Henrik Lundqvist slams the door on Kings in Rangers’ 3-2 win

The chant was booming. It was faint. It sometimes involved the entire crowd, and at others it was scattered about the arena’s nosebleed seats.

But the problem for the Kings was that, aside from a brief moment in the second period, the chant filled Madison Square Garden all night.

“Henrik! Henrik! Henrik!” Rangers fans yelled each time goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made a big save, which happened a lot in the Kings’ 3-2 loss on Monday night. Lundqvist faced 38 shots while his offense made the most of limited scoring opportunities. The Rangers (31-16-1) finished with just 17 shots on goal, but Brandon Pirri, Matt Puempel and Mats Zuccarello found the back of the net against Jeff Zatkoff.

The Kings’ (22-21-4) first goal was scored by Jordan Nolan and the second, from Kyle Clifford, did not come until there was a second left in the game. All that amounted to was a fourth straight loss.

“We had a lot of opportunities; we got to finish,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. “At the end of the day we need better goaltending in there.”

Zatkoff started for the first time since a 4-0 loss to the Red Wings on Jan. 5. The Rangers tested him just once in the first 10 minutes while the Kings took nine shots in that stretch. The Kings’ 10th shot on goal was a point-blank chance for Jeff Carter, but Lundqvist turned it away.

The crowd bellowed his name for the first time after the save. Next they were applauding the game’s first goal when Pirri beat Zatkoff on the Rangers’ second attempt on net. The Kings outshot the Rangers, 14-5, in the first period but finished playing from behind.

“That’s been our theme this year,” Nolan said. “We get a lot of good opportunities but just can’t find a way to put it in. You know sooner or later we have to find a way or it’s going to be too late and we’ll be out of the playoffs.”

The Rangers doubled their lead on their eighth shot of the game when Puempel beat Zatkoff at the start of the second. The Kings continued to fruitlessly test Lundqvist until Nolan beat him with a whistling slap shot toward the end of the period, which quieted that ominous chant for a minute or two.

But it soon returned when Lundqvist knocked away a Drew Doughty slap shot before stuffing Carter in front. And again, the Rangers complemented Lundqvist’s best efforts with a goal.

J.T. Miller settled the puck along the boards and slid a pass to a cutting Zuccarello, who beat Zatkoff high. Zatkoff dropped onto his knees then allowed himself to fall face-first to the ice. He lay there for a few seconds, motionless, as Lundqvist drummed his stick against the opposite crease.

The same contrast was stretched across the scoreboard: The Kings’ goalie was flat. The Rangers’ goalie was worthy of repeated celebration.

“We were in [Lundqvist’s] crease, we were having lots of shots, a few posts out there, and guys just aren’t bearing down enough,” Nolan said. “That’s probably the simplest way you can put it.”

UP NEXT

AT NEW JERSEY

When: Tuesday, 4 p.m. PST.

Where: Prudential Center, Newark.

On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 790.

Update: The Kings will likely go with goaltender Peter Budaj on the back end of a back-to-back. The Devils (20-19-9) are coming off a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and have won four of their last five games. The Kings took the first meeting of the season, beating the Devils, 4-2, in Los Angeles on Nov. 19.

jesse.dougherty@latimes.com

Twitter: @dougherty_jesse