Lundqvist, Nash lift Rangers over Hurricanes 4-1

NEW YORK (AP) -- Henrik Lundqvist shook off a second-period injury and made 31 saves, Rick Nash moved back into a tie for the NHL goal lead, and the New York Rangers snapped out of an offensive funk to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Saturday night.

The Rangers had lost two straight since the All-Star game, mustering only one goal in the process, but Nash and Dominic Moore scored in the first period, and Chris Kreider and Dan Boyle added insurance tallies 21 seconds apart in the third.

Brad Malone had the lone goal for the Hurricanes, who went 7-3-2 in January - their first winning month this season. Cam Ward stopped 33 shots in Carolina's first game of four-game trip that will continue out West.

The Rangers have taken the first four meetings from the Hurricanes this season and have won 15 of 16 overall against Carolina, including nine straight at home.

Lundqvist got quite a scare nearly five minutes into the second period when a rising shot by Malone got to him as Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was trying to knock down the puck. His stick appeared to catch Lundqvist under the mask at his throat, and Lundqvist fell backward to the ice.

He instantly began writhing in pain with his legs flailing, but after being treated for about 5 minutes, he remained in the game while fans saluted him with chants of "Hen-rik, Hen-rik!"

Lundqvist's best save came just over a minute into the second when he got his skate on the puck to prevent Andrej Nestrasil from scoring into an open right side.

Malone brought Carolina within a goal at 2-1 at 5:38 when he deflected in a pass from defenseman Ryan Murphy for his fourth of the season and third in five games.

The Rangers spent much of the first pinned in their zone. They were outshot 15-8 and relied on Lundqvist to bail them out multiple times - including in the closing seconds when he rolled onto his back to keep the puck from getting past him - and yet carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

Nash got New York's slumping offense rolling 6:30 in on the Rangers' second shot. Nash intercepted Andrej Sekera's clearing pass in the neutral zone and brought the puck into the Carolina end. He snapped a shot from above the left circle and beat Ward under the right arm for Nash's 29th goal of the season and first in four games.

Nash, the Rangers' lone All-Star, hadn't scored in six of his previous seven games - three scoreless contests on both sides of a two-goal game at Pittsburgh on Jan. 18.

Moore doubled the lead with 9:03 remaining with his fourth goal and the Rangers' fifth short-handed tally of the season. Moore got around defenseman Justin Faulk and slipped a shot between Ward's pads for his first goal in 10 games.

Ward, who played in only one of Carolina's previous three games against the Rangers, absorbed the Hurricanes' shootout loss to St. Louis on Friday despite not allowing any traditional goals on 29 shots after relieving starter Anton Khudobin in the first period.

NOTES: Rangers RW Lee Stempniak was scratched for the second time in three games after rejoining the lineup vs. Montreal. C J.T. Miller was back in after a one-game benching. ... Carolina RW Alexander Semin returned after being scratched the previous four games and 11 of the past 15 as did Nestrasil. D John-Michael Liles came back after sitting out four games. LW Chris Terry, C Elias Lindholm, and D Brett Bellemore were scratched.

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