Henrik Lundqvist gets shutout, Rangers win in OT

DETROIT -- Four days ago, Henrik Lundqvist was trying to work himself out of a slump.
The New York Rangers are thrilled how quickly he has managed to do it.
Lundqvist made 21 saves and J.T. Miller scored with 3:04 left in overtime in a 1-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena on Sunday.
The Rangers goalie had allowed 15 goals on a three-game losing streak before bouncing back with 23 saves in a 5-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

WATCH: All Rangers vs. Red Wings highlights
"Hank went through some challenging times there, just as any goalie does, but he worked really hard to get his game back," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "He's right where we need him."
Lundqvist said it was a simple solution.
"We have a well-structured defense, and I just needed to let them do their jobs," he said. "If I keep the puck in front of me and stay patient, I'll play better."
After Dylan Larkin fell and Mike Green got caught deep in the Rangers zone, Mats Zuccarello and Miller had a two-man breakaway. As soon as goalie Jared Coreau committed to Zuccarello, he slid a pass across to Miller for the tap-in goal.

Coreau made 18 save but failed to get his third career NHL shutout.
"I like the 3-on-3 because it is so exciting," he said. "That's the nature of it -- there are a couple bounces, the puck goes off the glass and they've got a breakaway that turns into a 2-on-0."
Downtown Detroit was shrouded in thick fog on Sunday, and Vigneault felt the unusually warm, humid weather played a factor in the game.
"The ice conditions today were just horrendous," he said. "When you can't put two passes together, there's no way for either team to demonstrate any real skill. Both teams were just crossing the red line and dumping it in."
The Rangers (30-16-1) have won two straight.
The Red Wings (20-19-8) have points in five straight games (3-0-2), but have lost their past two in overtime.
"For a while, we were playing pretty well, but not getting points out of it," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Now we're getting more from the games, but we have to raise our level and get two points from games like Buffalo and today."

Detroit had the best chances during a 0-0 first period, but Thomas Vanek hit the post and Lundqvist made a late glove save on Anthony Mantha.
Henrik Zetterberg had a point-blank chance with 14:00 left in the third, but rang his shot off Lundqvist's mask.
"I was trying to guess which way he was going to go, and he just drilled it off my head," Lundqvist said. "Those hurt when they happen in practice, but when you make a save that way in a game like that, it is a great feeling."
Vanek didn't return after being hit by a shot at the end of the first period and Rangers forward Kevin Hayes left in the second with a lower-body injury. Both coaches said they expected to have updates Monday.

Goal of the game

The Red Wings were back on their heels after Larkin fell with Green pinching in. Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei gathered in the puck in the New York end and knocked a pass off the glass to Zuccarello at center ice. He had time to wait for Miller to catch up before setting him up for the easy goal.

Save of the game

With New York threatening to score the game's first goal on a power play in the second period, Coreau made a point-blank glove save on Rick Nash.

Highlight of the game

Lundqvist made an athletic save in the first period. He was moving right to stop Luke Glendening's wrist shot from between the faceoff circles, but lunged back to the left to make a glove save after the puck hit Rangers defenseman Nick Holden.

Unsung moment of the game

Lundqvist's mask might have been one of the game's three stars. Not long after it deflected Zetterberg's shot into the netting, Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar's wrist shot deflected off the facial protection and safely into the corner.

They said it

"A win is a win. This wasn't a pretty game, but we're happy walking out of here with two points." -- Rangers coach Alain Vigneault
"We're headed in the right direction. We need to get two points more often, but at least we got one." -- Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall

Need to know

Lundqvist is the first goalie in NHL history to win at least 20 games in each of his first 12 seasons. ... Miller scored on his only shot of the game. No Rangers player had more than two shots. … The Red Wings activated Kronwall off injured reserve before the game and placed forward Drew Miller on waivers.

What's next

Rangers: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday (7 p.m. ET; SN, SN1, TVA Sports, MSG, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Red Wings:At the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN, NESN, FS-D, NHL.TV)