NEW YORK -- Henrik Lundqvist is playing so well lately, the New York Rangers dont have to generate a whole lot of offence to win. With speed throughout the lineup and a power play that is clicking on a nightly basis, it is no wonder why the Rangers are on quite a roll. Rick Nash scored two of New Yorks three first-period goals, and Lundqvist won for the fifth time in six outings as the surging Rangers beat the sliding Washington Capitals 4-1 on Sunday night. "Starts are important," Lundqvist said. "If you can jump out and start the right way and then get the momentum, then I think you set the tone for the rest of the game and you gain confidence right away." The Rangers offence broke out for the second straight day, after winning 1-0 over Detroit on Thursday. They recorded four goals for the third time in five games. Lundqvist, who got the day off when New York won 4-1 at Ottawa on Saturday, was sharp in making 24 saves. He has allowed fewer than three goals in six consecutive starts. New York, 11-3-1 in its last 15 games, improved to 12-11-3 at home. "It was a tough back-to-back for us," Nash said of the Rangers weekend sweep. "Travelling (Saturday) and coming home to a team that is right on our heels ... its a huge four points." Washington dropped its fifth straight (0-3-2) and completed a winless three-game trip against Metropolitan Division foes. The second-place Rangers lead the fifth-place Capitals, who have played two fewer games, by five points. "Were in a slump right now, thats for sure," Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom said. "Its tough, but weve got to find a way to get through it. Weve got to start playing way better than were doing right now." Nash scored 1:10 in and added a power-play tally later in the first, giving him seven goals in eight games. Derek Stepan also scored in the first to chase goalie Philipp Grubauer. Ryan Callahan added a short-handed goal in the second. Alex Ovechkin netted the only goal for Washington, which committed four penalties in the second to thwart hopes of a comeback. "All the experienced guys, weve got to really stick together here and battle through," Backstrom said. "Its tough, but I think were going to turn this around, and were going to do it next game. Were going to be much stronger after that." Despite recording only nine shots in the first, New York carried a 3-0 lead into the intermission. Nash got the offence churning when he intercepted a clearing attempt by defenceman Dmitry Orlov at the left point and steamed into the Washington zone. He cruised through the left circle, came in alone on Grubauer, shifted to his backhand and lifted in a shot. After New York killed off Washingtons first power play, the Rangers went on a 5-on-3 advantage with 4:13 remaining after Martin Erat and Karl Alzner took hooking penalties 23 seconds apart. Nash made the most of that and squeezed a shot from the right circle through Grubauer for his team-leading 14th goal at 16:06. Stepan pushed the lead to three just 2 seconds after Alzners penalty expired. After breaking a 13-game goal drought Saturday, Stepan netted his second in two days when he snapped in a wrist shot from above the circles. That ended Grubauers short night as he was replaced by Braden Holtby. Grubauer was pulled in the first period for the second straight game. He yielded three goals on 14 shots Friday in a loss to Columbus. "Its not the way I wanted it to go," Grubauer said. "Its my job to stop the puck, and I didnt stop it today." Washington produced a brief spark when slashing calls against Chris Kreider, in the final minute of the first, and Carl Hagelin in the opening minute of the second, gave the Capitals a two-man advantage and generated a goal. Ovechkin took a pass from Mike Green in the left circle and one-timed a hard shot that beat Lundqvist at 59 seconds for his NHL-leading 35th goal and fourth in six games. Washington put more pressure on during the second half of the power play, but the Rangers netted the next goal. Dominic Moore and Callahan raced out on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush, and Moore fired a shot that Holtby deflected back into the slot. The hard-charging Callahan beat Orlov to the puck and slammed a shot in before barrelling into the net. "Youre not going out on the PK and thinking, I want to score a goal by any means," Callahan said. "I feel like with the guys we have killing, and the speed we have on our killers, if the opportunity presents itself, we are going to go for it." Green had a goal waved off by a Capitals penalty in the second. NOTES: Rangers D Ryan McDonagh had two assists. ... The Capitals had failed on 14 straight power plays over six games before Ovechkins goal. ... Erat was called for three penalties, including one for slashing when he jammed his stick between the legs of a seated Brian Boyle. Dave Bolland Panthers Jersey . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Shawn Thornton Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/jaromir-jagr-hockey-jersey/ . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Custom Florida Panthers Jersey . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Nick Bjugstad Panthers Jersey . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout.TORONTO -- One might expect that the school that produced Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell knows a little bit about firepower. Canadian Mackenzie Pridham led the Cal Poly soccer strike force this season with his 14 goals helping set a school record of 43 for the team. "Hes a true goal-scorer," said Cal Poly coach Paul Holocher. "Hes really put up numbers like this throughout his own career but really took off the last two years in particular." Pridham is Cal Polys all-time leading scorer with 27 goals and the first to repeat as Big West Offensive Player of the Year since current Seattle Sounders midfielder Brad Evans did it at UC Irvine standout. Liddell wrestled at Cal Poly from 1988 to 93, graduating with a bachelors degree in business/accounting in 1995. Now retired as a fighter, the former light-heavyweight champion is the UFCs vice-president of business development and still lives in San Luis Obispo. Pridham looks to show his attacking skills at the MLS Combine that opens Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Other Canadians among the 60-plus invited are forward Tesho Akindele from the Colorado School of Mines and Wisconsin midfielder Tomislav Zadro. "Im pretty honoured to be invited," said the 23-year-old Pridham, known as Mac to most of his friends. "Very happy and very excited for what lies ahead." The Combine is followed by the MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 16 in Philadelphia. D.C. United picks first with Philadelphia second. The Vancouver Whitecaps select third, using a Toronto pick obtained in the Eric Hassli trade, and seventh. Montreal chooses 10th and Toronto goes 15th by virtue of a pick obtained from New York in the Bobby Convey trade. Pridham finished sixth among Division I players with 0.70 goals per match, eighth with 14 goals and 10th with 31 points. Those numbers might have been bigger had the Mustangs made the NCAA tournament or had Pridham avoided a late-season injury (he was second in NCAA goal-scoring when he went down). Pridham ranks second all-time in Cal Poly points (58) and multi-goal games (five) and eighth in appearances (70). Pridham was born in Toronto to Canadian parents. Pridhams father is in the tech industry and moved the family, which now calls Saraatoga, Calif.dddddddddddd, home, to California when Mackenzie was a young boy. His relatives remain in Toronto, which he visits annually. A redshirt in 2011 due to an ankle injury, Pridham found his scoring groove as a junior and senior with 11 and 14 goals, respectively. "We really got a style and system down in our program that fit me and my style of play," he said. "I really was able to turn my game around from my injury and get back to how I should be performing." Pridham has a nose for goal and where to be at the right time. "I feel Im very good at taking advantage of those opportunities and trying to be as clinical as I can in finishing them." Six of Pridhams 14 goals this season were game-winners or equalizers. "Hes great in the (penalty) box," said Holocher, a former U.S. international who had MLS stints with San Jose and Chicago. "He has very, very good instincts." Pro soccer is "absolutely" in Pridhams future, according to Holocher. Pridham has already attracted attention north of the border. The six-foot-one 180-pounder trained with Toronto FC last summer and earned invites from the Canadian under-17 and under-20 teams. The Canadian Soccer Association invited him to be part of the 2009 Francophone Games team but the dates clashed with school commitments. His parents and sister are dual citizens and he is in the process of doing the same. Despite his time with Canadian age-group sides, he has not had to declare his international allegiance yet when it comes to soccer. "For right now, my main focus is just getting to play professionally and hopefully making a name for myself so I do have to make that decision," he said. But given his Canadian ties, "it would be hard to veer away from that," he added. "But that being said theres no pressure right now and I havent really thought about it all the way." At Cal Poly, Pridham studied business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship. Midfielder Efrain (Junior) Burgos became the first Mustang taken in the MLS SuperDraft when picked 44th overall by Toronto FC in 2011. Former Cal Poly goalkeeper Patrick McLain signed with Chivas USA in 2012. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '