Quick, Rangers defeat Lightning for 3rd straight win

NEW YORK -- Jonathan Quick allowed one goal, Jimmy Vesey scored two, and the New York Rangers extended their winning streak to three games by defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Quick, starting for the third straight game, made 18 saves. He credited the defense in front of him for playing well and limiting the Lightning's time and space from start to finish.

"When we play like we played today it gives us a good chance to win every night," Quick said.

Jonny Brodzinski also scored for the Rangers (32-16-3).

"For me it's about there's an attitude that goes with defense, time and space," Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. "I thought we did a really good job stick on puck in the defensive zone. They were trying to get off a shot, we got a stick in there. They were trying to make a play, we got a stick in there. Just trying to disrupt things a little bit. I thought for the most part we kept the puck in front of us."

Brandon Hagel scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 21 saves for the Lightning (27-19-5), who had a three-game winning streak end in their return from the NHL All-Star break.

The Lightning hadn't played since Jan. 27.

"They had a little bit more in the tank than we did at the end," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They just made a couple more plays that we couldn't make. I thought we got a little bit tired as that game went on."

Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher with 13:00 remaining in the second period, when his left leg bent awkwardly underneath him as he was going for a hit on Alexis Lafrenière.

Sergachev was playing in his first game since Dec. 19 after missing 17 with a lower-body injury.

"It's super tough," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said. "Obviously, been through it with a few other guys in the past, but [Sergachev], first game back after missing an extended period of time, to see him in such pain, it's hard. You feel for him and you just pray for the best, but obviously it's not looking good."

With Quick in net making 32 saves, New York won 2-1 in overtime against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, its first game back from the All-Star break. The Rangers went into the break with a 7-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 27, also with Quick in net making 29 saves.

Laviolette said Wednesday morning the plan was always to start Quick in the first two games after the break to give Igor Shesterkin more time to work with goalie coach Benoit Allaire.

He did not say who would start at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

"I think we're playing better as a team in front of him, but I would say he's been really good," Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said of Quick. "When we need him to make a big save he's made them. Everyone in here rallies around what he's doing for us right now."

Vesey gave New York a 1-0 lead at 1:15 of the second period, when his backhand shot from low in the right face-off circle went over Vasilevskiy's left shoulder and into the net.

Quick stopped Steven Stamkos on a semi-breakaway 42 seconds earlier.

Sergachev went down less than six minutes later, and Cooper said the Lightning were "clearly affected" by what happened.

"You want to try to rally behind that, but we're humans first and when you see something like that it puts an uneasy feeling in your stomach so it puts the game into perspective," Stamkos said. "We just hope he's OK."

Brodzinski made it 2-0 at 17:46, scoring with a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from Chris Kreider, who got the puck after Blake Wheeler dug it out of a scrum by the boards.

"I found a little soft spot and I just tried to put something on net," Brodzinski said. "It squeaked through."

Hagel cut the Rangers lead to 2-1 at 5:29 of the third period, scoring from the right hash marks. Nikita Kucherov carried the puck across the blue line, dropped it back for Erik Cernak, who went into the left circle and found Hagel in the middle.

Kucherov had an assist on Hagel's goal to retake the scoring lead in the NHL with 86 points (32 goals, 54 assists), one more than Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon.

Hedman hit the left post with the Lightning on a power play 15:18.

"Just let it fly, hoping it was going to have eyes," Hedman said. "But it missed.

Alex Barré-Boulet had a chance from the slot late in the power play, but his shot went wide left.

Vesey scored into the empty net at 18:59 for the 3-1 final.

"That game was there for the taking," Stamkos said. "We didn't find it, so that's frustrating."

NOTES: Cernak returned to Tampa Bay's lineup after missing the previous seven games with an upper-body injury. He had an assist in 22:40 of ice time. … Trouba returned for the Rangers after missing the previous two games serving a two-game suspension for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev on Jan. 26. He had three shots on goal and was plus-2 in 20:37.