Another King milestone
Henrik passes Plante on wins list
Even Henrik Lundqvist was impressed with his company.
Lundqvist passed Jacques Plante for seventh on NHL goaltender wins list with his 438th victory, and the Rangers beat the Florida Panthers, 4-2, on Saturday night for their fifth consecutive home win.
“To look at that list there are some really good goalies who played a huge part in the history of the game,” said Lundqvist, who had 39 saves. “It means a lot to me, but as a goalie it also means you’ve been part of some really good teams.”
Chris Kreider notched a goal and two assists for the Rangers, who have won three of four overall. Vladislav Namestnikov, Brendan Smith and Filip Chytil also scored.
Namestnikov gave the Rangers a 3-2 lead with his second of the season 2:37 into the second period. The goal was disputed by the Panthers, but officials ruled the puck crossed the line behind Panthers goaltender Roberto Lu- ongo.
“That controversial call, obviously, I think that affected the game,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said. “Confused, I still don’t understand. I think it should have been 2-2 going into the third.”
Kreider helped put it away with a power-play score 7:49 into the third. Lundqvist picked up an assist on Kreider’s teamleading 11th goal.
The 36-year-old Lundqvist is 7-6-2 this season. The stylish Swede is the only goaltender in league history with 20 victories in 13 straight seasons.
“He did what he has been doing all year for us,” Rangers coach David Quinn said. “He’s an elite goaltender.”
Mike Hoffman had a goal and an assist for Florida, which dropped to 1-2 on a six-game trip. Aaron Ekblad also scored, and Luongo made 20 saves.
The 39-year-old Luongo is the only active goaltender with more wins than Lundqvist with 475. But he placed much of the blame for the loss on himself.
“Obviously I’m not happy with the first couple of goals I let in,” he said. “I have to be better than that. It’s on me to bail them out when there’s mistakes made, but that’s how hockey goes.”
The Rangers bounced back nicely after a 7-5 loss to the Islanders in Brooklyn on Thursday, defeating the Panthers for the second time this season. The Rangers started their current home winning streak with a 5-2 victory against Florida on Oct. 23.
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Rangers are 12-2-3 against the Panthers. Lundqvist is 18-5-2 against Florida since November 2009.
Chytil opened the scoring at 3:03 of the first with his third goal in three games. The 19year-old forward went without a goal in his first 17 games this season.
“I’m focused on every shift, this is my game,” said Chytil, who played on a line centered by Kevin Hayes with Krieder on left wing. “I feel great out there.”