Lundqvist gave up two goals to ex-Ranger Viktor Stalberg in the first period Tuesday, but shut the door thereafter, ultimately making 26 saves in a 3-2 victory over Carolina.

EDGE Analysis

The Rangers landed in an early hole and didn't play particularly well in either of the first two periods, but their star netminder kept them in the game -- particularly with his dominant 12-save second frame -- while the offense gradually rallied. There's been no middle ground for Lundqvist this season, as he's been either excellent or fairly bad each time out. In his 18 starts, he's posted sub-.900 save percentages eight times; in the other 10, he hasn't put up a mark lower than .923. That variance makes him a risky play on a game-to-game basis, but he's putting up fairly typical stats by his standards nonetheless.