Henrik Lundqvist stifles Cody Hodgson en route to 27 saves in the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Sabres.
AP Photo/Gary Wiepert

The effort wasn’t the best. But it didn’t matter. Not against a Sabre team that can’t get out of its own way. In his return to goal following the contract extension, Henrik Lundqvist was sharp making 27 saves in the Rangers’ 3-1 win over the Sabres in Western New York.

With his team clinging to a one-goal lead after two periods, Lundqvist made some sparklers before Brad Richards and Mats Zuccarello iced it. Tyler Ennis broke up the shutout bid with 2:06 left. Lundqvist still trails Ed Giacomin by two for the all-time franchise record. He’ll get it eventually. There’s no doubting who will start against the Devils on Saturday. The win moved the Rangers back over the .500 (15-14-0) mark. They are two points up on the Devils and Flyers for third. A big weekend looms large with a chance for something rare. A winning streak. On my birthday Sunday, the Caps visit MSG. Starting versus New Jersey, the Blueshirts have a season high nine-game home stand. Can they finally make the Garden a hard place to play? The two weeks at home before Christmas could have a huge impact.

As for tonight, they did what they had to. Beat a bad team that’s probably the odds on favorite to get the number one overall pick next June. For most of the first 20 minutes, the Rangers were listless. Unless you’re a world beater, it’s only natural to play down to your opponent. The Rangers have been doing it for years. The first period was so bad, you could’ve taken a nap and not missed anything. Thankfully, Rick Nash woke everyone up by scoring one of those highlight reel goals that makes him a world class talent. Off a forced turnover from top defenseman Ryan McDonagh, he took a Derek Stepan head man feed and broke in going around Tyler Myers before tucking a backhand past Ryan Miller. When he skates like that, it’s like poetry in motion. If only every one of his goals wasn’t of high quality. He could get more if he wanted it.

Believe it or not, the Rangers actually played better in the second outshooting the Sabres 12-7. As usual, they couldn’t pad their lead. They generated chances but got too fancy. On one rush, Nash had a clear shooting lane and tried to get cute passing for a covered Derek Stepan. Ryan Callahan did the same thing on a power play. When even your smartest player is passing instead of firing, it’s how you get in trouble. Against a better team, they might’ve paid for it. It was Buffalo. Through two, Lundqvist had 14 saves while Miller turned aside 20 of 21.

The Rangers had to kill a needless Benoit Pouliot penalty because he was too lazy to clear the zone with less than four seconds left in the second. Like Alain Vigneault Christmas ornament Taylor Pyatt, Pouliot is a waste of space. He could be a good player if he didn’t drift off to space. There are moments he uses his body and hustles. But they’re few and far between. As for Pyatt, the effort is there. But he’s slow and plodding. How he stays on the roster remains a mystery.

Up till Richards scored a power play goal from a bad angle, it was all Sabres. They were all over Lundqvist searching for the equalizer. The Blueshirts were guilty of some sloppy turnovers leading to odd man rushes. Lundqvist bailed them out with some acrobatic stops including a tricky deflection off his own teammate. He made a reflex save with his paddle to get a piece of it. After he stoned Cody Hodgson on a break, the Rangers caught a break when Hodgson was called for a trip. Some nice passing started by Zuccarello to Brassard, who faked before dishing over for Richards caught Miller down. Richards hit the top of the net for his team-leading eighth to make it 2-0 with 11:31 remaining.

Buffalo kept coming. They came even closer but Lundqvist stood tall. Thirteen of his 28 saves came in the third. The clutch goaltending allowed Zuccarello to notch his fifth at 14:47. Earlier, he hit the post on a nice give and go. This time, he buried one from Richards and McDonagh. McDonagh continues to excel offensively tallying two more assists. He’s the lone defenseman who’s contributed. Marc Staal was better than recently making several defensive gems. He and partner Anton Stralman were caught on for Ennis’ fifth. But that was on Lundqvist. He cannot come out and play pucks. Zemgus Girgensons intercepted the pass and set up Ennis in front.

With Miller pulled, the Sabres nearly crept within one. They didn’t and the Rangers skated away with a two-goal win.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (2 assists, 2 SOG, 2 blocks, +2 in 23:41-it’s getting redundant)

2nd Star-Mats Zuccarello, NYR (goal-5th, assist, 4 SOG, takeaway in 17:37-always hustles)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (27 saves incl. 13/14 in 3rd-exactly what you want)