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Rangers end road trip in Florida

Jan 2, 2011 - 4:36 PM (Sports Network) - The New York Rangers will try to close a three-game road trip on a positive note when they visit the Florida Panthers tonight at BankAtlantic Center.

The Rangers began this swing Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, but were then dealt an overtime loss Saturday by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

New York, which is sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with 47 points, has just one regulation loss over its last eight games. The Blueshirts have a 5-1-2 record over that span.

The Lightning earned a 2-1 victory over the Rangers thanks to Nate Thompson's goal just 19 seconds into overtime. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 31-of-33 shots to take the tough-luck loss for the Rangers, who had a two-game winning streak halted.

New York pulled Lundqvist late in the game for the extra attacker and was able to tie it as Dan Girardi sent a pass from the right boards to the front where a wide open Marian Gaborik wristed it between the pads of Cedrick Desjardins with 46 seconds left in regulation.

"It was a big point to get," said New York head coach John Tortorella. "We stayed with it and were able to stay patient and tie it up. But this is going to get tougher and tougher as the season moves on."

The Rangers still have a strong 13-6-1 record as the guest this season.

Lundqvist made 40 saves to record a shutout in the Rangers' first meeting of the season against Florida. That 3-0 victory on Nov. 26 in Sunrise was New York's fourth straight win in this series overall and the Rangers have also taken three in a row and four out of the last five meetings in south Florida.

Lundqvist is 11-5-1 with four shutouts and a 1.77 goals-against average in 17 career starts against the Panthers. It's unclear if the Swede will get the start this evening on consecutive days or if backup Martin Biron will get the nod instead.

The Panthers have suffered losses in two straight outings, but both of those setbacks came after regulation. Florida, which hasn't lost three straight since Nov. 22-26, has just one regulation loss in its last six games (3-1-2).

Tonight marks the end of a three-game homestand for the Panthers, who have dropped three out of four on home ice and are 7-6-2 at BankAtlantic Center this season.

After getting dealt a 3-2 shootout loss by Boston on Monday, the Panthers lost by the same score Friday in overtime against Montreal. James Wisniewski scored two goals, including the game-winner with 1:19 remaining in OT, to lift the Canadiens to the road win.

Tomas Vokoun was the tough-luck loser for Florida, stopping 45 shots in the setback. Stephen Weiss and Dmitry Kulikov scored 1:45 apart early in the second period to stake the Panthers to a 2-0 lead, but that would be all the offense Florida would muster.