NEW YORK -- The last thing anyone is ever expecting from Dan Girardi is offense. The defenseman is more known for blocking shots than taking them, as evidenced by his two goals in 74 games a season ago.

But in his first game back from a three-game absence due to a groin injury, Girardi scored the biggest goal of the night.

Girardi's first goal in nearly a calendar year early in the third period proved to be the winner, as the New York Rangers slipped past the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

The goal was hardly a thing of beauty and was one Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue should have stopped, as Girardi launched a shot through a partial screen from about 60 feet away that beat the 24-year-old to the far side.

"I'm really just burying my head and trying to shoot it at the net as hard as I can," Girardi said when asked if he was trying to use Coyotes forward Jordan Martinook to obscure Domingue's vision. "You don't want to hit that first guy with the screen. You want to get it by him because there's a good chance the goalie's not going to see it. (The puck) is rolling too, so good things happen when you put pucks on net."

The Rangers (4-2-0) were playing their second game in as many nights while the Coyotes (1-4-0) were rested after playing in Brooklyn on Friday. The visitors looked to be the fresher team at the outset, as right winger Radim Vrbata scored his first of two goals just 33 seconds into the contest.

The hot start didn't continue, as the Rangers pulled ahead with goals by right winger Josh Jooris in the first period and left winger J.T. Miller on the power play in the second period. Vrbata's third goal of the season evened the score at 2, but after Girardi scored 1:55 into the third period, the Rangers shut down the Coyotes to secure the victory.

"It wasn't perfect but we found a way," said Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who made 27 saves. "I thought they played a pretty good game. I think the big thing is we had a stretch in the second period where we had a tough time to get pucks out and get pucks deep, but we didn't get hurt that badly so we were in the game. Then in the third, we really played smart."

The Coyotes held a 13-7 shot advantage in the second period but could not take advantage of a Rangers team and goaltender coming off a hard-fought road victory against the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. After winning their season opener at home, the Coyotes have dropped the first four games of their road trip, all in regulation.

"We knew this was going to be a tough trip," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "We've got to find out about our team."

"Overall, I don't think it was that bad," Vrbata said, "but we needed the points."

While the Coyotes are riding a young backup goaltender with starter Mike Smith out with an injury, the Rangers allowed the 34-year-old Lundqvist to play on back-to-back nights because they won't play again until Wednesday, giving him plenty of time to rest before a difficult matchup.

"You have to play who is healthy," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said, referring to his forwards and defense pairings. "Tonight, we had a couple of bumps and bruises where players couldn't play. Some nights you mix and match and it works out, some nights it doesn't. It worked out as far as the scoring. It's about finding ways to win and that's what we did."

NOTES: Coyotes G Mike Smith (lower body) is considered week-to-week after being sent home for medical tests earlier in the week. "Not a severe injury or anything like that," coach Dave Tippett told reporters. "He's in good spirits back home, and we'll see where he's at next week." ... The Coyotes scratched C Dylan Strome, D Kevin Connauton and D Jamie McBain. ... Rangers LW Chris Kreider, who leads the team through five games with three goals and seven points, did not play due to neck stiffness. ... Rangers C Oscar Lindberg made his season debut after recovering from offseason hip surgery. ... New York LW Pavel Buchnevich (back spasms) was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Wednesday. ... Rangers D Adam Clendening and D Dylan McIlrath were healthy scratches.