Rangers able to avoid a letdown

They beat the trap.

Not the Devils circa 1999 type trap. Tuesday night, the Rangers faced the sort of trap game that can dim playoff hopes. The Panthers, a team that dealt eight regulars before the Feb. 28 trade deadline, were in the Garden, and the game was still 0-0 with the clock ticking in the third period.

Coming off the 5-2 win in Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Rangers' fourth straight victory -- with 19 goals scored in the four wins -- the Tuesday night visit from out-of-contention Florida signaled danger.

Add in a stellar night by Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun, and the Rangers could have let their frustration boil over.

"You take a step back against a team like this," Brian Boyle said, "and you'll get embarrassed. It's not a road game in Pittsburgh, where it's easy to get jacked up for it. We had to grind and be smart and find a way."

That they did, when Ryan Callahan's patience with the puck allowed Brandon Dubinsky to flash open for a tap-in with 12:11 to play. From there, Henrik Lundqvist and team defense held tight, and the Rangers earned a crucial two points.

Last year, the Rangers fell out of the top eight in the East after a 2-5-2 skid and needed the 7-1-1 run just to get back to that deciding final game in Philadelphia. Five straight wins now, with eight games remaining, leaves a lot less time or need to scoreboard-watch.

"We know other teams near us are doing well, and there's a ton of teams still in it," Boyle said. "But we're playing well. That makes it a lot easier."

John Tortorella knew what was coming before Tuesday night's game -- and also what's coming Thursday, when the last-place Senators come to town.

"Right when you think you've found a way, when you've gotten some important points on the road, this league can come back to bite you," Tortorella said.

Effort wasn't missing, which is what could have been a concern. Scoring chances weren't missing. Neither was defensive responsibility, as the Rangers kept a tight lid on the scoring areas of their own zone through a good bulk of the 60 minutes.

They were the ones, not the undermanned Panthers, turning opposing rushes into their own odd-man attacks at the other end. But Vokoun, already with a pair of wins over the Rangers this season, was sharp and in control of his rebounds, leaving the Rangers smacking sticks on the ice and checking the big video board for replays most of the night.

The Rangers went through a stretch at home a few weeks ago that included four straight losses, when pucks were going everywhere but in. The difference in those losses -- to the Flyers, Lightning, Sabres and Wild, all by one goal or one plus an empty-netter -- was the home side's frustration rising to a level where it forgot its identity, if only for a few minutes here and there, and the breakdowns always led to goals.

Tuesday night, the Rangers were responsible. They were smart. They didn't take a minor penalty for the first time all season. About the only place they didn't win a battle was in the faceoff circle, but they've overcome those deficiencies often this season.

And their patience was rewarded.

"What I was worried about was, were we going to be ready? And we were," Tortorella said. "We have to start trusting our club to know what we need to do here."

And that is beating the trap. There's another one set for Thursday.