NHL

Nash leads surging Rangers

Rick Nash is in the midst of one of his patented goal-scoring streaks, and the Rangers are reaping the rewards.

Nash, the high-scoring forward, extended his goal-scoring streak to five games and now has 11 in as many games after Sunday’s 7-3 rout of the Devils in the Rangers’ first of two games this week at Yankee Stadium, scoring the last of a four-goal, second-period barrage that sent Martin Brodeur to the bench.

Nash’s streak began Jan. 6, a two-goal outburst in a shootout loss to his former team, the Blue Jackets. In the 11-game run, he has three multi-goal performances. It’s not a coincidence the Rangers are surging in that time, 7-3-1, moving into second place in the Metropolitan Division behind the forward’s brilliant run of production.

“He’s playing hockey that I’ve seen from Rick in my first couple of years with him,” Rangers center Derek Stepan said. “He’s a tough player to defend against when he gets going like this. He seems to be in an area where he can get pucks in. When he does, he’s able to first beat the goaltender, which isn’t an easy job to do in this league.”

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault felt Nash had been playing well for a while, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates, before this run, even though he only produced seven points in 14 December contests.

Now, the puck is rolling his way. With the Rangers already up 5-3 late in the second period and having seized the momentum, Nash beat Brodeur on an odd-man rush through the future Hall of Famer’s pads.

“They’re just going in right now,” said Nash, who has a team-leading 18 goals in 37 games. “Before that, I was getting chances, but they weren’t seeming to go in. Now they are. Guys are finding me. I’m getting some space and they’re going in.”

It’s been an odd year for the 29-year-old Nash. He suffered a concussion Nov. 19, missed 17 games and upon returning, struggled mightily. Now he is red hot at just the right time, as the Rangers are making their move.

“He’s obviously feeling real good about his game and he’s going to the net a little bit more, going to the tough areas,” Vigneault said. “He was playing well prior to this. Sometimes players can be streaky. He wasn’t find the back of the net; he is now.

“We need that from him. He’s an elite player and we need him to play like that.”