Carl Hagelin nets hat trick as NY Rangers top Winnipeg Jets, 4

Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

Rangers mob Carl Hagelin as he completes his first career hat trick in a 4-2 win on Friday night.

RANGERS 4, JETS 2

WINNIPEG - Henrik Lundqvist tied Mike Richter's franchise wins record by protecting Friday night's 4-2 victory over the Jets for No. 301, but as the reigning Broadway Hat honoree from the Rangers' previous victory, he had to hand over the black fedora to someone else.

'Good game. Three goals. Pretty obvious you deserve the hat,' Lundqvist told Carl Hagelin, handing the lid to his fellow Swede, who helped snap a two-game Rangers losing streak with his first career hat trick.

Hagelin had earned the honor, primarily when he backhanded home the game's defining goal. With the score tied 2-2, prized deadline acquisition Martin St. Louis raced out of the penalty box, retrieved a puck behind Winnipeg's net and fed Hagelin for his second tally with 7.8 seconds to play in the second period.

'I was going to go for a change, but I see him coming out of the box and going hard for the puck, and he just made one of those skill plays,' Hagelin said. 'He plays the puck underneath the goalie's stick.'

'Well you can't come on a road trip and go back empty-handed,' said St. Louis, whose alert dish helped the Rangers (36-28-4, 76 points) take sole possession of second place in the Metropolitan Division, even if he's still seeking his first goal with the team.

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Lundqvist (30 saves), meanwhile, allowed two goals in a wide-open first period but shut Winnipeg down from there, making a stunning left pad save on Michael Frolik 6:43 into the third, two minutes before Hagelin finished his hat trick off a Brad Richards assist.

'After that second goal, you get a little upset and try to just push yourself to be a little bit better,' Lundqvist said. 'I'm happy with the way I responded, and I'm really happy with the way the team responded.'

Third-pair defenseman Kevin Klein (two assists, countless blocked shots) played his best game as a Ranger. Meanwhile, Alain Vigneault's biggest lineup changes of the calendar year only resulted in 23 total shots on Jets goalies Ondrej Pavelec and Al Montoya, but the coach said before the game that the Richards-St. Louis tandem had 'not had the impact that I was hoping it was gonna have' through their first five games together.

So Richards' new unit with Hagelin and Benoit Pouliot - filling what Vigneault saw as Ryan Callahan's former role - was the most productive. St. Louis moved to the right wing of Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard, and Derek Stepan reunited with Chris Kreider (goal) and Rick Nash.

'I understand that when things don't go well there's always going to be changes here and there, and you adapt,' St. Louis said. '... You've got to find a way to make it work.'

Lundqvist, meanwhile, smiled when asked about tying Richter and being one win away from owning the record.

'It's kind of surreal to see yourself up there with him,' Lundqvist said. 'I'm really excited and proud about it, and I hope I have a lot more to give.'

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