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NHL Scores: Rangers finally win at home; Luongo injured

The New York Rangers may have salvaged something from their current nine-game home stand, while the Vancouver Canucks lost Roberto Luongo to a lower body injury in their win over the Winnipeg Jets.

by Adam Gretz

Dec 23, 2013, 1:00 PM UTC

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Part Of

NHL Sunday: Rangers defend home ice against Wild

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The New York Rangers have been dreadful on their current home stand but were at least able to salvage something on Sunday night with one of their most complete efforts of the season in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.

Cam Talbot stopped 24 of 25 shots in the win, while the defense in front of him did a fantastic job limiting the number of chances the suddenly struggling Wild were able to generate. Benoit Pouliot, Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider provided the offense for New York, with the final goal representing the type of bounce that just hasn't been going the Rangers' way this season. Kreider completely whiffed on his shot attempt and it somehow slid underneath the pad of Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom.

In the only other game on Sunday, the Vancouver Canucks, already playing without Alex Burrows and Alex Edler, lost Roberto early in the first period but were able to get a solid outing from backup Eddie Lack as he stopped 15 of 16 shots in their 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Defensemen Chris Tanev broke a 1-1 tie and scored the game-winner mid-way through the third period for the Canucks.

All the NHL Scores

Rangers 4, Wild 1

Canucks 2, Jets 1

Five Questions

On Sunday we asked you five burning questions about the days games. These are your cool, soothing answers.

1. Can the Rangers right the ship?

For one night, they did. After winning just one of their first seven games on their current nine-game home stand, the Rangers came out on Sunday and played a nearly perfect game against the Wild. The Metropolitan Division playoff race is still a mess and the Rangers are still very much in it, even with their early season struggles. Maybe this will be the game that gets things going in the right direction for New York.

2. Will the Wild get it done on the power play?

They did not, going 0-for-2 on the night. Minnesota is now just 4-for-34 on the power play in its past 15 games.

3. On the flip side, can the Canucks slow down the Jets’ power play?

The Canucks allowed Winnipeg to score on its only power play of the night when Evander Kane scored a game-tying goal in the second period. Fortunately for the Canucks that was the only power play they gave Winnipeg in a 2-1 win.

4. Speaking of Luongo, how will he bounce back after a lackluster effort?

Things seemed to be going well, stopping the first six shots he faced, until he exited the game late in the first period with an undisclosed injury. Eddie Lack game in and stopped 15 of the 16 shots he faced to get the win. Luongo was pulled in his previous start after allowing four goals to the Dallas Stars.

5. Will Evander Kane continue setting the tone for Winnipeg?

Kane was the only Jets player to find the back of the net on Sunday night, scoring his 10th goal of the season, and finished the night with three shots on goal. Kane now has three goals and two assists in his past four games.

Impact Moment

The one play or moment from Sunday that is going to be making headlines over the next couple of days.

What happened to Roberto Luongo and how serious is his injury? The Canucks would only say that he is "day-to-day" with a lower body injury after the game, but it's a big loss for a team that's already without a couple of key players. Eddie Lack has proven to be a capable option if needed, but Luongo is still the team's best goalie.

Stat of the Night

An NHL player has logged more than 30 minutes of ice-time in a game 66 times this season. Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter has 18 of them, including on Sunday night in their loss to the New York Rangers. No other player in the NHL has more than nine 30-minute games this season (Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson has nine). Somebody give that guy a day off.