Recap: Ducks Struggles Continue in 5-1 Loss to Rangers

Brett Leason opened the scoring but the Ducks could not snap their losing streak tonight at Madison Square Garden in a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers.

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The loss, Anaheim's fifth in a row, dropped the club to 10-19-0 on the season and 0-2-0 halfway through a four-game eastern road trip.

Leason scored Anaheim's lone goal, briefly putting the Ducks ahead 1-0 in the first period. Ilya Lyubushkin collected an assist. Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.

Chris Kreider scored twice for the Rangers, who improved to 20-7-1 on the season and expanded their lead atop the Metropolitan Division to seven points over the rival Islanders. Jimmy Vesey, Mika Zibanejad and Adam Edstrom also scored. Former Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick stopped 28-of-29 shots to improve to 9-2-0 in his first season as a Ranger.

Leason gave the Ducks that early 1-0 lead with a wrister from the high slot just moments after Brock McGinn's big hit on Ryan Lindgren forced a turnover.

Leason has points in back-to-back games and eight in 25 appearances this season, one shy of his total in 54 games last year.

The Rangers would take control from there though, tying the game before the end of the first and then claiming a 3-1 edge late in the second.

Kreider's first of the night tied it one with three minutes to go in the opening frame, taking advantage of a bouncing puck off Cam Fowler's skate to beat Dostal with a wrister from the slot.

The goal tied Kreider with Adam Graves for third-most in franchise history (280) and also marked his 500th career point.

Vesey put New York ahead midway through the second, converting a cross-seam pass from Adam Fox after the Ducks could not clear a dump-in to their defensive zone.

The 30-year-old Vesey, now in his second stint with the Rangers, has scored in two of his last three games.

Kreider's second of the night then made it 3-1, a short side deflection of Artemi Panarin's point bid on the power play.

Kreider's 164 career goals in the regular season and playoffs at Madison Square Garden are one shy of Rod Gilbert's arena record.

The goal also made Kreider one of just eight active NHLers to score 100 career power-play goals with one franchise.

Zibanejad and Edstrom capped the scoring with goals in the final four minutes of regulation, sealing New York's 5-1 win.

Zibanejad has 11 career goals in 18 matchups against the Ducks. Edstrom's goal was his first in the NHL.

The Ducks continue a four-game road trip Sunday in New Jersey.