Ducks let another slip away
Road trip is once again turning into a nightmare amid a third straight loss.
NEW YORK — As he has so many times before, Henrik Lundqvist kept the New York Rangers in the game long enough for their scorers to break through.
Lundqvist stopped 39 shots, Paul Carey scored twice and the Rangers beat the Ducks 4-1 on Tuesday night to win their third straight.
John Gibson made 28 saves and Ondrej Kase scored for the Ducks, who have lost three straight since winning the opener of their second six-game road trip in a month. The Ducks went 1-5 on the previous trip.
The Ducks outshot the Rangers 16-10 in the first period and had several quality scoring opportunities. However, Lundqvist covered up a few defensive breakdowns, giving New York’s offense time to get on track.
The Rangers scored twice in 1:24 spanning the first intermission. David Desharnais found a streaking Carey at 19:14 of the first period, and Kevin Hayes scored 38 seconds into the second for a 2-0 lead.
“I hate to say it but I think we are finding ways to lose hockey games at the moment,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said. “You have to find ways to win games. We have to dig in, buckle down defensively and win one of these games 1-0, something like that. We have to give our goaltenders more help than that.”
It was the 422nd career win for the 35-year-old Lundqvist, who is 9-2 over his last 12 starts, including a no-decision.
“The way I take care of myself right now as I am getting older — the way I eat, the way I sleep, the way I prepare — I try to do everything I can to stay on top of my game,” Lundqvist said. “I feel like the team is playing really well and that’s helpful. I can focus on the shooter a lot. It’s a big thing for me to commit to the shooter a lot more, feeling that support from the guys around me.”
Kase was able to sneak a wrist shot between Lundqvist’s pads at 14:43 of the third period. Getzlaf and Josh Manson got assists.
The Ducks scratched defenseman Brandon Montour. Francois Beauchemin suited up in his place.