NEW YORK -- The last time left winger Rick Nash scored a goal, the calendar still read 2015. The most recent one came Dec. 30 and because of injury and inefficiency, Nash was approaching three months without scoring.

The drought ended Monday with a third-period goal that proved to be the winner, as the New York Rangers took over second place in the Metropolitan with a 4-2 victory against the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden.

Nash was playing his sixth game since returning from a bone bruise in his leg that cost him 20 games. He had zero points since rejoining the lineup but delivered a key goal as a power play expired to give the Rangers an insurance tally they needed to survive a late push from the Panthers.

"He was a beast," center Derek Stepan said. "He scored a goal but he had some pretty good moves and good looks. I think if you ask him, he's finding his way with his game. He's gotten better each night and tonight was one of his best."

"The way I see it, it's one game," Nash said. "I've got to be consistent. I've got to put a string of these games together. It's nice to have a good night but more importantly the team won. Those are two huge points for us."

With nine games left, the Rangers (41-24-8) have 90 points, two more than the Penguins, who have a game in hand. The Panthers (40-24-9) have 89 points but have the Tampa Bay Lightning (87 points) and Boston Bruins (86 points) breathing down their neck for the lead in the Atlantic.

The Panthers have lost two straight and have a showdown in Boston with the Bruins on Thursday.

"We haven't had a lot of success against Boston this year," Panthers left winger Reilly Smith said, referring to the team's 0-2-1 mark against the Bruins. "It'd be nice to turn that around. It couldn't come at a better time."

The Rangers entered the third period with a 2-0 lead against a lifeless Panthers squad that amassed just 12 shots in 40 minutes, as Viktor Stalberg converted on a 2-on-1 in the first period and Mats Zuccarello scored on a power play in the second period.

But the Panthers made a strong push in the third period. Center Vincent Trocheck scored his 23rd goal of the season at 6:51 to cut the lead in half, about three minutes after defenseman Steven Kampfer had a goal disallowed, as it was ruled by officials -- and upheld on video review -- that he hit the puck with a high stick.

Nash restored the two-goal lead less than five minutes later and it was an important goal, as Panthers center Jiri Hudler made it 3-2 in the final minute on the team's 15th shot of the period before left winger Tanner Glass sealed the victory with an empty-net goal.

"I've seen saying since he's been back that we have to be patient," coach Alain Vigneault said of Nash. "That injury kept him from doing anything as far as weight-bearing for close to six weeks. He's probably still not fully recovered. I thought tonight he took pucks to the net. He scored a big-time goal at the right moment."

"It was a bad night," Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said. "We can't show up and play 15 minutes, and that's all we played tonight. The Rangers dominated the first two periods and there's no excuse for that."

NOTES: Panthers G Roberto Luongo was the backup Monday but is expected to start against the Bruins in Boston on Thursday. ... Panthers C Quinton Howden and RW Logan Shaw were healthy scratches. ... Rangers D Dylan McIlrath (knee) is day-to-day. He practiced in a non-contact jersey Monday. ... Rangers C Oscar Lindberg, who is tied for sixth on the team with 12 goals, was a healthy scratch for the fourth consecutive game.