VANCOUVER, British Columbia Rick Rypien scored the go-ahead goal 8:48 into the third period, the first of three late goals that lifted the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.

Mikael Samuelsson scored his second of the game on a power play with 5:57 left and Henrik Sedin added an empty-netter with 1:24 to go for Vancouver. Andrew Raycroft made 22 saves for his third win in four starts since Roberto Luongo sustained a hairline rib fracture.

Ryan Kesler, who was in the penalty box when the Rangers Christopher Higgins tied it 6:24 into the third period, had three assists as the Canucks won for the sixth time in eight games despite missing seven injured players.

Henrik Lundqvist, playing his first game in the city where he is expected to backstop Sweden at the 2010 Olympics in February, finished with 26 saves for the Rangers, who have lost six of the last seven after opening the season 7-1-0.

Kesler, who is also expected to be a big part of the Olympics for Team USA, was in the center of the action all night, including a wild scrum that turned up the heat on an otherwise tedious, tight-checking game early in the third period.

Rangers star Marian Gaborik, who had his four-game goal streak snapped, shoved the agitating Kesler with his stick during a line change, touching off a melee in front of the New York bench that featured 10 Rangers and resulted in five 10-minute misconducts. Kesler ended up with the only minor penalty, thought, and Higgins scored his first goal of the season to tie the game.

But after helping kill off Kevin Bieksas unsportsmanlike conduct penalty right after the Rangers goal, Kesler was back on the puck and peeling out of the corner to make a cross-ice feed to a streaking Rypien, who quickly lifted a shot over the shoulder of Lundqvist. Kesler added a third assist when his power-play shot caromed off the end boards and Samuelsson jammed in the loose puck.

Also on Tuesday:

Red Wings 2

Bruins 0

DETROIT Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom scored in the first period, then Chris Osgood finished with his first shutout of the season to give Detroit a win over Boston.

Thrashers 5

Canadiens 4

MONTREAL Colby Armstrong scored 13:14 into the third period and Atlanta earned its first regulation win in Montreal in over five years.

Lightning 2

Maple Leafs 1

TORONTO Ryan Malone scored at 2:21 of overtime, giving Tampa Bay a victory over Toronto. Malones goal stood up after a video review. Vincent Lecavalier also scored for the Lightning (5-4-4), who won their first road game of the season (1-4-1).

Penguins 4

Ducks 3

ANAHEIM, Calif. Pascal Dupuis scored the go-ahead goal with 10:47 to play, and Pittsburgh tied an NHL record with its seventh straight road victory to open the season over last-place Anaheim.