Lalime kept Chicago in it during an active first period when the Rangers tried to erase Saturday’s difficult loss to the NHL’s worst team.

“Maybe we kind of took them too lightly,” Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. “We knew they played and obviously we didn’t prepare ourselves as a team.

“They came out flying and we didn’t.”

Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr was all over the ice and shared the puck with crisp passes — mostly to linemate Straka. The only time they connected for a goal came during a power play just 1:42 in.

Straka easily could’ve had a hat trick if not for Lalime robbing him after Jagr setups. Straka settled for the one that earned Jagr his 892nd assist, 18th most in NHL history.

Straka had yet another chance to stretch the lead, but his short-handed rush midway through the third ended with a shot off the post.

“I got so many chances and you’ve just got to score,” Straka said. “If we scored three, four goals in the first 20 minutes we could play easy and don’t have to be nervous in the last minute.”

The goal got the Rangers back on the power-play track after a 1-for-8 performance in Saturday’s 5-3 loss — including 0-for-6 in the opening period.

Hossa made it 2-0 at 11:40 with his seventh goal, fifth in seven games.

Notes: Jagr leads the NHL with 51 assists. He has points in six straight games (2 goals, 7 assists). ... Lundqvist (25-18-3) has allowed two goals or fewer 12 times in 15 games. He made a career-high 14th straight start. ... It was Chicago’s first regulation loss in four games (1-1-2).

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