The Rangers are finally over .500. They did it by lighting up the Bolts 5-1 in the night cap of a double dip at MSG. Their second consecutive win was impressive. Similar to the win over the Islanders, they scored at least four goals. True to form, Henrik Lundqvist (19 saves) was outstanding. And Dan Girardi looked sharp in his return.

Another positive was our team coming out fast. They scored on the opening shift just 31 seconds in when Carl Hagelin tallied the first of two. It was Hags’ third career two-goal game. He also set up another to record his second three-point game. After a cold January, the sixth round gem has five points (3-2-5) in four games this month. Playing with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash has been a good fit. Nash recovered a Girardi dump in and made a power move to the slot. His shot was deflected in by Hagelin.

Tampa Bay had plenty of chances to tie it. Sloppy play allowed the Lightning to have six odd-man rushes in the first period. It had to drive John Tortorella nuts. That included a couple of close calls from Steven Stamkos, Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. Our team played more aggressively and took chances. On numerous occasions, the dangerous Bolts caught three guys deep counter attacking. Thankfully, Lundqvist was at his absolute best. He got across to make a sliding save on one and Ryan McDonagh got his stick on a Stamkos bid. Lecavalier had the puck slip off his stick on a breakaway and St. Louis hit the post.

Lundqvist’s big saves allowed the Blueshirts to continue to pepper Mathieu Garon. Garon played well before being chased after permitting three goals on 19 shots. Ryan Callahan converted a breakaway for a 2-0 lead. Captain Cally stole the puck and patiently outwaited Garon, deking before tucking a forehand into the net for his third. What a difference he makes. Two games back and his presence has allowed Tortorella to play rookies J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider with him. The unquestioned leader does whatever it takes to win.

In Tortorella’s show #BehindtheBench with host Bill Pidto, he illustrated how important the neutral zone wall play is to our team’s success. Callahan executed it on the second goal and Marc Staal was instrumental in the third. He played another strong game. Staal forced a turnover in the neutral zone and passed to a streaking Hagelin, whose shot snuck through Garon for a 3-0 lead. At that point, Guy Boucher pulled Garon for Anders Lindback.

The Lightning responded by scoring the next goal to get back in it. They took advantage of another poor change. It’s becoming an alarming trend. Three Rangers jumped back on the bench to avoid another too many men minor. Our D never recovered. Lundqvist stood on his head before Lecavalier got to a Victor Hedman rebound and squeaked in his fifth. Alexander Killorn picked up an assist for his first NHL point. They came close to making it 3-2 but Lundqvist was there along with the D, which picked it up. Particularly Staal, who broke up a lot of plays.

Arron Asham salted the game away by scoring his first as a Blueshirt. He took a Ryan McDonagh feed and beat Lindback far side. Speaking of which, the fourth line had their best effort. They fore-checked effectively and Tortorella rewarded them with regular shifts. Jeff Halpern had a nice takeout and Darroll Powe was solid.

In the closing moments, Nash put the cherry on top by scoring his third from Hagelin and Girardi at 19:51. Hopefully, that’ll be the start of something for our new power forward who played arguably his best game.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (19 saves-money early)
2nd Star-Dan Girardi, NYR (2 assists, +4-Danny G was ready to play)
1st Star-Carl Hagelin, NYR (2-1-3, 6 SOG, +2-all over the ice)

Notes: He didn’t register a point again. Stepan had another strong game. He was plus-three not by accident, centering our best line and also won 14 of 25 draws. The only thing I want to see different from him is shoot the puck. He passes up on too many opportunities. Be a little selfish. You’re our No.2 center. D-Step has to pop in a few for this team to have success.

… Anton Stralman (20:36/5 hits) saw more shifts than Michael Del Zotto (17:41/+1). Stralman has been a steady influence. … St. Louis and Stamkos went a combined minus-five with only two shots. … Lindback turned aside 11 of 13 in relief. … Rangers (6-5-0) visit Bruins (8-1-1) Tuesday at 7:30 PM. It’s the final meeting. Another bizarre twist in a crazy schedule.