Henrik Lundqvist plays in 52 games, third fewest of his career for a season

PITTSBURGH — With Alexandar Georgiev starting in both ends of the season-ending back-to-back, Henrik Lundqvist finished with 52 appearances, the third fewest of his career.

Only in the 2012-13 lockout season, in which he played 43 of the team’s 48 games, and the 2014-15 season, when he was limited to 46 regular-season games because of a broken blood vessel in his neck, did he have fewer appearances.

Lundqvist’s 18 victories were the fewest he’s had in his 14 seasons — ending an NHL-record streak of 13 straight seasons of at least 20 wins — and his goals-against average (3.07) and save percentage (.907) were the worst of his career. He finished the season with 449 career wins, failing in his last six efforts to get to 450.

DeAngelo held out

Tony DeAngelo sat out the final game of the season because of a lower-body injury that nearly kept him out of Friday night’s game.

“He probably shouldn’t have played [Friday] night, but he did,’’ coach David Quinn said of DeAngelo, who played 21:50 and took the final shot for the Rangers in the shootout (he was stopped by Sergei Bobrovsky).

DeAngelo had four goals, 30 points and 77 penalty minutes in 61 games. Entering the final game, he led the team in penalty minutes — among players who spent the entire season with the club — and led the team’s defensemen in assists and points. He also had the highest plus/minus of any player who spent the whole season with the team (plus-6).

Blue notes

D Freddie Claesson played in his 37th game. He missed 22 because of injuries. D John Gilmour and RW Vinni Lettieri were the other scratches. Boo Nieves dressed .  .  . The Rangers will hold their breakup day Sunday.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.