NEW YORK – All season long, the question for the New York Rangers was what was wrong with Henrik Lundqvist?

The goalie they called “The King” was looking very unregal, since he was handing the opposition an easy goal a game, while also not controlling the rebounds, which was resulting in second chances for the opposition.

So, Lundqvist performed some soul searching and after having a sitdown with Rangers mental skills coach John Phelan, he realized what he was doing wrong and sought to correct the mistake.

“I somehow stepped outside the bubble and saw what was working and what wasn't working,” Lundqvist said.”I always kept telling myself to focus on the next puck all the time. It makes me more focused. It couldn't see that.”

That was November 8, when the Blueshirts played in Florida, and since then, he sported a 2-2 record, going into last night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.

In the end, the 4-0 shutout – his first since January 7, also a 4-0 win but against the Panthers – proved that Lundqvist has returned to the form he showed last season.

“He was great again,” coach Tom Renney said. “I guess it is just confidence because you are going to get your game back whether you are a skater or a goaltender. He really does have control of the net.”

Lundqvist's play was more than just solid goaltending, it also helped the Ranger offense, which also was spotty at times this year. Because the netminding is now solid, the forwards are now more willing to crash the opposing net and not be as concerned with the play in the Rangers' zone.

“We obviously need to focus on 'D', but with him blocking the first shot, we can be concerned with clearing out the rebounds,” Matt Cullen said. “When he is playing like that, he is one of the best in the league, it is huge for us.”

With Lundqvist taking care of the Hurricane offense, the Ranger put the puck in the net. The Blueshirt big guys of Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr took care of the bulk of the scoring, but the game winner came early in the first, from the most unlikliest of sources.

At 3:39 into the match, Marcel Hossa scored his first goal of the season. Taking a Fedor Tyutin slap shot from the point, the checking forward deflected it past Cam Ward to give the Rangers the only goal they needed.

But, Brendan Shanahan made sure he put his name in the score sheet with his league leading 17^th goal at a little less than five minutes left in the first. Martin Straka fed the forward from behind the net and he knocked it by Ward to make it 2-0.

The game could have ended there, but Jagr took two the scoring into his hands in the second and third for his 10^th and 11^th goals of the season, which tied and then passed Jari Kurri for most goals by a European born player.

“[Kurri] was a big item for all the young [European] guys playing in the NHL,” Jagr said. “It's bigger than getting 600 as a European player.”

Notes: The last time two 600 goal scorers scored in the same game was March 21, 2004 when Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman lit the lamp together...Shanahan has registered one point in 20 of the team's 22 games this season...The Rangers completed a minor trade for former Islander Brad Isbister from the Carolina Hurricanes. He will report to Hartford...Jed Ortmeyer, who is out with a pulmonary embolism, has been cleared to practice without contact.