NEW YORK — Erik Christensen didn't
know his role when the New York Rangers claimed him on waivers from
Anaheim in December.
Christensen has emerged as more than a
spare part. He had his finest game as a Ranger, scoring two goals and
adding an assist in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday.
"I think it's been a steady climb
since I got here," Christensen said. "I was unsure of myself when I
first got here, trying to keep my head down. I didn't know what to
expect. Management had been working with me to become a more confident
person, and a more confident player."
Christensen certainly looked poised as
he led the way for the Rangers, who head into the Olympic break on a
two-game winning streak.
Sean Avery, Vinny Prospal and Chris
Drury also scored for the Rangers, who fell behind 2-0 in the first
period.
"We try to get off to good starts
every day, every game," Drury said. "Some nights we can turn it on and
win, but we are not consistent. Starts are crucial and we should be
looking, when we get back, to improve on our starts."
The win allowed the Rangers to tie the
Lightning at 63 points, one point behind eighth-place Montreal for the
postseason cutoff in the Eastern Conference.
Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie scored
for the Lightning, who have lost three in a row following a season-high
four-game winning streak.
"We don't feel very good," Stamkos
said. "Losing three in a row heading into the break is not acceptable,
especially in the race that we're in. We should use this break to really
think about the next 21 games we have. It's embarrassing the way we've
played these last three games after going on that little run."
Trailing 2-0, the Rangers scored four
unanswered goals in the second period.
Avery got it started for New York
with a goal on a penalty shot at 1:40. Avery skated toward the Lightning
net, swinging wide left before lifting a shot over Mike Smith.
"Avery's shot was a great move and a
big goal for us," said Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves
in his final tuneup before heading to Vancouver to represent Sweden. "I
challenged him a couple of times in practice and told him he would
never do that move in a game. It was awesome."
Then Christensen took over, scoring
twice and setting up another to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead.
With the teams skating four-on-four,
Christensen carried the puck behind the Lightning goal before sending it
into the slot. Marc Staal had the first swipe before Prospal hammered
it home to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Prospal then returned the favor,
setting up Christensen for the tally at 12:06 that put the Rangers up
3-2.
Christensen did it all on his second
goal, skating two zones to beat Smith to the stick side for an
unassisted tally at 13:52.
Stamkos missed an opportunity early
in the third, and the Lightning couldn't rally.
"It's tough," Stamkos said. "Their
goalie made some big saves and I hit the crossbar."
Drury closed out the scoring with an
empty-net goal for his 250th career tally and 600th point.
Stamkos had a goal and an assist as
the Lightning took a 2-0 lead in the first period.
The Lightning opened the scoring with
a power-play goal at 15:33 as Stamkos' shot from the left point that
appeared to hit a Rangers defender and trickle between the pads of
Lundqvist.
For Stamkos, the tally was his
team-leading 35th and extended his point-scoring streak to 13 games,
tying the team record held by Brian Bradley, Martin St. Louis and
Prospal.
Downie deflected a shot from Stamkos
at 17:03 to give Tampa Bay a two-goal lead.
Notes
The Lightning recalled veteran
RW Mark Parrish from Norfork (AHL) on Sunday. He had previously played
704 games in the NHL with 216 goals and 169 assists with Florida, the
New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota and Dallas. … The
Rangers were missing two of their top offensive players, RW Marian
Gaborik and D Michael Del Zotto. Both were sidelined with skate cuts.
… Enforcer Jody Shelley, acquired from San Jose on Friday, made his
Rangers debut. He filled the role of Donald Brashear, farmed out
Saturday to Hartford (AHL). … Marriage proposals have become
commonplace on stadium video boards. A hopeful groom received a rude
shock during the second period on Valentine's Day when the prospective
bride put a hand over her face and shook her head no, declining the
offer before bolting from her seat.