Jimmy Vesey scores two goals to help New York win its third straight game.
By Dan Rosen / NHL.com Senior Writer
New York — Henrik Lundqvist made 39 saves and the New York Rangers won their third consecutive game, 3-1, against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
The Rangers (6-7-1) had three wins in their first 11 games before their current winning streak. Jimmy Vesey scored twice, giving him five goals this season, and Neal Pionk scored his first. New York was 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Carter Hutton made 19 saves and Conor Sheary scored for the Sabres (7-6-2), who lost one day after defeating the Ottawa Senators 9-2. Buffalo has one win in its past five games (1-2-2).
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the second period on goals 19 seconds apart by Pionk and Vesey. It was the fifth time in franchise history and first since March 24, 1982, that the Rangers scored twice in the opening minute of a period in a regular-season game.
Pionk made it 1-0 when he scored at 41 seconds on a wrist shot through traffic from the left circle. Vesey scored at 1:00 with a wrist shot from the right circle off a pass from Brett Howden, who helped Jesper Fast win a puck battle along the wall to set up the goal that made it 2-0.
Howden was injured at 13:26 of the second when he went face-first into the end boards behind the Sabres’ net and had his right leg buckle behind him. He was helped off the ice and did not return. No further update was given.
The Rangers also got a scare at 18:01 of the second when Lundqvist was hit in the head by Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as he carried the puck past the left post. Lundqvist stayed in the game.
Sheary slid the puck through Lundqvist’s legs at 6:07 of the third period to make it 2-1. But Vesey scored an empty-net goal at 18:09 for a 3-1 lead.