Slide to a halt

After 5 straight losses, Rangers KO Sabres

The Rangers were especially eager to earn a home victory against the high-flying Sabres to stem a series of subpar results. Three first-period goals helped them do it.

Ryan Strome scored his first two goals this season and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves as the Rangers snapped a five- game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Sabres on Thursday night.

“That was obviously a good game,” said Strome, who scored 18 goals for the Rangers last season after joining them in a trade from Edmonton. “Regardless of who produced, we needed that one as a team. It feels good right now. We worked hard for that one.”

The Rangers have been struggling since opening the season with two wins, followed by five defeats — the most recent in overtime to the Coyotes on Tuesday. Against the resurgent Sabres, who notched eight wins in their first 10 games, the Rangers came out with pace and picked up goals from Artemi Panarin, Brett Howden and Strome in the opening period.

Panarin, who signed a seven-year $81.5 million freeagent contract last July, started the scoring with an unassisted goal at 11:41. Panarin corralled a loose puck along the right boards before swooping in and beating Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton for his fifth goal of the season.

Howden made it 2-0 when he tapped the puck past Hutton at 14:32 for his second goal this season. Assists went to Brady Skjei and Jesper Fast.

Strome added to the lead with a tip-in at 19:22 with assists to Skjei and Tony DeAngelo.

Strome’s goal represented the 200th point of his NHL career.

“There was a lot of communication out there,” Howden said. “We were really helping each other.”

Defenseman Marco Scandella put Buffalo on the board with an unassisted goal at 4:17 of the second before DeAngelo restored the three-goal lead with his third goal in two games at 13:20. Skjei and Pavel Buchnevich assisted on DeAngelo’s fourth goal of the season.

Buffalo’s Vladimir Sobotka narrowed the deficit to 4-2 when he scored at 19:11 of the second, beating Lundqvist for his first goal this season. Kyle Okposo and Marcus Johansson registered assists.

The teams traded chances in the third until Strome extended the lead to 5-2 with his second goal of the night. Chris Kreider completed the scoring with his first of the season at 18:44 of the third.