''

Leading 2-1 in the third period, McQuaid gave the Rangers some insurance when he scored from the point at 11:59 for his second goal of the season.

The Rangers, who were blanked by Carolina on Friday, got off to a fast start against the Leafs.

Kreider sent a pass from behind the net to Zuccarello, who was alone in front. Toronto backup goalie Garret Sparks stopped Zuccarello twice, but the loose puck went to Zibanejad, who scored his 23rd of the season just 28 seconds into the game.

Given the early lead, Georgiev was sharp in making several stellar saves on the Maple Leafs' power play a couple of minutes later.

''It was incredibly important to keep it 1-0 at that point,'' Georgiev said. ''The boys did a great job. We killed that penalty and it was a bit easier after that.''

The Maple Leafs kept up the pressure and tied the game halfway through the period. Defenseman Tony DeAngelo had his pass intercepted by Kapanen, who skated in on a breakaway and scored his 16th of the season at 10:35.

Despite being badly outshot, the Rangers took a 2-1 lead after killing off another penalty. Ryan Strome entered the zone and sent a pass to Kreider. Kreider sent a cross-ice pass to Vesey, who wristed it past Sparks for his 12th of the season at 14:05.

''Big-time goal by Vesey,'' Quinn said.

NOTES: Zuccarello has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 11 games since Jan. 12. ... The Maple Leafs activated forward Tyler Ennis from injured reserve, but he was scratched. He has been out since late December with an ankle injury. ... Defenseman Neal Pionk was back in the lineup and forward Vinni Lettieriwas scratched by the Rangers.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Continue six-game trip on Tuesday night at Colorado.

Rangers: Start four-game trip on Tuesday night at Winnipeg.

Scheifele scores 2 goals, leads Jets past Rangers 4-3

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) The Winnipeg Jets are seeing the benefits of Mark Scheifele's hard work.

Scheifele, the Jets' top-line center, scored twice and added an assist as Winnipeg defeated the New York Rangers 4-3 Tuesday night.

Scheifele has a team-leading 30 goals in 57 games, two goals away from his career high reached in 79 games in 2016-17. He has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in his past 17 games.

''He's not stopping,'' said Jets forward Andrew Copp, who scored the game-winner. ''He's obviously having a fantastic year. He puts in the work on the ice, off the ice.

''He's as dialed in as it gets. It ain't stopping now, so buckle up.''

Defenseman Joe Morrow recorded his first goal of the season and added an assist for Winnipeg.

Connor Hellebuyck made 34 saves for the Jets, who opened a three-game homestand. Winnipeg has at least a point in its past nine home games (8-0-1).

Mika Zibanejad scored twice and Pavel Buchnevich had a goal for the Rangers. Mats Zuccarello added two assists and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 32 shots for the Rangers, who started a four-game road trip.

''I always say it's nice to see the bounces go in, but we didn't win today so it doesn't really matter,'' Zibanejad said of notching his 24th and 25th goals of the season.

Scheifele and linemate Blake Wheeler are tied for the team lead in points at 68.

''Playing with two unbelievable players so I'm pretty lucky,'' Scheifele said. ''On any given night we try to do everything for each other. That one guy gets rewarded.

''If it's a guy driving the net or taking a hit or blocking a shot or having a good stick, that's what we do for each other all over the ice. I was lucky tonight to get two.''

The game was tied 2-2 heading into the third period before Zibanejad's second goal of the game at 57 seconds.

Winnipeg responded with goals from Morrow and Copp 1:58 apart to take a 4-3 lead.

Lundqvist was disappointed the Rangers' comeback effort didn't pay off.

''I feel like, even myself, I battle in this game to try to make the right things and get rewarded, but the result is the same,'' Lundqvist said. ''And it's very disappointing for us as a group, but even for me personally.''

The Jets had built a 2-0 lead in the first period on two goals by Scheifele.

The Rangers delivered their own pair of goals in the second period, striking early with Zibanejad's first goal at 38 seconds when the puck went off a post and in.

Buchnevich tied it 2-2 with 17 seconds remaining on a New York power play, redirecting a shot by Ryan Strome at 19:19.

The Jets took another penalty with 18 seconds remaining in the period and the Rangers capitalized early in the third.

Zibanejad scored 57 seconds into the third after he shot the puck and it bounced off two Winnipeg defenders and into the net for the 3-2 lead.

''I think it's a good sign we battled back,'' Rangers head coach David Quinn said. ''We turned the switch on which isn't easy to do when you play that poorly in the first to come out the way we did in the second and third.''

NOTES: Zibanejad has 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in his past 13 games. Zuccarello has 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in his past 12 games.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Buffalo on Friday.

Georgiev stops 31 in Rangers' 6-2 win over Sabres

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The New York Rangers were locked up in another tight game before pulling away at the very end.

It was quite a relief for coach David Quinn.

Rookie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 31 shots and Vladislav Namestnikovscored two of New York's three goals in the final four minutes of a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

''It was a relief for about four minutes because for 56 of them it was a one-goal game, and playoff-type hockey,'' Quinn said.

''Seriously, we're on the thread trying to get into the playoff picture, and they're there,'' he added. ''There was a lot at stake especially when you're this deep into the season.''

The Rangers put it away when Pavel Buchnevich and Namestnikov scored eight seconds apart to make it 5-2 with 3:53 remaining.

Buchnevich tipped in Kevin Hayes' pass from the blue line. Namestnikov scored into an open net off the ensuing faceoff after goalie Linus Ullmarkmisplayed the puck. It caromed off Ullmark's stick and toward the front of the net to Namestnikov, who snapped a 23-game goal drought.

''It's a huge relief,'' Namestnikov said. ''I had chances. The puck just wouldn't bounce in. So it was nice to see that one go in.''

Namestnikov then added an empty-netter with 58 seconds remaining for his first two-goal game since Jan. 25, 2018, for Tampa Bay.

The Sabres closed out a 3-3-1 homestand. They were trying to win consecutive games for the first time in more than two months.

''It's tough to really pinpoint right now, to be honest with you,'' captain Jack Eichel said. ''Obviously, it's frustrating. We would have liked to end our homestand on a better note. But we play Jersey on Sunday. It's a big game for us.''

Buffalo squandered a chance to close the gap on idle Pittsburgh in the race for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. The Sabres (28-22-7) remain four points behind the Penguins.

Jeff Skinner scored twice for Buffalo, including his team-leading 36th, and Ullmark stopped 23 shots.

New York improved to 8-5-1 in its past 14 and earned its 58th point to move into 12th in the East.

Jesper Fast and Boo Nieves staked the Rangers to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Jimmy Vesey also scored for New York, which had 10 of its previous 14 games decided by one goal.

Georgiev stopped 13 shots in the third period, and was particularly sharp in the opening six minutes to preserve a 3-2 lead. First, he got across to his left to stop Rasmus Dahlin's one-timer 58 second in. Some five minutes later, the goalie squared up in his crease to stop Tage Thompson's shot from the slot.

Georgiev won his third straight start. He was coming off a 55-save performance in a 4-1 win over Toronto on Sunday.

''I don't know if it's what I'm learning, it's more confirming what I already knew about him is that he's a really good goalie,'' Quinn said. ''He's a lot better today than he was in October.''

NOTES: Rangers D Brady Skjei departed in the second period after sustaining a lower-body injury. He is considered day to day. ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo did not return after being involved in a fight with Tony DeAngelo at the 7:51 mark of the third. Coach Phil Housley did not provide an update. ... LW Connor Brickley made his Rangers debut a month after he was acquired in a trade that sent Cole Schneider to Nashville. Brickley played in place of rookie Filip Chytil, who was benched because of what Quinn described as steadily declining play. ... Sabres D Zach Bogosianreturned after missing two games with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Rangers: At Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Malkin, Letang each score twice, Penguins beat Rangers 6-5

Kris Letang scored his second of the game and Evgeni Malkin scored twice in a span of six minutes, helping the Penguins beat the Rangers 6-5 on Sunday.

Defensemen Marcus Pettersson and Brian Dumoulin also scored for the Penguins (31-21-7), who leapfrogged the Carolina Hurricanes for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

''At the beginning of the third, getting that kill, it gave us such a boost,'' Letang said. ''And then we got a bunch of goals.''

Forty-nine seconds after Sidney Crosby's high-sticking double minor expired, Letang took a feed from Crosby and beat goalie Alexandar Georgiev to give the Penguins the lead for good with 15:24 left.

Malkin then scored twice in a span of 2:31 to give him four goals in two games since serving a one-game suspension for a stick-swinging incident.

''He tends to be a guy who builds confidence when he scores, and so I think that bodes well for us and for him,'' Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ''He's an elite player ... and you could see it in the third period tonight, the kind of impact he can have.''

Mats Zuccarello had two goals, and Kevin Hayes and Mika Zibanejad scored over the game's final 5:46 for the Rangers, who couldn't complete a second rally after erasing a 3-1 deficit to tie it late in the second period.

Not taking the lead during the four-minute power play that spanned the second intermission was crucial to the game's outcome.

''We got demoralized,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said, ''and they got a new set of energy and a new lift and the whole complexion of the game changed.''

Crosby had three assists to give him 11 points in his past five games for the Penguins, who had won just seven of their previous 17 games to fall in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2005-06.

Malkin has points in seven consecutive games that he has played over the past month, interrupted by missing five games with an upper-body injury and the one game because of suspension.

Letang opened the scoring 16:11 into the game. He has 15 goals, one off his career high set in 2015-16.

It was the first time all season the Penguins got four goals from defensemen.

''The last couple games we have been really active getting chances,'' Dumoulin said.

Zuccarello's goals were his 10th and 11th, each tying the game. Ryan Stromealso scored for New York, which had won three of its previous five.

The Rangers have scored 11 goals over a two-game span for the first time this season after winning 6-2 at Buffalo on Friday.

Zibanejad added an assist and Chris Kreider had two assists, giving the Rangers' top-line trio of those two and Zuccarello 58 points in their past 14 games.

''Except for those five or six minutes there in the third, I think we played a good game,'' Zuccarello said. ''Obviously, it's a good team over there. They have good forwards. They're going to get some chances, but I think we created a bunch of good chances.

''It could've gone either way. It's hard when they score three right away - boom, boom, boom.''

NOTES: The Rangers scratched D Brady Skjei (lower-body injury sustained during Friday's game), C Brett Howden (MCL sprain) and RW Jesper Fast (flu). Coach David Quinn said Skjei should be able to return for Tuesday's game. ... Rangers D Neal Pionk did not play during the third period as a precaution after he was hit in the eye by a stick. ... Penguins LW Tanner Pearson was a healthy scratch for the second consecutive day after he had been in the lineup for every game since his acquisition from the Los Angeles Kings in November.

UP NEXT

Rangers: New York wraps up a four-game trip Tuesday at Carolina.

Lundqvist, Namestnikov help Rangers beat Hurricanes 2-1

The veteran goalie was at it again as he stopped 43 shots to help the New York Rangers beat the Hurricanes 2-1 on Tuesday night. It was Lundqvist's 21st win in his last 25 starts against Carolina.

''Some teams, the matchup just works for you for some reason,'' Lundqvist said. ''I have some teams where it works the other way. It's hard to explain sometimes. I think the big thing is to not overthink it, good or bad.''

Vladislav Namestnikov got the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and fourth-line forward Connor Brickley also scored for the Rangers, who split a four-game trip.

The Hurricanes, who are 16-6-1 since Dec. 31, got a second-period goal from Jordan Martinook and peppered Lundqvist with 18 shots in the third period but couldn't get anything past him. He had a spectacular pad save on Carolina captain Justin Williams with 1:37 left from point-blank range.

''We survived and he was a big piece of it,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said of Lundqvist. ''Boy, he had a real good night.''

Curtis McElhinney finished with 24 saves for the Hurricanes, who had won six of their last seven games. They outshot the Rangers 44-26 and were in control much of the game.

''It was the best game we've played, probably of the last seven or eight,'' Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. ''it just didn't work out.''

The Hurricanes weren't exactly thrilled with the quality of their scoring chances on Lundqvist.

''He played well but I don't know if we did enough to get anything by him,'' Martinook said.

After a scoreless first period, Martinook gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at 9:53 in the second. He was able to gather a rebound of Dougie Hamilton's shot and beat Lundqvist.

Just 47 seconds later, the Rangers tied the game on Brickley's first goal of the season. Filip Chytil flipped a backhand shot at McElhinney and the puck bounced off the goalie's right shoulder. Brickley was charging the net and it caromed off of his upper body and in. The goal was originally ruled no good on the ice but overturned on video replay.

The Hurricanes had killed off a two-man advantage by the Rangers but Namestikov scored just 2 seconds after the second penalty expired at 6:10 in the third period. McElhinney stopped the first shot by defenseman Tony DeAngelo and the rebound effort by right wing Pavel Buchnevich but couldn't deny Namestikov.

The Hurricanes have been the talk of the NHL this week for the attention, and criticism, they've drawn for their postgame celebrations.

But Lundqvist made sure there wasn't any reason to celebrate with another win over the Hurricanes.

''It was a fun game to win, the way we battled,'' Lundqvist said.

NOTES: The Hurricanes ended a 16-game losing streak at New York on Feb. 8. It was their first win on the Rangers' home ice since Oct. 2010. It didn't take the Rangers long to return the favor. ... Carolina C Jordan Staal returned to practice this week but sat out his 26th straight game with a concussion. Staal has 11 points in 29 games and hasn't played since Dec. 22. ... New York D Brady Skjel returned to the lineup after missing one game with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Minnesota on Thursday night.

Wild end 5-game slide with 4-1 victory over the Rangers

NEW YORK (AP) Zach Parise and his newest teammate got the Minnesota Wild a much-needed win.

Parise had a goal and an assist, and the Wild ended a five-game skid with a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Ryan Donato, who was acquired in a trade with Boston on Wednesday, had two assists in his Wild debut.

''I thought Ryan looked really good tonight,'' Parise said. ''He looked really comfortable with the puck. Made some great plays.''

Mikael Granlund and Jared Spurgeon also scored and Jordan Greenwayadded an empty-netter. Eric Staal had two assists and Devan Dubnyk made 33 saves for the Wild, who earned their first victory since Feb. 9 at New Jersey.

Despite their recent struggles, the Wild are still in the race for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference.

''The (standings) points were more important for our team,'' Donato said. ''Big W. Hopefully we can build off this.''

Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves.

With Minnesota leading 2-1, Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei was tripped and Parise took the loose puck and beat Lundqvist for his team-leading 24th goal of the season at 11:03 of the third.

''From the replay, it looked he might have tripped me,'' Skjei said. ''It's a fast game, you're not going to get all the calls you want, and obviously it was a huge turning point in the game. It's a quick game, some calls are missed sometimes.''

The Rangers then had a four-minute power play to try and get back in it but were unable to take advantage.

''We haven't been to close out games when we've had the lead lately,'' Parise said. ''To be able to get the lead and kill of a four-minute penalty, it was a good job by us.''

New York had other good chances to tie it earlier in the period, but Mika Zibanejad hit the post and Ryan Strome missed an open net on a rebound a few minutes later.

The Wild retook a 2-1 lead in the second period. Greg Pateryn wristed a shot toward the net, and Granlund, while falling to the ice, sent the rebound past Lundqvist at 8:41 for his 15th of the season.

''That the kind of play that Granny's (Granlund) been known to score at,'' Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. ''Hopefully if he can continue to do that then we're going to score goals. When he's playing like that, then you find you're going to score.''

Down 1-0 after the first period, the Rangers tied it early in the second on the power play.

Buchnevich took a pass from Tony DeAngelo at the right faceoff circle and ripped a shot that sneaked past Dubnyk for his 12th of the season at 5:06.

The Wild opened the scoring with a power-play goal.

Donato made a nice cross-ice pass to Spurgeon, who quickly sent a pass to Staal. Staal was stopped on a sprawling save by Lundqvist, but Spurgeon tapped in the rebound for his 12th goal at 15:04 of the opening period. Donato earned an assist on that goal and on Greenway's score.

Spurgeon's goal ended the Wild's goal drought at more than 171 minutes. They were coming off consecutive shutouts and hadn't scored since the second period of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Devils on Feb. 15.

The Wild nearly made it 2-0 less than a minute later, but the goal was waived off after a review because Joel Eriksson Ek was offside on the play.

NOTES: Granlund has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his past 12 games. ... The Wild recalled forward J.T. Brown from Iowa (AHL). ... Rangers D Adam McQuaid left the game in the first period for precautionary reasons and did not return. ... Buchnevich has a point in four of his past five games, and he has five points (three goals, two assists) in that span. ... DeAngelo extended his points streak to five games (six assists). His five-game assist streak and five-game point streak are both career highs. ... Forward Lias Andersson, the Rangers' first-round pick in 2017, was recalled from Hartford (AHL).

UP NEXT:

Wild: Face the Red Wings in Detroit on Friday night.

Rangers: Host the Devils in a matinee on Saturday.

Rangers too much for rival Devils 5-2

• NEW YORK (AP) Despite their trade deadline-depleted lineup, the Rangersgot off to a fast start and dominated the Devils.

Ryan Strome had two goals, Chris Kreider and Jimmy Vesey each had a goal and an assist, and New York beat New Jersey 5-2 on Saturday.

Both teams sat key players with the league's trade deadline two days away.

''We all knew this day was a possibility,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''It doesn't make it less emotional.''

The Rangers sat forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes as well as defenseman Adam McQuaid.

''These guys have been here awhile. Obviously Adam has been here a little less, but he's made a big impact in that locker room,'' Quinn said.

''Zucc's been here for a long time and so has Hayesy, their personalities can really take over a locker room, so not only do we lose what they give us on the ice, you're also talking about a locker room presence and guys who are highly respected and highly liked, not only by the players, but the coaches. Tough day. Couldn't be prouder of our guys.''

Zuccarello was later traded to Dallas for a conditional second-round draft pick this year, and a conditional third-round pick in 2020.

Brady Skjei also scored. Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich each had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves for the Rangers.

''Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, tough time of year,'' Kreider said. ''Proud how the guys battled. Didn't let it affect our start.''

Andy Greene and Kenny Agostino scored and Cory Schneider had 29 saves for the Devils.

The Devils were in a similar situation to the Rangers. They traded defenseman Ben Lovejoy to Dallas for defenseman Connor Carrick and a third-round pick earlier in the day and also kept out forward Marcus Johansson.

''We have guys playing roles they're not used to playing,'' coach John Hynes said. ''You get a guy like Lovejoy who's out. We've got continue with those guys. You've got guys learning on the job, playing different roles.''

Trailing 3-0 in the third period, the Devils scored when Agostino got his third of the season at 2:20. He took advantage of a turnover in the Rangers' zone to score his first goal with the Devils.

The Rangers answered as defenseman Skjei sent a one-timer past Schneider for his fourth of the season. The score withstood a video review for goalie interference.

''To finally put one in, it felt really good. It was a good play by Mika and Kreids in front of the net and I just had to put it on net,'' Skjei said.

The Devils rallied again as Greene took a pass from Kyle Palmieri and wristed it past Georgiev for his fourth of the season at 12:59.

Strome added an empty-netter in the final minute for his second of the game to clinch the win.

Early on, the Rangers dominated the matchup between the area rivals and playoff also-rans in the Eastern Conference. They opened the scoring with two goals early in the first period.

Vesey scored his 14th of the season off a scramble in front of the net at 4:48 just as a Devils penalty expired. A few minutes later and with a Devils power play about to end, Vladislav Namestnikov drew a tripping penalty on Drew Stafford to give the Rangers another man advantage. And they took advantage.

With the power play nearly over, Kreider sent a no-look pass to Strome, who scored his ninth of the season. Buchnevich assisted on both of the goals.

The Rangers kept up the pressure and made it 3-0. Kreider scored on another scramble in front of the Devils' net for his 25th of the season. The Rangers outshot the Devils 15-4 in the period.

''I think we've got to have more pushback, I don't think we had a lot of physicality,'' Hynes said. ''I think we got outcompeted, I think we got manhandled on the puck.''

NOTES: Vesey's goal ended Schneider's shutout streak at more than 85 minutes. ... Saturday's trade gives the Devils nine picks in the 2019 draft, including five in the first three rounds. ... Kreider has scored at least 25 goals in a season for the second time in his NHL career. His career high is 28 in the 2016-17 season. ... Zibanejad has reached 60 points in a season for the first time in his NHL career. ... The Rangers tied a single-period season-high with three goals in the first period.

UP NEXT:

Devils: host the Canadiens on Monday.

Rangers: face the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals in D.C. on Sunday afternoon.

WASHINGTON (AP) Evgeny Kuznetsov wanted to win so badly Sunday he was even willing to get in Alex Ovechkin's way.

Kuznetsov scored at 4:20 of overtime, just beating his star teammate's stick to the puck, and the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Rangers 6-5 in their return from their longest road trip this season.

''Those two points are really big for us,'' Kuznetsov said of the victory, which came after Washington twice gave back two-goal leads. ''I feel especially today between one and two points it will be a huge difference at the end of the season.''

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist tried to block Kuznetsov's pass back to Ovechkin in front of the net.

But the puck trickled away from Lundqvist and into the crease. Ovechkin first attempted to knock it in for what would've been his 45th goal before Kuznetsov guided it across the goal line from inches out for his 16th of the season.

''I don't think it matters who scores, right?'' Kuznetsov said. ''As long as we got a win.''

Nicklas Backstrom scored his 14th and 15th goals as the second-place Capitals moved within two points of the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders, having played two more games.

Tom Wilson added his 17th goal, and Nic Dowd and Michal Kempny also scored for Washington. Pheonix Copley made 26 saves as the Capitals won a day after losing in Buffalo to finish their six-game trip at 3-3-0.

''We know it's a big time of the year,'' Backstrom said. ''The last 20 games here, we need to get going, we need to collect points. We need to start playing better.''

Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei scored multiple goals for the first time in his career, his second tying the game with 31 seconds remaining in regulation.

Chris Kreider added his 26th, Jimmy Vesey contributed his 15th, and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for New York.

Lundqvist stopped 29 shots for the Rangers, who nearly pulled off a surprising victory despite going into the trade deadline Monday in rebuilding mode.

They dealt forward Mats Zuccarello to Dallas on Saturday for a pair of draft picks, and sat forward Kevin Hayes and defenseman Adam McQuaid for a second straight game Sunday.

''There's an awful lot of good to take out of tonight,'' Rangers coach David Quinn said. ''The fact that we fought back from two-goal deficits twice. ... We weren't pushed around physically or mentally. These are the things you're going to have to do moving forward to have success.''

Backstrom hadn't scored in 12 games entering Sunday, but he gave Washington a 5-3 lead when he beat Lundqvist over his glove from in close early in the third for his second of the game.

Namestnikov redirected Neal Pionk's effort past Copley on a Rangers power play a few minutes later.

While the Capitals killed off another New York man advantage inside the final four minutes, Skjei's deflected shot forced overtime and set off wild celebrations on the visitors' bench after the Rangers emptied their net.

''It's been an emotional 48, 72 hours for everybody,'' Quinn said. ''And that felt really good, that goal.''

NOTES: Ovechkin's goal streak was snapped at five games. ... Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen and Rangers forward Ryan Strome received fighting majors at 6:23 of the third, after Strome reacted to Niskanen's check into the boards. ... Newly acquired D Nick Jensen made his Capitals debut in a third defensive pairing alongside Brooks Orpik. ... Backup goalie Copley picked up his fourth straight victory.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

After wading through all of the possibilities, the Rangers came out on the other side of Monday’s trade deadline just about where they thought they would be. That is to say, they continued this rebuild by shipping out the present and focusing on the future.

The trio of pending unrestricted free agents are all gone, as general manager Jeff Gorton most notablysent Kevin Hayes to the Jets in exchange for a first-round pick, hard-nosed 22-year-old forward Brendan Lemieux — son of former Devil Claude — plus a fourth-round pick in 2022 if Winnipeg ends up winning the Stanley Cup. No salary was retained, so the Jets took on the full prorated value remaining on the one-year, $5.175 million deal Hayes signed this past summer.

Gorton then moved defenseman Adam McQuaid to the Blue Jackets, recouping the fourth- and seventh-round picks (plus Steven Kampfer) it took to acquire him from the Bruins in September, while also bringing back 23-year-old defenseman Julius Bergman.

With fan favorite Mats Zuccarello getting dealt to the Stars on Sunday, Gorton continues to stockpile assets in an attempt to accelerate the process that began in earnest back on Feb. 8, 2018, when the front office sent a letter to the fans explaining the difficult process ahead.

“I think we pretty much knew what the prices would be,” Gorton said on a conference call. “I would say we met, or hopefully did better, than our expectations.”

The team had come to a contract impasse with Hayes, the rising 26-year-old center who spent parts of five seasons playing for the Blueshirts. That same obstacle — the length of the deal — is likely going to keep him from returning as a free agent on July 1.

Lightning win 10th straight, top Rangers 4-3 in OT

Hedman scored at 3:25 of the extra period and the Lightning extended their franchise-record stretch with a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

Tyler Johnson, J.T. Miller and Dan Girardi also scored for Tampa Bay, which has an NHL-leading 102 points. Nikita Kucherov added three assists to give him a league-leading 74. Andrei Vasilevskiy had 33 saves.

Kucherov sent a drop-back pass to Hedman, who skated toward the net and wristed a shot for his eighth of the season. Hedman had a breakaway earlier in overtime that was stopped.

''You have to give them credit, they found a way again,'' Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of his team. ''Kind of what they've been doing all year.''

Tampa Bay has not lost since a 1-0 OT defeat against St. Louis on Feb. 7.

''It means it's hard for teams to catch us,'' Cooper said. ''More importantly, it's how you win the games.''

The Lightning will try to keep it going when they head to Boston to face the second-place Bruins on Thursday night. The Bruins are also on a roll as they have at least one point in 14 consecutive games.

''Now we've got to go to Boston and they're waiting for us, back to back for us, so this should be a good test for us,'' Cooper said.

Jimmy Vesey had a goal and assist for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad and Boo Nieves also scored. Alexandar Georgiev had 26 saves.

The Rangers got off to a slow start in their first game since the trade deadline on Monday when they sent forward Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg and defenseman Adam McQuaid to Columbus.

''I felt for the first time we were a bit nervous about how we were going to look without the guys we traded, especially against that team.'' Rangers coach David Quinn said.

''I thought once we got that goal to start the second, our whole mentality changed, felt like on the bench a bubble burst. I thought we got back to doing what we've been doing.''

Trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Rangers started their rally in the opening minute of the second when Vesey slid a pass across to Zibanejad, who scored on the backhand and tied a career high with his 27th goal of the season.

The Lightning answered when Steven Stamkos skated down the right faceoff circle and sent to a cross-ice pass to Girardi, who scored at 2:53. It was the fourth goal of the season for Girardi, who spent the first 11 seasons of his career with New York before joining Tampa Bay in 2017-18.

''Stammer (Stamkos) made an unbelievable saucer pass on my tape,'' Girardi said. ''Kind of didn't see it coming. It rolled a little bit and I just shot it, got the net and it went in.''

Just 30 seconds later, Vesey skated toward the net and fought off Hedman and scored his 16th of the season.

The Rangers tied the game when Nieves took a pass from Ryan Stromebehind the net and scored his fourth of the season at 14:14. Vasilevskiy got a piece of Nieves' shot, but it trickled over the goal line to make it 3-3.

Tampa Bay dominated the first period. Johnson opened the scoring when he snapped a shot that beat Georgiev stick-side for his 22nd of the season at 7:52.

Later in the period, Kucherov took a shot from the right faceoff circle that deflected off the stick of Rangers defenseman Marc Staal to Miller in front of the goal. Miller sent a backhand into the net for his 12th of the season at 14:57 on the power play.

Vasilevskiy kept the Rangers scoreless through 20 minutes when he stopped Chris Kreider on a breakaway with three minutes to go in the period.

''We gave them too much respect - too much time and room,'' Zibanejad said. ''It's too bad we give up those two in the first.''

NOTES: Kucherov's 104 points surpassed Martin St. Louis for the second-most in a season in team history. The record is 108 points held by Vincent Lecavalier. ... Johnson reached 300 career points with his first-period goal. ... Zibanejad is the first Rangers player with consecutive seasons of at least 27 goals since Jaromir Jagr did it in 2005-06 and 2006-07. ... Brendan Lemieuxmade his debut for the Rangers. He was acquired from Winnipeg in the trade that sent Kevin Hayes to the Jets on Monday. ... Filip Chytil was scratched by New York.

UP NEXT:

Lightning: Face the Bruins in Boston on Thursday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the Atlantic Division.

Rangers: Host the Canadiens on Friday night in the second game of a three-game homestand.