Henrik Lundqvist got off to a rough start in March, but he bounced back in a big way this afternoon, leading the Rangers to a 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
Despite the final score, Lundqvist was forced to maintain a one-goal lead for the better part of the game. He turned aside 30 shots to become the 29th goaltender to ever record 300 wins. Just a week after his 32nd birthday, Lundqvist is also only one shutout shy of 50.
Brian Boyle was credited with the game-winning goal, which he netted just 5:14 minutes into the contests. It was a controversial marker because the Red Wings felt there should have been a penalty on the play:
Chris Kreider eventually provided the Rangers with some breathing room in the third period with his 15th and 16th goals of the 2013-14 campaign. Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan assisted on both of Kreider’s markers.
Detroit entered this game holding onto the second Wild Card spot by virtue of having played in one less game than Columbus. With that no longer being the case, the fact that the Red Wings have won fewer regulation and overtime games than the Blue Jackets means that they’ve allowed the playoff spot to slip away.
Meanwhile, the Rangers have opened up a three-point cushion in the playoff race and moved ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers in the battle for the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.