Rangers score four in first 14:55, rout Lightning

TAMPA, Fla. - The two points, so critical in the playoff race, were right there, hanging like ripe fruit. And the Rangers wasted no time in chopping down the branch.

Brandon Prust, Marc Staal, Vinny Prospal and Brandon Dubinsky - assisted by some dreadful play by the Lightning defense and goaltender Mike Smith - scored in the first 14:55 of the first period Friday night as the surging Rangers extended their run to 4-0-1 with a 5-0 win and climbed into ninth place with five games to play.

"When we went to bed Thursday night, you're thinking there's a chance, but without help and without us winning, there's no chance," Jody Shelley said. "Before last night, we were in the playoff race. Now we're in the hunt. Now it's for real."

In a scenario that seemed improbable two weeks ago, the Rangers, with 80 points, are two points behind the Bruins and Flyers, who are tied for seventh with 82. The Rangers have a game in hand on the Flyers, who lost to Montreal, 1-0, Friday night.

The Rangers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Boston, having won three of the four games this season, and have two games against the Flyers April 9 and 11.

The shutout, which was the fourth of the season for Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves), gave the Rangers nine of a possible 10 points in the last five games, with the fifth stop on a six-game road trip Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., against the Panthers.

"What I like about our attitude is that nobody's excited," Lundqvist said. "We still have a ways to go. But we're closer."

The Rangers had the territorial edge in the first and the undermanned Tampa Bay defense and goalie Smith were about as wobbly as a kid on his first training-wheels ride.

Vladimir Mihalik, without a stick, raced from the boards to retaliate against Shelley and chased him to the crease, allowing Prust to score on the first shot of the game.

Staal's shot from the left side eluded Smith on the far side at 3:34, just 25 seconds after Prust's tally. Prospal threw one in front off Mihalik's skate with 8:37 left. The fourth goal came when Smith stopped Dubinsky's power-play shot but the rebound bounced off Kurtis Foster's skate and over the line.

Antero Niittymaki started the second period in goal for the Lightning, which had a chance to recover when Dubinsky's delay of game, coupled with a penalty to Shelley, gave the Lightning a five-on-three for 1:20 early in the second. But the Rangers killed a power play for the 15th time in the last 16 chances. Lundqvist's left-pad save on Brandon Bochenski from in front with 7:25 left thwarted Tampa Bay's next opportunity, and he stopped Martin St. Louis' shorthanded breakaway with 2:25 left.

"We got fortunate tonight in the first period," coach John Tortorella said. "I thought in the second period we got a little sloppy. What if they score two on the five-on-three? We did a good job taking away their options. Those are very important situations."

When Niittymaki misplayed the puck behind the net, Aaron Voros' pass in front banked off the goaltender at 13:50 of the third. It was Voros' first goal since Jan. 19 and his second of the season. His other goal? Also against Tampa. That's the kind of night it was for the Rangers.