Rangers Beat Flames, Snap 4-Game Losing Streak

NEW YORK (AP) — Mika Zibanejad scored the go-ahead goal on a power play, Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves in relief and the New York Rangers beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Friday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

Zibanejad scored his 16th goal of the season at 12:41 off a cross-ice pass from J.T. Miller.

Lundqvist replaced Ondrej Pavelec after Pavelec injured his knee in the first period. Lundqvist came out to start the second with score tied at 1.

The Rangers won for the first time since Jan. 26 at San Jose, and ended Calgary's three-game winning streak. New York had lost 10 of its last 13 games.

Rangers forward Rick Nash, likely to be traded by the Feb. 26 deadline because of his expiring contract, tied it at 3 at 6:41 of the third with his 17th goal of the season. Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes also scored.

Matthew Tkachuk put Calgary ahead 3-2 with his 18th goal of the season at 18:27 of the second on a power play. Brett Kulak had his first NHL goal, and Curtis Lazar also scored for the Flames.

The Flames had won the first two games of their six-game trip, beating New Jersey 3-2 on Thursday night.

Grabner put the Rangers ahead 2-1 at 11:52 of the second when the puck deflected off Calgary defenseman Marc Giordano and went past goalie Mike Smith. Grabner has a team-high 22 goals.

Lazar quickly tied the contest for the Flames with his first of the season at 12:37, nudging the puck past Lundqvist when the goaltender went for a poke check attempt.

Hayes opened the scoring for the Rangers, knocking in a rebound on the power-play at 7:53 of the first period.

The Rangers seemed to come out with relieved purpose a day after the organization released a letter to fans asking them to bear with a potential rebuild ahead with the league's trade deadline looming in just over two weeks.

Nash figures to be the most prominent player to depart since his contract is expiring. The 33-year-old forward needs two points to reach 800 in his NHL career.

The Rangers outshot the Flames 20-8 in the opening period.

But Calgary managed the tie the contest at 1 when Kulak scored his first NHL goal at 18:15.

Pavelec left the contest with a knee injury adding to the Rangers lost injury list that now includes defenseman and captain Ryan McDonagh who was out against the Flames with an upper body injury.

Before the game, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said he still believes his squad can make the playoffs - though the roster he will be working with remains to be determined.

Two defensemen made their debuts for the Rangers — Neal Pionk and John Gilmour. Both were recalled from AHL Hartford.

The 22-year-old Pionk has one goal and 16 assists in 48 games with Hartford. He played two years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth then signed with the Rangers last May.

Gilmour, 24, had six goals and 20 assists in 44 games with the Wolfpack. He was a seventh-round pick by the Flames in 2013. He signed as a free agent the Rangers in 2016 after playing four years at Providence College.

Defenseman Brendan Smith, who was waived on Thursday, was assigned to AHL Hartford on Friday.

NOTES: The teams meet again on March 2 in Calgary. ... The Rangers continued to be without injured defensemen Marc Staal and Kevin Shattenkirk as well as forwards Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey.

UP NEXT:

Flames: At New York Islanders on Sunday night.

Rangers: At Winnipeg on Sunday.

(Copyright 2018 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)