Rangers shut door on Jets

NEW YORK — Henrik Lundqvist took a ride up to the New York Rangers' practice rink on Tuesday morning, thinking he would have that night off when the Winnipeg Jets came to town.

A bout with the flu for backup Martin Biron changed all that for New York's All-Star goalie. Instead of resting during the last game before the break, Lundqvist went out and put up the 40th shutout of his stellar NHL career.

Lundqvist made 22 saves in his surprise start, and Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards provided the offense in the Rangers' 3-0 victory over the Jets on Tuesday night. Lundqvist (22-10-4) made his fifth consecutive start for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, his busiest stretch since he played in New York's first six games.

"Four games in a row," said Lundqvist, who was surprised when told it was actually five.

He sarcastically added that he is "pretty banged up" before giving a true assessment.

"I feel great," Lundqvist said. "When you're winning, you're more relaxed and you don't use as much energy between games.

"I had to change a little bit. In my head I was kind of relaxed. I was thinking a little bit about All-Star, I'm not going to lie. That's what you do when you don't play. You try to get away from the game."

The Rangers won their second straight, following up on an overtime victory Saturday at Boston — the team that trails them by two points in the East. New York had alternated wins and losses the previous six games.

Facing Winnipeg, a team the Rangers had already beaten twice this season, they wanted to make sure there was no letdown before the upcoming six-day rest period.

"It just shows the maturity of the team," captain Callahan said. "We concentrated on this game. These two points are just as important as they were against Boston. We came out, played the game we wanted to."

Penguins 3, Blues 2 (SO)

In St. Louis, Chris Kunitz scored the deciding goal on a backhander in the fourth round of a shootout and Pittsburgh beat the Blues to run its winning streak to seven.

Canucks 3, Oilers 2 (SO)

In Vancouver, Cody Hodgson scored the shootout winner and the Canucks beat Edmonton to send the Oilers to their sixth straight road loss.

Capitals 5, Bruins 3

In Washington, Mathieu Perreault got his first career hat trick, including the tie-breaking goal in the third period, to lead the Capitals over Boston.

Sabres 2, Devils 1 (SO)

In Newark, New Jersey, Jason Pominvile and Nathan Gerbe scored in the shootout, and Ryan Miller made 27 saves as Buffalo beat the Devils to snap a 12-game losing streak on the road.

Stars 1, Ducks 0

In Dallas, Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves for his 18th career shutout, and defenseman Alex Goligoski scored in the first period as the Stars ended Anaheim's five-game winning streak.

Flyers 3, Panthers 2 (SO)

In Sunrise, Florida, Claude Giroux scored the only goal in a shootout to lift Philadelphia over the Panthers.

Coyotes 3, Senators 2

In Glendale, Arizona, Radim Vrbata scored early in the third period and Phoenix withstood Ottawa's quick answer to beat the Senators.

Predators 3, Blackhawks 1

In Chicago, Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for his ninth straight win and surging Nashville beat the Blackhawks in the teams' final game before the All-Star break.

Maple Leafs 4, Islanders 3 (OT)

In Uniondale, New York, Clarke MacArthur's second goal of the game at 2:06 of overtime lifted Toronto to a sweep of a home-and-home series with the Islanders.

Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 2

In Tampa, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis both had a goal and an assist to lead the Lightning over Columbus.

Wild 3, Avalanche 2

In Denver, Carson McMillan broke a tie midway through the third period after stealing the puck at center ice and Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots as Minnesota beat Colorado.

Sharks 1, Flames 0

In Calgary, Benn Ferriero scored and Antti Niemi made 25 saves as San Jose beat the Flames to end its winless skid at three.

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