Marian Gaborik had his 10th career hat trick, rookie Chad Johnson made 34 saves for his first NHL win, and the New York Rangers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 road victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night.

"It's a boost of energy for this club and myself as well to finally get a win and feel good about ourselves," Gaborik said.

The hat trick was Gaborik's first since he had five goals for Minnesota against the Rangers on Dec. 20, 2007.

He joined the Rangers as a free agent over the summer after spending his first eight seasons in Minnesota.

"Any time a guy scores a hat trick, it's a good offensive night," Colorado left- winger T.J. Galiardi said.

"We've got to know a guy like that is going to be a threat all night and he burned us."

Johnson was playing just his fourth career game after shuttling between the Rangers and the minors since early December.

He was filling in for Henrik Lundqvist (stomach ailment) and just missed a shutout, giving up Cody McLeod's goal with 7:21 to play.

"You could tell right from the start that he had that jump, he had that swagger," Johnson said of Gaborik.

"He was beating guys wide, having control of the puck. The other guys look up to a guy like him to lead the way and when he's playing his best hockey, I think other guys pick it up and follow his lead.

"All it takes sometimes is one guy to kind of lead the team, pick'em up and put them on his shoulders, and Gabby was unbelievable tonight. He did that."

Gaborik's first goal gave him 500 career points and his second gave him his sixth multigoal game of the season.

He has four goals in his last two games and 33 overall, the sixth time in nine NHL campaigns that he has had 30 or more.

He completed the hat trick on a breakaway with 10:43 left in the third period.

The Avalanche have lost three straight after winning six in a row.

Gaborik opened the scoring at 13:53 of the first period, beating Craig Anderson with a slapshot from the top of the right circle.

Some nifty passing led to Gaborik's second goal.

Marc Staal shovelled a pass behind the net to Vinny Prospal, whose no-look backhand flip put the puck back just outside the crease, where Gaborik picked it up and knocked it past Anderson.

Gaborik leads the Rangers in points (65), goals (33) and assists (32).