Mika Zibanejad reached 40 goals for the first time in his career, rookie Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves, and the New York Rangers opened a three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over the slumping Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

Zibanejad scored a goal for the 11th game in a span of 12 games, joining Andy Bathgate (1962-63) as the only players in team history to accomplish that feat, according to NHL Stats and Information. He has 16 goals in the 12-game span.

Zibanejad also became the first Ranger to reach 40 goals since Rick Nash scored 42 in 2014-15.

Rookie Adam Fox scored the first goal for the Rangers, who improved to 10-1-0 in their past 11 road games and rebounded from a disappointing 1-3-0 homestand. Rookie Kaapo Kakko scored twice in the second period for his second career two-goal game.

Shesterkin was hardly tested until the third period in his second start back from a fractured rib suffered in a car accident on Feb. 23. His best save was a diving glove stop Radek Faksa with 6:05 left to preserve a 4-2 lead.

The Rangers (37-28-4, 78 points) are three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and the Columbus Blue Jackets in the race for the two Eastern Conference wild cards.

Dallas (37-24-8, 82 points) lost its season-high sixth straight game (0-4-2). The Stars are four points ahead of the Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets in the race for third place in the Central Division.

Roope Hintz scored a power-play goal 83 seconds into the third period, and Andrew Cogliano scored the other goal for Dallas with 8:08 remaining in the game.

Dallas goaltender Ben Bishop allowed four goals on 27 shots.

The Rangers opened the scoring 19 seconds in when Fox trailed a rush and finished the play with a wrist shot from the low slot. Zibanejad forced a turnover at the blue line in the defensive zone and then finished off a nifty pass from Brendan Lemieux with 9:48 remaining in the first.

Kakko got his first goal of the night by one-timing Brett Howden's no-look pass into the vacated right side of the net 7:03 into the second.

Kakko scored his second goal by getting a pass from Zibanejad near the crease, stickhandling around Bishop's stick and sliding the puck into the vacated right side of the net with 2:42 left in the middle period.

--Field Level Media