Rangers 4, Hurricanes 1: Henrik Lundqvist turned aside a season-high 48 shots and Rick Nash and Derek Stepan scored power-play goals as visiting New York earned its seventh straight victory over Carolina.

Captain Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle also tallied for the seventh-place Rangers, who kept pace with the Islanders by recording points in their fourth consecutive game (3-0-1). The Islanders skated to a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Zac Dalpe, who was recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League earlier on Saturday, ended Lundqvist’s shutout bid midway through the third period as the Hurricanes dropped their fourth straight contest and fell to 1-10-1 in their last 12 games. Dan Ellis was pulled after allowing three goals on 30 shots through two periods and Justin Peters made eight saves in relief.

Stepan and Callahan scored 31 seconds apart early in the second period. Stepan snapped a shot while alone in the slot after drawing an interference penalty on Jiri Tlusty and Callahan capitalized on a miscue by Ellis on the next shift. The captain tapped a centering feed from Nash into an open net while Ellis was stuck behind the goal line in an attempt to play the puck.

Nash made it 3-0 with Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason serving a high-sticking penalty. The top-line forward fired a shot from the high slot past an unsuspecting Ellis, who has allowed 11 goals in just over six periods of play since returning from a leg laceration. Lundqvist stopped 20 of 21 shots in the final 20 minutes to preserve the win but could not deny Dalpe’s one-timer from the slot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hurricanes C Jeff Skinner set up Dalpe’s goal and matched Nash with eight shots on goal. ... Stepan, who led the Rangers with 15 points in March, has six points (three goals, three assists) in four games this month. ... Carolina’s last victory against the Rangers was a 4-1 triumph on Jan. 20, 2011.