Rangers 4, Flames 1
NEW YORK -- Goaltender Antti Raanta made 22 saves as the New York Rangers knocked off the Calgary Flames 4-1 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.
The victory pushed the Rangers (5-2-2) into first place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flames (2-6-0) have yet to win a game in regulation.
Defensemen Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi, left winger Oscar Lindberg and center Derick Brassard scored for the Rangers.
Flames goaltender Jonas Hiller turned aside 17 of 21 shots before he was pulled for backup Joni Ortio midway through the third period. Ortio stopped all five shots he faced.
Right winger Jiri Hudler scored the Flames' lone goal.
The Flames jumped to a 1-0 lead at 3:06 of the first period.
Rangers defenseman Marc Staal couldn't control a bouncing puck in his own zone. It squirted loose to left winger Johnny Gaudreau, who fed a streaking Hudler for an easy goal with Raanta sliding to defend Gaudreau.
Raanta made two spectacular saves late in the period to keep the Rangers within a goal. He stopped a shorthanded breakaway chance for center Mikael Backlund before denying right winger Michael Frolik's attempt on the rebound.
Despite being outshot 10-5 in the second period, the Rangers carried a 2-1 lead to the intermission.
Lindberg's fifth goal of the season with 7:57 remaining in the second period evened the score at 1. Lindberg received a fortunate bounce as his shot deflected off the knee of Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton and past Hiller.
Girardi made it 2-1 after a shot by right winger Emerson Etem ricocheted right to the defenseman in the slot. Girardi's quick shot slipped past Hiller inside the short-side post to put the Rangers on top.
Klein's second of the season gave the Rangers a 3-1 edge. Hiller made two difficult stops around his crease and center Sean Monahan attempted to clear the puck. Klein, however, intercepted the puck and fluttered past a prone Hiller at 8:38 of the third period.
Less than two minutes later, Brassard extended the lead to 4-1. He calmly skated the puck from the boards to the stop of the right face-off circle and wristed a shot that beat Hiller to the far-side post.
NOTES: Flames LW Micheal Ferland (knee) is week-to-week after suffering the injury against the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. The Flames recalled C Derek Grant from their AHL affiliate in Stockton to take Ferland's spot. ... The Flames were without top D T.J. Brodie (hand) and C Lance Bouma (leg). ... Rangers LW Viktor Stalberg was out with a head injury suffered Saturday in Philadelphia against the Flyers. Coach Alain Vigneault said while it's a head injury, it's not a concussion. ... RW Emerson Etem played in just his second game of the season. ... Rangers D Dylan McIlrath was a healthy scratch.