Rangers dealt another loss by Artturi Lehkonen, Avalanche

Two games against the Colorado Avalanche in a 13-day span have produced two painful losses for the Rangers, one more excruciating than the next.

First it was an inability to protect a one-goal lead two weeks ago in Denver, where Colorado stole a win in overtime after tying the score with 1:13 left in regulation on a goal by Artturi Lehkonen with the goalie pulled for an extra skater.

On Sunday at Madison Square Garden, it was a different kind of pain. The Rangers came back to tie the score late, then turned the puck over and surrendered Lehkonen’s winning goal in the final seconds of regulation.

Cale Makar, who already had scored two goals in the game, came out of the penalty box with time running down, stole a pass from Will Borgen and set up Lehkonen for the winner with 14.7 seconds left, dealing the Rangers a crushing 5-4 loss that ended their point streak at 10 games.

The regulation loss prevented the Rangers (24-21-4, 52 points) from gaining any ground in the chase for a wild-card spot. They remained three points behind idle Tampa Bay for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

“That one stings,’’ defenseman Adam Fox said. “You think you’re definitely getting to overtime, at least, and they get one late . . . We clawed back a couple times in that game and I honestly thought we controlled a good portion of it, too. That one stings for sure.’’

Playing against a team that was in the second game of a back-to-back, the Rangers dominated the stat sheet, outshooting the Avalanche 37-21, out-chancing them 37-27 and creating 16 high-danger chances to Colorado’s nine. In the third period, the Rangers outshot Colorado 14-3.

All of which meant nothing in the end.

“I think we’ve been playing pretty good, but right now it’s about collecting the points, too, and when you’ve got one point sitting there [if you make it to overtime], it’s just, it’s tough,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said. “We had to fight the score the entire day, and finally caught it. [But] it’s tough to take a moral victory in a game like that when you .  .  . don’t get any points.’’

Colorado (29-20-2) built a 3-2 lead in the first period on two goals by Makar and one by Jack Drury, who was acquired from Carolina along with Martin Necas in the blockbuster trade that sent Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and Taylor Hall from Chicago to the Hurricanes on Friday night.

After Juuso Parssinen and Borgen, who signed a five-year, $20.5 million contract extension on Saturday, exchanged goals late in the second period, the Rangers entered the third trailing 4-3. An apparent third goal by Makar was waved off because of interference with goalie Igor Shesterkin. Artemi Panarin tied the score at 4 when he popped in the rebound of Vincent Trocheck’s shot at 15:02.

At that point, the Rangers had the momentum. Then they had a golden chance to win it in regulation when Makar was called for a holding-the-stick penalty, giving them a power play with 2:24 left.

Their best chance came when Mika Zibanejad’s one-timer was gloved by Colorado goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with 59.7 seconds left. Then, with the Rangers trying to get one more shot before the end of regulation, Makar stepped out of the box and intercepted Borgen’s cross-ice pass intended for Panarin.

Asked about the play, Panarin said he heard Shesterkin (16 saves) banging his stick to alert the Rangers to the fact that the penalty was expiring.

“But I didn’t see [Makar],’’ Panarin said. “He was behind me. And then I didn’t even get the puck. He just jumped in front of me.’’

The lightning-fast Makar turned around and headed the other way on a three-on-one break against Borgen. He pulled up in the left circle, bobbled the puck, recovered and sent a cross-ice pass to Lehkonen, who blasted it past Shesterkin to break the Rangers’ hearts.

Notes & quotes: Sam Carrick and Trocheck scored in the first period to tie it at 2 after Drury and Makar had given Colorado a 2-0 lead .  .  . Before the game, Laviolette said of Borgen’s contract extension: “I think it’s a good sign for us. He’s come in here, played good defense, physical, [and] helped solidify what we have here.” .  .  . Zibanejad won 12 of 15 faceoffs.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.