Rangers 5, Lightning 1
Carl Hagelin scored twice and added an assist as New York seized a three-goal lead midway through the game and defeated visiting Tampa Bay to rise above the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Rick Nash added a goal and an assist while captain Ryan Callahan and Arron Asham also tallied for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist made 19 saves for New York (6-5-0), which has won five of its last seven games.
Captain Vincent Lecavalier had the only goal for the Lightning, who have dropped four straight after a 6-1-0 start. Anders Lindback made 11 saves in relief of Mathieu Garon, who allowed three goals on 19 shots.
Hagelin, who also had a goal in a 3-2 win at Tampa Bay on Feb. 2, opened the scoring 31 seconds into the contest on a double deflection in front. Callahan extended the lead to 2-0 at 15:13, stealing a cross-ice pass by Lightning defenseman Matt Carle and going in alone to beat Garon.
After another Lightning turnover, Hagelin accepted a feed from defenseman Marc Staal and beat Garon from the left faceoff circle 9:58 into the second session. Lecavalier pulled Tampa Bay within 3-1, popping in the rebound of blue-liner Victor Hedman’s shot from the left point at 14:42.
GAME NOTEBOOK: D Daniel Girardi was back in the lineup for the Rangers after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. He recorded two assists and a plus-4 rating. … Lightning C Alex Killorn had an assist in his NHL debut, while LW Ryan Malone was a late scratch with a lower-body injury for Tampa Bay. … Lightning C Tom Pyatt faced his brother, Rangers LW Taylor Pyatt, for the fourth time in the NHL.