Artemi Panarin sparked a three-goal first period by scoring with 8:19 remaining, and Ryan Strome scored twice in the game as the New York Rangers beat the visiting Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Thursday night to halt a five-game losing streak.

The Rangers won for the first time since beating the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 5, and ended their skid on a night when coach David Quinn moved Panarin off the top line with Mika Zibanejad to the second line.

Brett Howden and Strome also scored in the first period for the Rangers, who allowed four goals in their previous two first periods. Strome recorded his seventh career multi-goal game.

Tony DeAngelo and Chris Kreider also scored for New York, which did not score more than three goals in any game during the losing streak.

Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves for his 451st career win.

Marco Scandella and Vladimir Sobotka scored second-period goals for the Sabres, who entered with an NHL-leading 17 points. Jack Eichel was held without a point after recording his second four-point game of the season on Tuesday, and also committed a turnover that led to Strome's second goal.

Buffalo goalie Carter Hutton allowed a career-high six goals on 24 shots and took his first loss after starting off 6-0-0.

Panarin started the scoring when he stripped defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at the neutral zone, faked a shot to get Hutton out of position, switched from his forehand to backhand and scored into a vacated net.

Nearly three minutes later, Brendan Lemieux forced a turnover in the right corner by defenseman Colin Miller and whipped the puck to Jesper Fast. Fast threaded a pass through the crease to Howden, whose shot went over Hutton's glove.

The Rangers made it 3-0 with 38 seconds left in the period when Strome deflected Brady Skjei's shot from the left point into the net.

Scandella's drive from the left point 4:17 into the second made it 3-1 but the Rangers took their second three-goal lead with 6:40 remaining when DeAngelo one-timed a cross-ice feed from Pavel Buchnevich into a vacated net.

Buffalo cut it to 4-2 when Sobotka's wrist shot from the left circle sailed under Lundqvist with 49 seconds left in the second period. Strome scored his second goal with 12:03 remaining by finishing off an odd-man rush with Howden, then Kreider scored with 1:16 to go.

--Field Level Media