Lundqvist gives Rangers young guns platform to batter Isles

NEW YORK — So often, New York Rangers' winning streaks have been fueled by the stonewall goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist.

He is still a big part of the equation, but suddenly he has an ever-improving, young supporting cast that is making this group of Rangers a legitimate threat in the NHL.

Rookie forward Carl Hagelin scored twice for his second career multigoal game, and Lundqvist stopped all 28 shots he faced as the Rangers beat the New York Islanders 3-0 on Monday night for their fifth straight victory.

The names of high-priced forwards Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards are quite familiar, and they have both played a key role in the Rangers' surge to the top of the standings. But suddenly, youngsters such as Hagelin and defenseman Stu Bickel have contributed to New York's recent success.

Despite injuries to defensemen Marc Staal and Michael Sauer, the Rangers haven't missed a beat.

"There is great depth in this organization," said Hagelin, who also scored twice against Buffalo on Dec. 10. "There's a lot of guys out and it shows that the organization is doing a great job preparing guys for this. It's fun."

Hagelin, in just his 16th NHL game, scored in the second and third periods for the Rangers (22-8-4) — the Atlantic Division leaders, who leapfrogged defending Stanley Cup champion Boston into first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers finished a 3-0 homestand that included a pair of victories over the Islanders in a five-day span. New York's past four victories have been against division rivals. The Rangers begin a three-game trip at Washington on Wednesday that will conclude with the outdoor Winter Classic in Philadelphia next Monday.

Lundqvist improved to 23-11-5 against the Islanders with four shutouts. He has three shutouts overall this season and 38 in seven NHL seasons.

"I don't have too many this year, but hopefully I can change that," he said.

Blackhawks 4, Blue Jackets 1

In Chicago, Viktor Stalberg scored two goals and Corey Crawford made 37 saves.

Avalanche 4, Wild 2

In St. Paul, Minnesota, Jan Hejda scored the go-ahead goal at 10:20 of the third period and Colorado snapped a nine-game road losing skid.

Canucks 5, Oilers 3

In Vancouver, Andrew Ebbett scored twice to lead the Canucks over Edmonton.

Sabres 4, Capitals 2

In Buffalo, Brayden McNabb capped the Sabres' four-goal first period with his first NHL goal.

Hurricanes 4, Devils 2

In Raleigh, North Carolina, Cam Ward made 23 saves and was credited with a bizarre empty-net goal to lead the hosts.

Kings 4, Coyotes 3

In Los Angeles, Willie Mitchell scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Kings broke an offensive slump for their second victory under new coach Darryl Sutter.

Blues 5, Stars 3

In St. Louis, Adam Cracknell, recalled from the minors earlier in the day, put the Blues ahead for good in the second period.

Ducks 3, Sharks 2

In San Jose, Andrew Cogliano scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the second period and Jonas Hiller made 36 saves as Anaheim ended a 13-game winless skid on the road.

Red Wings 4, Predators 1

In Nashville, Valtteri Filppula scored a pair of goals to lead Detroit over the Predators.

Pavel Datsyuk and Danny Cleary also scored for the Red Wings, who scored twice in a span of 13 seconds during the second period and stopped a two-game skid.

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