Linemates Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash and Derick Brassard are firing on all cylinders for the Rangers

The Rangers' hottest trio doesn't really have a nickname like those that were popularized in the 1960s and 1970s at Madison Square Garden: "The GAG (goal-a-game) Line'' of Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert and Vic Hadfield, "The Bulldog Line" of Walt Tkaczuk, Billy Fairbairn and Steve Vickers or "The Mafia Line" (two Dons and a Godfather) of Don Maloney, Phil Esposito and Don Murdoch.

Maybe the pairing of Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello, which produced offensive sparks late last season, doesn't need any old-school moniker.

It's firing on all cylinders again, led by Zuccarello, the diminutive Norwegian who has bounced back from a career-threatening fractured skull and brain injury to lead the team with nine goals and nine assists. He is tied for eighth place in scoring in the NHL with 18 points.

In the six games in which they have played together after being reunited (Nash missed two on the team's western trip with a back injury), they have 26 points: Zuccarello 11, Brassard eight and Nash seven. And the Rangers (14-2-2 for 30 points), off to their best 18-game start in terms of wins and points in their 89-year history, have won all six.

They are tied with Montreal (14-3-2) for the NHL lead in points, two ahead of Dallas (14-4-0). The Rangers have a game in hand on the Canadiens.

"This is a team game," said Zuccarello, who praised his linemates after Sunday's 4-3 win over Toronto. "Nasher does a really good job of forechecking and making plays, and Brass, both of them are unbelievable players. I feel we've got good chemistry right now. The puck is finding us."

Zuccarello, 28, who was named the second of the NHL's three stars of the week Monday, has been the center of attention with two goals and five assists, plus a shootout goal, in the last four games. He is 5-7-12 in his last eight games and tied for first in the league in even-strength goals with eight.

"We get him the puck and he's making high-percentage plays, sometimes the play no one else can make," Ryan McDonagh said.

"He's on top of his game, and he's finding a way to make a difference," coach Alain Vigneault said. "And his enthusiasm is contagious. There's no doubt that he's well liked and well respected by his teammates, and I think everyone is happy that he's playing so well right now."

Not long ago, Zuccarello, who scored 15 goals last season, feared he might not play professional hockey again. In a playoff game against the Penguins on April 24, he accidentally was struck in the head by McDonagh's shot, was hospitalized and briefly lost the ability to speak before going through a long rehabilitation and being cleared to skate. He fared well in the preseason and eventually recovered his game, his grin and his personality.

"It's fun to watch him play and fun to play against him in practice," goalie Antti Raanta said, "because he doesn't score in practice."