Lundqvist leads Rangers over Ducks
NEW YORK -- Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding Tuesday, stopping 43 shots as the New York Rangers defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers were under duress from the pressing Ducks all night, but all Lundqvist would allow was a second-period goal by Jakob Silfverberg.
Ducks goaltender John Gibson made several outstanding stops but allowed three goals on 19 shots to take the loss.
Oscar Lindberg and Mats Zuccarello scored in the first and second period, respectively, and Michael Grabner's 24th goal early in the third period proving the Rangers with breathing room and his 25th into an empty net with 18.5 seconds remaining sealed the win.
Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei had two assists.
Lindberg put the Rangers in front 1-0 at 4:01 of the first period. Pavel Buchnevich had the puck behind the net and hit a cutting Lindberg, who somehow got lost in the Ducks defense, for a goal from the doorstep that opened the scoring.
Zuccarello extended the lead to 2-0 at 1:06 of the second period. After Zuccarello missed the net from the slot, defenseman Brady Skjei tried to feed Chris Kreider at the left face-off circle for a one-timer. The puck ricocheted across the ice to Zuccarello, who popped out of the corner and roofed a shot before Gibson could slide across.
Gibson kept the game at 2-0 with two incredible saves. He snared a Michael Grabner breakaway shot with his catching glove, then pushed across about a minute later to deny Jimmy Vesey with his blocker after a turnover led to a 3-on-1 chance for the Rangers.
Those saves allowed the Ducks to cut the lead to one, as Silfverberg's 16th goal at 6:14 made it 2-1. Skjei flubbed a pass behind his net, which allowed Andrew Cogliano to feed Silfverberg in the slot for the quick goal.
Grabner got behind the defense for a breakaway goal with the teams playing 4-on-4 early in the third period. He snapped a quick shot that bounced off the crossbar and across the goal line to push the Rangers to a 3-1 lead.
NOTES: Ducks D Sami Vatanen (lower body) missed his second straight game. ... The Ducks scratched RW Jared Boll and D Korbinian Holzer. ... Rangers D Marc Staal played after he battled through the flu during the team's most recent game Sunday. ... Rangers C Kevin Hayes was back in the lineup after a five-game absence with a lower-body injury. ... Rangers LW Matt Puempel was a healthy scratch, as was D Adam Clendening and RW Brandon Pirri.