Rangers 5, Panthers 2
Henrik Lundqvist rebounded from a shaky performance to stop 31 shots as New York held off a late comeback attempt by Florida to post its seventh win in its last eight road games.
Five different players scored for the Rangers, who held a 3-0 lead midway through the third period but watched the Panthers cut the deficit to one before Mats Zuccarrello sealed the win with a power-play goal with just 1:28 to play. Carl Hagelin added an empty-netter to cap the scoring.
Derick Brassard, Brad Richards and Rick Nash also scored for the Rangers, who are 3-1-0 on their five-game road trip. Tim Thomas, making his 10th straight start for the Panthers, allowed four goals while stopping 17 shots.
The Panthers outshot the Rangers 33-22 and got goals from Scottie Upshall and Nick Bjugstad before Zuccarrello's game-clincher. New York jumped on Florida in the first period, when Brassard deflected a pass from Zuccarello over Thomas' left shoulder just 25 seconds into its first power play of the game.
New York made it 2-0 late in the second period, when Richards scored his team-leading seventh goal with a seemingly harmless shot through a screen that sneaked just inside the far post. Nash made it 3-0 at 5:32 of the third following a turnover deep in the Panthers' zone.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New York D Michael Del Zotto was a healthy scratch for the fifth time this season, further fueling trade rumors. ...The Rangers have moved D Dan Girardi to the point on the power play. ...The Rangers have allowed just one power-play goal in their last eight games.