Both teams were in full agreement: the Los Angeles Kings clearly outplayed the New York Rangers.
The scoreboard said otherwise at the end of a matchup between the NHL’s hottest clubs.
Vinny Prospal scored two goals - including his 200th in the NHL - during first-period power plays and the Rangers stretched their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory last night at Madison Square Garden.
“You just find a way to win when you’re not on - and we were not on,’’ Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “We were behind in every facet of the game but we still found a way to win. That’s a good sign.’’
Prospal added an assist on Marian Gaborik’s sixth of the season that made it 4-2 at 4:22 of the third - on the Rangers’ only shot in the period. Gaborik has 10 points and at least one in all seven games.
“He is that guy that you need to make a big play,’’ Tortorella said.
The Rangers swept a three-game home stand in four days and improved to 6-0 since a season-opening loss at Pittsburgh, despite Tortorella’s admission that his club looked tired.
Former Kings forward Brian Boyle scored a second-period goal, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 34 shots for his fifth win in six games. It is New York’s longest winning streak since another six-game run in the 2005-06 season.
“We have a lot of confidence right now,’’ Lundqvist said. “It’s not easy to play the third game at home in a row . . . you get a little comfortable.’’
Ryan Smyth and Michal Handzus scored for Los Angeles, which had won four in a row after losing on opening night to Phoenix.
Penguins 3, Hurricanes 2 - Chris Kunitz beat Cam Ward on the 12th shot of a shootout to help Pittsburgh continue its early-season road success. Evgeni Malkin and Michael Rupp scored goals for the Penguins, who improved to 5-0 on the road to set a franchise record for most consecutive road wins to open a season.
Ducks 3, Wild 2 - Corey Perry scored two goals in the first 8 1/2 minutes and Jonas Hiller made 32 saves as Anaheim handed Minnesota (1-4) its fourth road loss under new coach Todd Richards.
Stars 6, Predators 0 - Brenden Morrow scored twice in the opening four minutes of a four-goal first period, and Marty Turco stopped 29 shots for his 37th career shutout as host Dallas cruised to victory.
Blackhawks 4, Oilers 3 - Nikolai Khabibulin excelled in his first game against his former Chicago teammates, but couldn’t prevent Edmonton from losing on the road. Mostly a high-priced disappointment during his four years in Chicago but a standout during last season’s run to the Western Conference finals, Khabibulin made 34 saves to keep the Oilers in the game.
