Dominic Moore scored the tying short-handed goal with 1:57 left in regulation and then netted the only goal in the shootout to help the Tampa Bay Lightning snap a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
The Lightning ended their skid despite not having star forward Martin St. Louis in the lineup for the first time in 500 games. St. Louis was struck near his left eye Thursday morning by a shot taken by Moore and sustained facial and sinus fractures.
Ryan Malone had gotten Tampa Bay even at 1 in the second period.
Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov scored for the Rangers, who have dropped two straight (0-1-1) following a five-game winning streak.
In the shootout, Moore beat Henrik Lundqvist with a forehand to the glove side after Tampa Bay’s Mathieu Garon made two acrobatic saves in the last minute of overtime.
The 31-year-old Moore, a former Rangers forward, answered Anisimov’s second-period short-handed goal with his own late in the third. Moore burst past defenseman Ryan McDonagh and backhanded a shot past Lundqvist high to the glove side for his second goal of the season.
The Rangers were again denied from becoming the fifth NHL team to record 2,500 wins. New York (15-6-4) lost for only the fourth time in 16 games. The Lightning (12-14-2) won for just the fourth time in 13 games.
Anisimov’s goal at 13:23 of the second led to a fracas after Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier vigorously objected to Anisimov’s spirited celebration. After scoring, Anisimov dropped to one knee and held his stick by the blade and pointed the straight end at Garon.
The subsequent fight resulted in a combined 36 penalty minutes among two Rangers and three Lightning players. Anisimov received the most with a four-minute penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Tampa Bay’s Steve Downie, who left the bench to join the brawl, was assessed a roughing penalty and a misconduct.
Callahan’s power-play goal at 7:49 of the first gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. However, New York dropped to 12-1-1 in games in which it scored first.
Malone’s sixth of the season tied it at 11:23 of the second. Malone intercepted a pass by McDonagh in the defensive zone before beating Henrik Lundqvist for the unassisted goal.
St. Louis was forced to sit out, ending his consecutive-game streak at 499 — the third-longest active run in the NHL. St. Louis was bleeding when he left the Madison Square Garden ice and was assisted to the dressing room by a trainer. He left the arena by ambulance.
The 36-year-old St. Louis hadn’t missed a game since Nov. 15, 2005, at Washington. He was expected to return to Florida to be evaluated by team doctors after the swelling near his eye subsided, the team said.
The Rangers were without defenseman Michael Sauer who sustained a concussion when he collided with Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf on Tuesday. New York has been without defenseman Marc Staal all season because of concussion symptoms.
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