Lundqvist earns 400th win as Rangers defeat Avalanche
NEW YORK -- Henrik Lundqvist became just the 12th goaltender to win 400 career games in the National Hockey League on Saturday as the New York Rangers rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in front of a celebratory crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Lundqvist made 32 saves in his milestone victory, and Kevin Klein scored twice, as the Rangers (36-18-1) extended their winning streak to five consecutive games and finished off a sweep of a four-game homestand.
Fans stood on their feet in the closing minute of the game, saluting Lundqvist, who also became only the third goalie in league history to win 400 games with one franchise and the first European-born goalie to ever record 400 victories in the NHL.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Rangers scored twice in the opening 5:36 of the period to regain the lead. Klein hammered a slap shot past Avalanche goaltender Calvin Pickard at 2:50, and Rick Nash scored his 16th goal of the season less than three minutes later off a gorgeous set-up from Derek Stepan.
Kevin Hayes scored an empty-net goal with 1:38 to play to put the game away.
The loss was the second straight for the league-worst Avalanche (15-35-2), who received a 26-save performance from Pickard in the goal opposite the first star of the night.
After a slow start, the Avalanche rebounded with a goal late in the first period and one early in the second, and carried a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Gabriel Landeskog wired a left-wing one-timer up and over Lundqvist's glove with 15.2 seconds to play in the opening period, tying the score 1-1.
At 3:01 of the second, John Mitchell -- Lundqvist's former teammate with the Rangers -- scored his second of the season and first in 24 games to give Colorado the lead.
Lundqvist kept the deficit at one with a strong one-on-one stop after Mitchell powered past the Rangers defense midway through the second and with a quick glove save on a booming slap shot from Francois Beauchemin later in the period.
It looked like it might be an easy night for Lundqvist and his teammates when Klein's long shot somehow eluded Pickard 2:26 into the game, giving the Rangers an early 1-0 lead. Lundqvist did not face his first shot until 8 minutes, 40 seconds elapsed.
However, Landeskog's goal came on the Avalanche's fifth shot and began to turn the tide in Colorado's favor.
NOTES: Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said D Dan Girardi (ankle) is "coming along" and the hope is that he will be able to return to practice with the team Sunday. Girardi missed his second straight game and was replaced in the lineup by D Adam Clendening. ... The Rangers' healthy scratches were RW Brandon Pirri and LW Matt Puempel. ... The Avalanche opened a five-game road trip, their longest of the season. ... Colorado was without injured D Tyson Barrie (lower body) and RW Rene Bourque (head).