New York Rangers 4, Calgary Flames 3: Third period offense leads the way (Highlights)
Feb 5, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period against the Calgary Flames at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

After a rather boring first two periods, Chris Kreider and the New York Rangers out duel the Calgary Flames in the third period.

  • New York Rangers 4 (33-18-1, 67 pts)
  • Calgary Flames 3 (27-25-3, 57 pts)
  • NHL, Final, Box Score
  • Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
The New York Rangers thought they broke a 1-1 tie at the end of the second period off the stick of Rick Nash. They thought wrong. The puck didn’t cross the line quick enough prior to the horn going off and the defensive struggle that saw an extremely bland brand of hockey continued.

Then the third period started and the offensive floodgates opened up.

Just 1:54 into the final frame, Michael Grabner and Brady Skjei executed a brilliant give-and-go to provide the former his team-leading 23rd goal of the season:

After the young Calgary Flames responded, Chris Kreider broke the tie off a wicked shot that deflected as a roofer for his 21st of the campaign:

A little over three minutes later, Jesper Fast gave the Blueshirts a two-goal lead. Grabner made a beautiful pass off a Flames turnover.

Calgary would score one more goal but in the end, it was Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers who would hold off the Flames late flurry with the goaltender pulled. Speaking of Lundqvist, he moves to 23 wins this season by stopping 29 of the 32 shots he faced. He looked comfortable in net all day.

Rick Nash was the other goal scorer for the Rangers. He opened the scoring for the home team in the first period while on the power play:

For the Flames, Dougie Hamilton, Troy Brouwer and Mikael Backlund beat Lundqvist.

Collecting this win in the first of a four-game homestand is just what the doctor ordered. Next up will be the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night in Manhattan.

 NEXT: Real Talk Rangers Podcast: AV's loyalty and 'Pigeon or Pro' (Audio)