NEW YORK _ On Friday, the Boston College Eagles watched the Rangers practice. For 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon, the Rangers played like a college team.
Alain Vingeault had spoken about the importance of urgency and execution to tip the scales in a league where any team could win on a given night.
But the Rangers (17-8-1) were a mess through two periods.
The Hurricanes had 25 shots, and the Rangers managed just 11 on veteran Michael Leighton, making just his second start of the year after spending last season in the AHL, before former Eagle Chris Kreider scored twice in the third for a 4-2 win at Madison Square Garden.
Kreider, who hadn't scored in seven games, jumped on a loose puck after Derek Stepan's wraparound bounced off the post and in front and fired into a half-empty net at 12:25 of the third period for a 3-2 lead. Then at 17:11, Kreider scored his sixth of the season when his left-side wrister clanged the post and caromed off Leighton and in. With that, they had beaten the Hurricanes 12 straight times at Madison Square Garden.
Credit Henrik Lundqvist, who made 14 saves in the first period, to keep the score 1-1.
At 5:54 of the third, with the Rangers having the first eight shots of the period, Michael Grabner burst down the middle for his 13th goal on a pass from Brady Skjei. Carolina coach Bill Peters challenged the call, believing that Grabner was offside. A review was inconclusive, but the 2-1 lead didn't last long.
Thirty-two seconds later, Victor Rask's slap shot appeared to hit Kreider in front, and the puck went low past the left side of Lundqvist.
The ineffectiveness started early. The Rangers had just one shot on Leighton after Stepan's fifth goal (he also had two assists) at 4:05 of the first period.
Former Ranger Viktor Stalberg tied the score with a wrister from the right circle at 8:34 of the second that bounced off Lundqvist's glove _ his third goal in five days against the Rangers, and the Blueshirts flubbed two power plays later in the period, when first, Lee Stempniak speared Dan Girardi in the groin and with 2:01 left, when Phillip Di Giuseppe was whistled for hooking.
