NHL

Tortorella calls out Gaborik after ugly ‘L’

TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning got plenty of production from their stars in last night’s 5-3 win over the Rangers, but, according to coach John Tortorella, the Blueshirts didn’t.

Steven Stamkos recorded a goal and two assists to push his league-leading totals to 21 goals and 38 points, and Martin St. Louis added two assists for Tampa Bay, leaving him one behind the league leader with 21 helpers. But Marian Gaborik, outside of an assist on Derek Stepan’s 5-on-3 power-play goal with just over a minute remaining, was mostly invisible in 20:17 of ice time for the Blueshirts last night.

After the game, Tortorella didn’t hesitate to say so.

“He’s supposed to be our best player,” Tortorella said. “I looked at their best players, and they were pretty good tonight. I didn’t see our best players.”

Gaborik was far from the only player missing in action during the first two periods, when the Rangers fell behind 5-0. Ryan Malone scored two power-play goals in the first period, before Stamkos and defensemen Brett Clark and Victor Hedman each got on the score sheet in the second period — in which the Lightning enjoyed a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Steve Eminger, Brian Boyle and Stepan’s third-period goals just papered over the Rangers’ terrible showing in the first two periods.

“We couldn’t even make a pass,” Tortorella said. “We couldn’t even chip a puck in. We just looked brain-dead through the first part of that game. Why? I don’t know. . . . I wish I had the answer.

“I know there’s a few guys that are tired. You never want to use that as an excuse, but there’s been a group, a handful of guys who have done a lot of work for this club. We need the other handful that haven’t to come and play our next game.”

After watching backup Marty Biron win his last two starts against Minnesota on Saturday and Calgary on Monday, Henrik Lundqvist returned between the pipes after a few days of practice time with goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.

But in addition to tallying five goals through the first two periods, the Lightning hit Lundqvist several times, including when Ryan Malone made contact with him on Tampa Bay’s power-play goal in the first period.

To add insult to injury, Lundqvist was called for diving when he was bowled over after Malone was shoved into him by Marc Staal midway through the second period.

“I tried to talk to [the referee], and he just looked away,” Lundqvist said. “I’m on one foot, trying to get up, and I get pushed back in the net and I get a diving call. . . . It’s embarrassing.

“They hit me probably three times before that, an elbow in the head, a couple times they ran me over, so I didn’t understand that call at all, but it is what it is.”

After Hedman’s power-play goal at the 16:56 mark of the second period, it looked like Lundqvist’s night would be over when Biron began to get ready to replace him — going so far as to step out onto the ice — before being called back to the bench.

Lundqvist stayed in for the rest of the game, and had a strong third period. He held the Lightning scoreless despite having several great scoring chances, including keeping Malone from a hat trick when he wound up alone with the puck on a breakaway after Dan Girardi fell down in the neutral zone.

“I wanted to do what was best for him,” Tortorella said. “So I did check with him, and he wanted to stay in there and fight through it.”

Said Lundqvist: “I need to play. I need to battle. I was not happy after two, that’s for sure, but I just try to stay confident and go our there and play my game.”

tbontemps@nypost.com