New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Callahan scored two goals to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5-1 win over the New York Rangers on Monday.
Callahan, along with fellow teammates Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman, played against their former Rangers team for the first time, while New York's Martin St. Louis faced his former club for the first time as well.
"It's tough coming back here and there was a range of emotions," said Callahan. "I was captain of this team for 2 1/2 years and played here for eight. The Rangers are a class organization."
Steven Stamkos posted a goal and two assists while Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov also scored a goal for the Lightning, who have won their past two. Ben Bishop posted 15 stops in the win.
St. Louis had the only goal of the game for the Rangers, who have lost their past three. Henrik Lundqvist allowed all five goals on 30 shots in the loss.
"This was a tough loss, a tough nut," said St. Louis. "It's mostly because of the way we played. We didn't play anywhere close to the way we have to play to give ourselves a chance."
Tampa got on the board just 6:50 into the game as Kucherov split the defense down the middle and beat Lundqvist with a wrister on a clean breakaway.
Skating on the power play, the Lightning made it a 2-0 game as Stamkos used nifty stick-handling to get clear at the low left side before passing it over to the right where Callahan had a clean slam at 14:20 of the first.
The Rangers made it a 2-1 game just 32 seconds into the second on the power play as a hard pass from St. Louis at the right circle went off the stick of a Lightning defender in front and in.
Tampa, though, got the goal back with 5:52 to play in the second as Valtteri Filppula stole the puck in the neutral zone and slipped a pass to Stamkos, who stuffed the puck in on a short break for his 12th of the season.
On a rush play later in the second, Tyler Johnson sent a pass from the right wing to the slot where Killorn wristed it home with 1:18 left in the frame.
Tampa got the final goal of the game with 2:51 to play when Stamkos stole the puck in the right corner and got it out front for Callahan, who made a move to get Lundqvist out of position before stuffing it in.
Game Notes
The Rangers host the Flyers on Wednesday ... Tampa stays in New York to face the Islanders on Tuesday ... Tampa won two of three from New York last season ... Each team went 1-for-3 on the power play.
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