Jaromir Jagr had a goal and assist in the third period to tie the Rangers’ records for goals and points in a season, and goalie Henrik Lundqvist was perfect in relief in New York’s 5-4 shootout victory over the slumping Buffalo Sabres last night.

Jagr set up Petr Sykora’s goal 3:19 into the third period that cut the Rangers’ deficit to 4-3, then tied it with 9:44 remaining in regulation.

Jagr’s goal gave him 52, equaling Adam Graves’s club mark set in the 1993-94 season, and 109 points – tying Jean Ratelle’s record that has stood for 34 years.

It was the third straight time the Rangers went to a shootout and the first time they won in the four-day span. New York was 5-1 in the NHL’s new tiebreaker before dropping three straight – including two in a row in weekend road losses to the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lundqvist, who took the defeat Saturday against the Lightning, relieved Kevin Weekes at the start of the third period when the Rangers trailed 4-2. The Swedish rookie stopped five shots in that frame, three more in overtime, and then turned aside Daniel Briere, Maxim Afinogenov, and Derek Roy in the shootout to send Buffalo to its season-high sixth straight loss.

Sykora scored on the Rangers’ first attempt, giving him four shootout goals in six tries. That was enough to push the Rangers back into first place alone in the Atlantic Division, two points in front of Philadelphia with 10 games remaining. The Flyers will play 11 more.

This one was looking like another loss for the Rangers, who entered on a 3-5-4 slide. But Jagr and Lundqvist changed that.

Jagr flipped a pass from the right-wing boards to Sykora, who one-timed a shot past Ryan Miller to bring the Rangers within a goal. Then Jagr punched in a shot from the right post to tie it.

The Rangers had several chances to win late in regulation and in overtime as the Sabres were called for three penalties in a 6:21 span of the third period and then another 34 seconds into OT.

Jagr kept firing from his spot above the right circle but couldn’t beat Miller or the goal post.He recorded nine shots, including five in the final 25 minutes.

Lundqvist turned aside Dumont’s breakaway chance in overtime to get the Rangers into the shootout. Briere was on his way to being the star of the game with a goal and two as sists, but Buffalo instead fell to 28-1-3 when leading after two periods.

Briere set up Chris Drury’s goal in the opening period, but Martin Straka and Sandis Ozolinsh gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead before the frame was done.

J.P. Dumont tied it just 1:55 into the second, and Jason Pominville and Briere added goals to make it 4-2. Miller finished with 27 saves. Buffalo scored only 10 goals in the first five losses on the skid while giving up 21.

Weekes, who made 40 regulation saves and three more in a shootout in a loss at Florida on Friday,was yanked after giving up four goals on 23 shots – three on 13 into the middle frame.

The Rangers are looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and they want to get there by way of a division title. If not, they likely will face Buffalo in the opening round without homeice advantage.That doesn’t bode well for New York, 2-2 against the Sabres this season and 4-7 in their last 11 meetings.