Ellis, Lundqvist, Stepan named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog "The Neutral Zone" has named Ryan Ellis, Henrik LUndqvist and Derek Stepan as their 'Three Stars of the Night' for all NHL Playoff games that took place on May 2, 2017.

FIRST STAR  RYAN ELLIS, F, NASHVILLE PREDATORS
Ellis scored for the third straight contest to extend his point streak to seven games (4-5—9). Ellis tied the Preds' record for longest point streak in the playoffs, set by Colin Wilson in 2016 (4-5—9). Ellis is the first defenseman with a seven-game point streak in the playoffs since Chris Pronger and Jason Woolley in 1998.

SECOND STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS
Lundqvist earned his 60th career playoff win to tie Turk Broda for 14th place all-time.

THIRD STAR - DEREK STEPAN, F, NEW YORK RANGERS
By playing in last night's game, Derek Stepan has now played more playoff games with the Rangers than any other forward in franchise history (94).

Lundqvist, Karlsson, Edmundson named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog "The Neutral Zone" has named Henrik Lundqvist, Melker Karlsson, and Joel Edmundson as their "Three Stars of the Night" for all NHL playoff games that took place on April 12, 2017.

FIRST STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS

Lundqvist turned aside all 31 shots he faced to backstop the Rangers to victory in Game 1. He recorded his 10th career playoff shutout to pass Mike Richter (9) for the most in Rangers history. Lundqvist also became the second goaltender in Rangers history to blank the Canadiens in a playoff road game (Chuck Rayner, Game 5 of 1950 SF).

SECOND STAR - MELKER KARLSSON, F, SAN JOSE SHARKS

Karlsson scored at 3:22 of overtime to power the Sharks to victory in Game 1 of their First Round series. Karlsson, who has one OT goal in 185 career regular season games, scored his first such tally in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (25 GP).

THIRD STAR - JOEL EDMUNDSON, F, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Edmundson scored at 17:48 of overtime to lift the Blues to victory in Game 1 of their First Round series.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to miss 2-3 weeks

Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Saturday.

The Rangers recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from Hartford of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis.

In 51 games played in 2016-17, Lundqvist is 30-17-2 with a 2.65 GAA and a .913 SV%.

Lundqvist, Nash out for Rangers vs. Hurricanes

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and forward Rick Nash will not play against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-CR, MSG, NHL.TV) because of injury.

Lundqvist (lower body) and Nash (upper body) are listed as day to day.

Lundqvist made 43 saves in a 5-2 victory at the Florida Panthers on Tuesday to move into 10th place on the all-time NHL wins list with 404. He is 30-17-2 with a 2.65 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 51 games this season.

Nash, who had an assist Tuesday, has 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 55 games.

"Both Nash and Lundqvist are day to day," coach Alain Vigneault said. "Obviously {Lundqvist] was in the last game. Nash has been carrying this upper-body injury and it's just too painful today."

Forward Mark Puempel, who did not dress for each of the past two games, will take Nash's place in the lineup and skate on a line with Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes.

The Rangers will also be without forward Michael Grabner, who will miss his fifth consecutive game with a hip injury.

The Rangers recalled goalie Brandon Halverson from Greenville of the ECHL on an emergency basis. He will back up starter Antti Raanta on Thursday.

News & Notes: Henrik Lundqvist reaches milestone in Rangers win

LUNDQVIST MOVES UP ALL-TIME WINS LIST

Henrik Lundqvist matched a season-high with 43 saves to earn his 30th win of 2016-17 and lead the Rangers to a 5-2 defeat of the Florida Panthers. It was their fifth consecutive road victory and League-leading 24th road win.

* The Rangers (43-22-2, 88 points), who hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, drew even in terms of points with the idle Pittsburgh Penguins (40-16-8, 88 points), who are third in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins, however, have three games in hand.

* Lundqvist (404-246-74 in 736 GP) passed Grant Fuhr (403-295-114-9 in 868 GP) for sole possession of 10th place on the NHL all-time wins list. He is three victories shy of Glenn Hall (407) for ninth in League history.

* Playing in his 12th NHL season, Lundqvist reached the 30-win mark for the 11th time to join Martin Brodeur (14) and Patrick Roy (13) as the only goaltenders to accomplish the feat.

TUESDAY'S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

COLUMBUS 2, New Jersey 0
Philadelphia 6, BUFFALO 3
TORONTO 3, Detroit 2
NY Rangers 5, FLORIDA 2
St. Louis 2, MINNESOTA 1
COLORADO 3, Carolina 1
NY Islanders 4, EDMONTON 1
Montreal 2, VANCOUVER 1 (OT)
ANAHEIM 4, Nashville 3 (SO)

BOBROVSKY POSTS THIRD STRAIGHT SHUTOUT, COLUMBUS NEARS RECORDS

Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves for his third consecutive shutout and has propelled the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 7-2-1 record in their past 10 games, a stretch that has seen them outscore opponents 30-13.

* At 42-17-6 (90 points), the Blue Jackets moved within one win and three points of equaling single-season franchise records established in 2013-14 (43-32-7, 93 points). They are second in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the Washington Capitals (44-14-7, 95 points) and two points ahead of the Penguins (40-16-8, 88 points) and Rangers (43-22-2, 88 points).

* Bobrovsky has three straight shutouts for the first time in the NHL to extend his personal shutout streak to 179:29, the second-longest run by a Blue Jackets goaltender. Steve Mason had a shutout streak of 199:19 from Dec. 23, 2008 - Jan. 2, 2009. Bobrovsky is third in the League with an NHL career-high six shutouts this season.

* Cam Atkinson reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in the NHL. Atkinson, who became the seventh Blue Jackets player to reach 30-goal milestone, has 116 NHL goals, four shy of tying R.J. Umberger (120) for second place in Blue Jackets history.

MOVEMENT IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE

The tight race for wild card spots continued in the Eastern Conference, where standings positions 7-12 are separated by five points:

* Joshua Ho-Sang scored his first NHL goal and Anders Lee (2-0-2) tied an NHL career high with his 25th goal as the New York Islanders improved to 4-2-1 during their season-high nine-game road trip. With the win, the Islanders (31-23-11, 73 points) maintained possession of the second wild card, one point ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs (29-22-14, 72 points).

* Nazem Kadri scored his sixth game-winning goal of the season and Alexey Marchenko had his first goal with the Maple Leafs (against his former team) as the Maple Leafs snapped a five-game losing streak to keep pace with the Islanders.

* Six Philadelphia Flyers scored and Radko Gudas (1-2-3) had a season-high three points as the Flyers (31-26-8, 70 points) improved to 3-0-1 in its past four games to remain three points behind the Islanders and two behind the Maple Leafs.

OTHER TEAMS IMPROVE PLAYOFF STANDING

Several other clubs picked up wins to strengthen their holds on playoff positions:

* Paul Byron scored his second NHL overtime goal and Carey Price made 27 saves to reached the 30-win plateau for the fourth time in the NHL to help the Montreal Canadiens extend their winning streak to six games. The Canadiens (38-21-8, 84 points) increased their lead atop the Atlantic Division to six points. Price joins Ken Dryden (7), Jacques Plante (7) and Patrick Roy (5) as the only Canadiens goaltenders with four or more 30-win seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

* Vladimir Tarasenko scored his sixth game-winning goal of the season to help the St. Louis Blues (33-27-5, 71 points), who have allowed one goal during two consecutive victories on the heels of a five-game losing streak, open a three-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings (31-28-6, 68 points) as they hold the second wild card from the Western Conference.

* Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists and Patrick Eaves scored in the shootout as the Anaheim Ducks (34-22-10, 78 points) moved into a tie in terms of points with the Edmonton Oilers (35-23-8, 78 points) for second place in the Pacific Division. Getzlaf (12-40-52 in 59 GP) hit the 40-assist mark for a Ducks-best ninth time.

LOOSE PUCKS

Mitchell Marner (15-37-52) had two assists to extend his lead among rookies to seven. … Jack Eichel (2-1-3) extended his NHL career-high point streak to 11 games (5-11-16) while eclipsing 100 career points (42-59-101 in 127 GP). … Henrik Zetterberg (1-11-12 in 7 GP), Alex Galchenyuk (3-5-8 in 6 GP), Ryan O'Reilly (3-4-7 in 5 GP) and Jaccob Slavin (0-5-5 in 5 GP) also extended point streaks. … Blue Jackets forward T.J. Tynan made his NHL debut. … Forward Olli Jokinen rejoined the Panthers to announce his retirement from the NHL.

SNEAK PEEK AT WEDNESDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern

Ottawa @ Dallas, 8 p.m., SN360, FS-SW, RDS, NHL.TV
Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 8 p.m., SN, ROOT, NHL.TV
Detroit @ Boston, 8 p.m., TVAS, NBCSN, NHL.TV 

EASTERN PLAYOFF RACES TAKES OVER WEDNESDAY NIGHT

The Penguins (40-16-8, 88 points), Ottawa Senators (36-22-6, 78 points) and Boston Bruins (34-26-6, 74 points) each look for crucial victories in a crowded Eastern Conference:

* The Penguins, who are two points behind the Blue Jackets (42-17-6, 90 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division, visit the Winnipeg Jets (30-31-6, 66 points), who are five points out of a wild card in the Western Conference.

* The Senators, who are six points behind the Canadiens (38-21-8, 84 points) for first in the Atlantic Division, look to extend their three-game winning streak when they face the Dallas Stars (27-29-10, 64 points).

* The Bruins, third in the Atlantic Division, look to make up ground on the Senators when they host the Detroit Red Wings (25-28-11, 61 points) at TD Garden in a game that will be broadcast nationally in the United States on NBCSN's Wednesday Night Rivalry.

- NHL Public Relations

Lundqvist, Holtby, Bobrobsky named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Henrik Lundqvist, Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky as their 'Theee Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on March 2, 2017.

FIRST STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS

Lundqvist made 32 saves to backstop the Rangers to their League-leading 22nd road win of the season (22-8-0, 44 points). He also earned the 403rd win of his NHL career (734 GP) to tie Grant Fuhr for 10th on the all-time list. Plus, Lundqvist also tied the NHL record for most wins by a goalie in his first 12 seasons (Martin Brodeur: 403 in 740 GP).

SECOND STAR - BRADEN HOLTBY, G, WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Holtby registered his League-leading eighth shutout of the season to improve to 18-0-2 in his past 20 decisions.

THIRD STAR - SERGEI BOBROVSKY, G, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Bobrovsky posted his career-high 33rd win of 2016-17 to match the Blue Jackets record for most in a season (Steve Mason, 2008-09).

Lundqvist, Kane, Forsberg named our 'Three Stars of the Night'

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Henrik Lundqvist, Patrick Kane, and Filip Forsberg as their 'Theee Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on February 23, 2017.

FIRST STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS

Lundqvist earned his 402nd career win to surpass Chris Osgood (401) for sole possession of 11th on the NHL’s all-time wins list.

SECOND STAR - PATRICK KANE, F, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Kane recorded his third career hat trick to help the Blackhawks improve to 8-1-0 in their last nine games.

THIRD STAR - FILIP FORSBERG, D, NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Forsberg earned his 2nd consecutive hat trick, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat since Alex Burrows (Jan. 5 and 7, 2010).

The Neutral Zone 'Three Stars of the Night' (February 12, 2017)

NEW YORK -- UNB! Network NHL/hockey blog 'The Neutral Zone' has named Patrik Berglund, Henrik Lundqvist and Craig Anderson as their 'Three Stars of the Night' for the National Hockey League games taking place on February 11, 2017.

FIRST STAR - CRAIG ANDERSON, G, OTTAWA SENATORS
Anderson, who took a leave of absence to be with his wife, Nicholle, during cancer treatment, posted a SO in his 1st game since Dec. 5. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Anderson is second in Senators history to post 4 shutouts in his first 20 GP in a season (Lalime, 2000-01: 4 SO in 19 GP). This is the first season in Senators history that two goalies (Anderson and Mike Condon) have posted at least 4 shutouts apiece.

SECOND STAR - HENRIK LUNDQVST, G, NEW YORK RANGERS
Lundqvist made 32 saves against the Colorado AValanche, which recorded his 400th career NHL win, becoming the 12th in NHL history and 1st European-born goalie to earn the feat. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Lundqvist earned the 400 win mark quicker than any NHL goaltender all-time. Martin Brodeur is second at 735. Lundqvist is 1st Rangers goaltender to earn 400 wins & 3rd in NHL history to hit mark with one club (Brodeur: 688 with Devils; Esposito: 418 with Chicago). Lundqvist sits alone in 12th place on NHL’s all-time wins list.

THIRD STAR - PATRIK BERGLUND, C, ST. LOUIS BLUES
Berglund (3-0—3) posted his first career hat trick to propel the Blues to their fourth straight win. It took 611 games played for Berglund to earn the feat as the Blues improved to 5-1-0 since Mike Yeo was named head coach on Feb. 1.

News & Notes: Henrik Lundqvist wins 400th, Rangers sweep homestand

LUNDQVIST EARNS 400TH WIN, RANGERS EXTEND WINNING STREAK

Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves to earn his 400th NHL victory and help the New York Rangers extend their winning streak to five games, including a sweep of their four-game homestand.

* Lundqvist (Are, Sweden) became the first European-born goaltender in NHL history to win 400 games. He sits alone in 12th place on the NHL's all-time wins list, one back of Chris Osgood (401) for 11th place.

* Elias notes that Lundqvist, who has played each of his 727 NHL games with the Rangers, required the fewest appearances to win 400 games to best the mark previously held by Martin Brodeur (735 GP). Lundqvist also became the third goaltender to earn 400 wins with one team, joining Brodeur (688 w/ NJD) and Tony Esposito (418 w/ CHI).

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

OTTAWA 3, NY Islanders 0
BOSTON 4, Vancouver 3
PHILADELPHIA 2, San Jose 1 (OT)
DALLAS 5, Carolina 2
Florida 7, NASHVILLE 4
COLUMBUS 2, Detroit 1
Tampa Bay 4, WINNIPEG 1
Buffalo 3, TORONTO 1
St. Louis 4, MONTREAL 2
NY RANGERS 4, Colorado 2
WASHINGTON 6, Anaheim 4
ARIZONA 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
Chicago 5, EDMONTON 1

ANDERSON POSTS SHUTOUT IN RETURN TO SENATORS' NET

Craig Anderson denied all 33 shots he faced in his first appearance in more than two months to earn his fourth shutout of the season and help the Ottawa Senators to victory. Anderson took a leave of absence after his last start on Dec. 5 to be with his wife, Nicholle, during her cancer treatment.

* Anderson became the second goaltender in Senators history to earn four shutouts within his first 20 appearances in a season. He and teammate Mike Condon (4 SO) are the first pair of Senators goaltenders to earn at least four shutouts apiece in the same season.

CAPITALS HOLD OFF DUCKS TO KEEP STREAKS ALIVE

The Washington Capitals led 3-0 and 4-1 before Zach Sanford (first NHL goal) scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:39 remaining in the third period to lift them to their 12th straight win at Verizon Center, one shy of the longest home winning streak in their history (Jan. 5 - March 6, 2010: 13-0-0).

* Elias notes that the League-leading Capitals (39-11-6, 84 points), who also won 12 straight at Verizon Center in 2015-16, became the second team in NHL history to post home winning streaks of at least 12 games in back-to-back seasons (also PIT: 2012-13 and 2013-14).

* Washington scored at least five goals for the 11th consecutive home game, scoring 60 times in that span. Elias notes that one other team in NHL history has accomplished the feat: the 1970-71 Boston Bruins (78 goals in 11 GP).

* Braden Holtby (18 saves) won his 14th consecutive decision to match the second-longest personal winning streak in NHL history and become the second goaltender to achieve the feat this season (Sergei Bobrovsky: 14-0-0 from Nov. 29 to Jan. 3). Boston's Gilles Gilbert is the only NHL goaltender with a single-season winning streak of more than 14 games (17-0-0 in 1975-76).

EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF RACE REMAINS LOG JAM

A number of teams earned wins Saturday to keep pace in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race:

* David Pastrnak, who has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his past four games, scored the tiebreaking goal with two minutes remaining when the Bruins picked up their second straight win.

* Wayne Simmonds scored on a breakaway for his first NHL overtime goal (661 GP) to help the Philadelphia Flyers end a three-game skid.

* Jaromir Jagr, who will celebrate his 45th birthday Wednesday, scored one of the Panthers' season-high seven goals to move within one point of 1,900 in his NHL career (759-1,140-1,899 in 1,683 GP).

* Victor Hedman, Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point each had a goal and an assist when the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their point streak to four games (3-0-1).

* Jack Eichel (0-3-3), Evander Kane (2-0-2) and Sam Reinhart (1-1-2) combined for three goals and seven points, and the Buffalo Sabres won for the third time in their past five games.

LOOSE PUCKS 

Patrik Berglund earned his first NHL hat trick (611 GP) to help the St. Louis Blues to their fourth straight victory . . . Patrick Kane scored a goal with two assists to extend his point streak to five games (4-5-9) and help the Chicago Blackhawks push their winning streak to five games . . . Nicklas Backstrom (1-2-3) eclipsed the 700 NHL career point milestone while extending his point streak to seven games (4-9-13). He shares second in the League with 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) this season . . . Stars forward Patrick Eaves scored twice while playing in his 600th NHL game to establish an NHL career-high for goals in a season (21) . . . Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson earned his first NHL hat trick (115 GP) . . . San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau reached the 20-goal mark for the 14th time in 19 NHL seasons, extending his point streak to nine games (8-5-13) . . . Artem Anisimov (CHI) and Mark Stone (OTT) reached the 20-goal mark for the second and third consecutive seasons, respectively . . . Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (35 saves) won his 30th game of the season to move back into a share of the League lead (with Devan Dubnyk) . . . Forwards Brett Connolly (4-4-8 in 6 GP), J.T. Miller (2-8-10 in 6 GP) and Kyle Okposo (2-3-5 in 5 GP) each extended their points streaks . . . Penguins forward Josh Archibald (2-0-2) scored his first NHL goals (2 GP) . . . The Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs each hosted events in support of Hockey Is For Everyone month . . . The Blue Jackets honored late Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch before their game against Detroit . . . Members of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots participated in the ceremonial face-off at TD Garden.

SNEAK PEEK AT SUNDAY'S ACTION

All Times Eastern

San Jose @ New Jersey, 12:30 p.m., SN360, SN1, MSG+, CSN-CA
Detroit @ Minnesota, 3 p.m., NBC
Dallas @ Nashville, 6 p.m., TVA Sports, FS-TN, FS-SW
Colorado @ NY Islanders, 6 p.m., MSG+, ALT
Montreal @ Boston, 7:30 p.m., SN, NBCSN, RDS
Vancouver @ Buffalo, 7:30 p.m., MSG-B, SNP

STARS TAKE CENTER STAGE ON SIX-GAME SUNDAY

An Original Six rivalry will be renewed in a game televised nationally in Canada and the U.S. during a six-game Sunday slate:

* In Canada, Rogers Hometown Hockey stops in Cochrane, Alberta., when the Atlantic Division-leading Canadiens (31-18-8, 70 points) and Bruins (28-23-6, 62 points) play at TD Garden in their final game against one another this season. Montreal has won 15 of its past 19 regular-season games against Boston since March 3, 2013 (MTL: 15-3-1; BOS: 4-13-2), including 2-0-1 this season (BOS: 1-2-0). Throughout the 2016-17 season, Sunday games will be broadcast from a different community rink in various towns across Canada. Included in each telecast will be local NHL player profiles, grassroots stories and local entertainment features.

* In the U.S., Shea Weber and the Canadiens visit Brad Marchand and the Bruins on NBCSN in the second half of a doubleheader on Star Sunday. The broadcast begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC when Devan Dubnyk and the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Wild (36-12-6, 78 points) host Henrik Zetterberg and the Red Wings (22-23-10, 54 points). Airing most Sundays through the end of the regular season, NBC Sports' Star Sunday games will shine a spotlight on a star from each team throughout the telecast, from pre-game features to an iso cam during game action.

- NHL Public Relations

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist misses practice with flu

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist missed the team's morning skate on Friday with the flu, the morning of their first game after the NHL's December holiday break, against the Ottawa Senators.

In 36 games played in his career against Ottawa, Lundqvist has a 15-17-3 record, a 2.08 GAA, a .931 SV%, and a 1 SO. He has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last five appearances against Ottawa, posting a 3-2-0 record, along with a 1.57 GAA and a .943 SV%.

Antti Raanta will most likely get the start in net for the Rangers tonight. He has posted an 8-3-0 record, along with a 2.03 GAA, a .931 SV%, and 2 SO in his 12 starts this season, and he has allowed two goals or fewer in 10 his 12 starts in 2016-17.

Henrik Lundqvist healthy scratch for Team Sweden

GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Team Sweden goalie Henrik Lundqvist will start the World Cup of Hockey 2016 pretournament schedule as a healthy scratch.

Lundqvist will not dress for Team Sweden's pretournament game against Team Finland at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on Thursday (Noon ET; ESPN3, SN, TVA Sports). Jacob Markstrom will start and Jhonas Enroth will be the backup, coach Rikard Gronborg said Wednesday.

Gronborg would not say if Lundqvist would play in the pretournament game against Team Finland here at Scandinavium on Saturday (Noon ET; ESPN3, SN, TVA Sports).

Although Lundqvist was dealing with sore ribs at the start of the week, a result of getting hit by a puck during a practice last week, Gronborg's decision to scratch him doesn't appear to be injury related. He has had a net in practice to himself for the past three days and has gotten a lot of work. Markstrom and Enroth have shared the other net.

"Obviously [Lundqvist] is a big cornerstone of the team, so it's more of a situation right now that he gets a lot of repetition in practice here," Gronborg said. "We really challenged him in practice, and obviously he responded to that. We do have a plan. Right now I don't feel it's necessary for me to tell [the media] what the plan is, but we do have a plan. Obviously he's a big cornerstone of our team."

Defenseman Hampus Lindholm and forward Mikael Backlund also will be healthy scratches for Team Sweden on Thursday.

Henrik Lundqvist feeling fine after rib injury

GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was a full participant at the first Team Sweden practice at Scandinavium on Monday despite lingering pain on his side, a result of getting hit in the ribs with a puck during a workout last week.

"It didn't feel too good when it happened, but I checked it right after practice and it's nothing serious," Lundqvist said. "I'm probably going to feel some pain for a while, but it's nothing that really bothers me the way I move. Yeah, I feel it, but it doesn't bother me when reaching for pucks or anything. That's the good part."

Lundqvist said he doesn't anticipate missing any time in preparation for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

Sweden plays its first pretournament game against Team Finland at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki on Thursday (Noon ET; ESPN3, SN, TVA Sports).

The World Cup will be played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1. Team Sweden's first game is against Team Russia on Sept. 18 (3 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVA Sports).

via Dan Rosen (NHL)

Rangers recall G Magnus Hellberg from Hartford (AHL) after injury to Lundqvist

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

Magnus Hellberg

The New York Rangers on Thursday recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League due to the injury sustained to Henrik Lundqvist in game one of the Rangers' first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

Lundqvist was hit in the eye with teammate Marc Staal's stick in the game, finished the first period, and did not return for the second or even the rest of the game.

Hellberg has appeared in one game with the Rangers this season.

Lundqvist injured in game against Penguins

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

Henrik Lundqvist was injured in the Rangers' playoff
game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday
night. (Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH - New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist wad injured in the first period of the New York Rangers' playoff game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.

Lundqvist was hit by a Trevor Daly slapshot in the final minute of the first period. After receiving liquid drops in his eyes after the incident, Lundqvist did finish the period.

However, Lundqvist was not in net, nor was he even on the bench for the start of the period.

Analysis: Who's been the better goaltender in the past three seasons - Lundqvist or Price?

"The Neutral Zone" Analysis Report

NOTE: The stats used in this article are from the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 NHL season. No stats from the current NHL season (2015-16) were used in this article.

When you think of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, you probably think of Martin Brodueur, Mike Richter, Roberto Luongo (active player), and many others.

But let's look at two of the best goalies playing the game today: Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, and Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens.

Let's look at their stats:

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist:

\HEHN-rihk LUHND-kvihst\

Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-1 (185 cm)
Weight: 188 lbs. (85 kg)

Born: March 2, 1982 (Age 33.295) in Are, Sweden  
Draft: NY Rangers, 7th round (205th overall), 2000 NHL Entry








Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 24 W | 16 L | 3 OT/SO | 1102 SV | .926 SV%
2013-14: 33 W | 24 L | 5 OT/SO | 1666 SV | .920 SV%
2014-15: 30 W | 13 L | 3 OT/SO | 1226 SV | .922 SV%
3 Seasons:  81 W | 53 L | 11 OT/SO | 3994 SV | .922 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury

Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 5 W | 7 L | 0 OT/SO | 384 SV | .934 SV%
2013-14: 13 W | 11 L | 0 TO/SO | 683 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 11 W | 8 L | 0 OT/SO L | 529 SV | .928 SV%
3 Seasons: 29 W | 26 L | 0 OT/SO | 1596 SV | .929 SV%

Carey Price

Carey Price (MTL):
\KAIR-ee PRIGHS\


Position: G ▪ Catches: Left
Height: 6-3 (190 cm)
Weight: 216 lbs. (98 kg)

Born: August 16, 1987 (Age 28.128) in Anahim Lake, British Columbia  
Draft: Montreal, 1st round (5th overall), 2005 NHL Entry 
Amateur Teams: Tri-City Americans 





Regular Season (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 21 W | 13 L | 4 OT/SO | 921 SV | .905 SV%
2013-14: 34 W | 20 L | 5 OT/SO | 1694 SV | .927 SV%
2014-15: 44 W | 16 L | 6 OT/SO | 1823 SV | .933 SV%
3 Seasons:  99 W | 54 L | 15 OT/SO | 4438 SV | .927 SV%
**Missed part of 2014-15 regular season due to injury

Playoffs (2012-13 - 2014-15):
2012-13: 1 W | 2 L | 0 OT/SO | 110 SV | .894 SV%
2013-14: 8 W | 4 L | 0 TO/SO | 329 SV | .919 SV%
2014-15: 6 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO L | 324 SV | .920 SV%
3 Seasons: 15 W | 6 L | 0 OT/SO | 763 SV | .911 SV%

Looking at those statistics, it's hard to tell which goalie has had a better performance, at least in our opinion. Price, who is currently injured, has 444 more regular season saves than Lundqvist in the past three seasons. Price had 4438, while Lundqvist had 3394.

Price also has a better save percentage in the past three regular seasons when combining them. Price's SV% when combining the last three regulars reasons was .927, while Lundqvist's was .922.

But when it comes to the playoffs, Lundqvist may have the advantage. Lundqvist has had 1596 saves in his last three playoff seasons, but Price has only had 763.

Price missed some playoff action in the 2013-14 NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals, where Price was injured in game one, surprisingly against Lundqvist and the New York Rangers. Dustin Tokarsky became the new starting goalie for the Canadiens in that series. The Rangers won the series in six games.

But since that series, the Rangers have had problems against the Canadiens, going 1-4-0 against the Canadiens dating back to the first game the Rangers played against the Canadiens after their victory over them in that Conference Final in 2013-14, which includes three games against the Canadiens in 2014-15, and two games in 2015-16.

Carey Price has been better since after the Conference Final, plus his regular season stats in the last three full seasons than Lundqvist, and it's enough to overshadow Lundqvist's better stats than Price's in the last three playoffs.

Therefore, "The Neutral Zone" has decided that in the last three complete NHL seasons, Carey Price has been better than Henrik Lundqvist.