SUNRISE, Fla. — By 4:06 of the second period on Tuesday, when Kevin Hayes took a pass off a turnover, skated in alone against Panthers goalie James Reimer and deposited a backhander, the Rangers had scored three goals.
In nine of the last 10 games, they managed two goals or fewer.
Call it an unusual offensive burst.
But the Rangers still needed their backbone, Henrik Lundqvist.
When the horn sounded on the 5-2 victory, their second straight in this back-to-back set in Florida, Henrik Lundvqist left the ice with 42 saves and his 30th win, passing Grant Fuhr for sole possession of 10th place on NHL’s all-time wins list and also passing Martin Brodeur for most wins in his first 12 seasons.