Lundqvist is acclaimed after big play: "Incredible"

First, Henrik Lundqvist sat benched three games in a row. Perhaps the rest accelerated the shape of the Swedish goalkeeper. For now, the Swedish for the second match in a row is pointed out as a strong contributing - if not the decisive - reason for the victory. The two goals Lundqvist set in were due to controls, the other an unlucky one by teammate and compatriot Lias Andersson.

Thursday night's away meet against Carolina, the day after the home win against Detroit, became a dense story, with Adam Fox finishing the game with his 4-2 goal for the Rangers in open goal.

However, everyone - the TV commentators, co-workers and coach David Quinn - agreed on who was the hero of the evening.

"There is a pretty simple answer to what happened today: Our goalkeeper was incredible," Quinn said at the press conference after the match.

"It's probably his best match as long as I've been here," says Quinn, who was named head coach last fall.

The first period is a clear example of Lundqvist's crucial role. Carolina shot 22 shots and had two numerical superiors. Rangers got off six, but went to period rest with 1-0 in the lead.

- I was tried a lot at first. But it was a fun test, says the Swedish to the TV channel MSG after the match.

He paid tribute to Carolina's efforts, and the slopes' offensive work that made it difficult for the New York team to attack themselves.

In total, the evening ended with 45 saves on 47 shots. And the Swede admitted in the dressing room that there was not much energy left in the 37-year-old body after the match.

- It's the challenge of playing matches two days in a row. You get to bed at three in the morning and all day is about preparing for the match. It was pretty intense, and maybe not our best bet. But we fought hard, he says.

Lundqvist says he tried to keep the feel of the 5-1 win against Detroit even in the game against Carolina.

- I pushed Quinn after yesterday's game so I could play one more match. I've been sitting a lot. When you play more matches you get a certain flow, it's almost like an extension of the last match. You don't have to work so hard to get mentally right, he says.

Ottawa managed to defeat Los Angeles by 2-3 after an extension. In the Ottawa goal, Anders Nilsson made 26 saves, and former Djurgård player Jonathan Davidsson made his NHL debut.

The 22-year-old was allowed to play just under five minutes, and during that time got two shots on goal.

Colorado set a club record in the meet against Nashville. In the second period, Colorado turned a 2–3 sub to lead by 8–3. And fast it went, all six goals came within eight minutes, so many goals have not been scored in such a short time in the club's history. André Burakovsky had to be a part of history writing by setting the 5-3 goal. He also got two assists with him, in the match that ended 9–4.

Finnish Joonas Donskoi made the NHL career's first hat-trick for Colorado.

- It was fantastic, I've probably never done a hattrick in any league. Maybe when I was five years old, he says in the post-match interview from the ice.

Filip Forsberg made one of the Nashville goals.