Nash's performance in the third period was not wasted on his teammates or his coach.
"There's no doubt that Rick tonight was the leader of this team by his play," head coach Alain Vigneault said. "He made some great defensive plays, obviously that first shift in the third where he tied it up for us and then made that great play on the power play. He played the type of game that we needed against a tough opponent."
Vesey said Nash has been a player he's leaned on throughout his first months in the NHL.
"I sit next to him in the locker room and played several games with him this year now," Vesey said. "He's got 400 goals in almost 1,000 games, so I think he's a really big mentor for me and I'm trying to observe him as much as I can."
Former Ranger Viktor Stalberg scored a pair of goals in the first period, but that's all the offense Carolina would generate.
The Rangers comeback began on a goal by Nick Holden, who scooped up a loose puck, waited out Ward and fired a shot into the open net at 9:13. The goal was Holden's third of the season, and he now has 10 points in his last 16 games.
Henrik Lundqvist allowed the two first period goals but was solid after, finishing with 26 saves for his 11th win of the season, and 10th straight against Carolina at The Garden.
Nash, whose 10th of the season made the Rangers the first team with three players with 10 or more goals this year, said as a leader on the team, he has to lead by example.
"I think when you're a leader and you're expected to be on of the top players, you try to do that every night," said Nash. "Some nights it's there, some nights it's not. Some night you try to help defensively. But I know that's part of my game, that I have to help these guys and lift them when things aren't going right."
