Rangers shoot from the hip

NHL teams

Kevin Stevens, who was waived two weeks ago but went unclaimed, scored a hat trick and added two assists.

"It was nice to get the hat trick since I'm in a different role this year than in the past," Stevens said. "But winning is the biggest thing, it's good to get on the board and it's good to win the way we won tonight."

It was Steven's first hat trick since Jan. 11, 1994 and the 11th of his career. He recorded five points in a game for the first time since Oct. 17, 1992.

"Tonight we played a little more aggressive and forced the defensive to make plays," Stevens said. "We forced some turnovers, make some plays and put the puck behind them."

The loss ended a five-game home unbeaten streak for the Lightning.

"We have a team of a limited talent that has to play hard and be focused on what they do," Lightning coach Jacques Demers said. "We didn't play with these guys."

The Rangers stopped a seven-game winless streak against Tampa Bay.

"I guess it is the best game we've played all year," Rangers coach John Muckler said. "We forechecked awful well, all phases of our game were good."