TAMPA, Fla. — This was the type of moment most don’t see, the sweat dripping off Henrik Lundqvist’s face, his arms, his hands. Soaked to the bone after extra work at a morning skate in San Jose on Thursday, Lundqvist needed a few moments to chug some water and catch his breath before reflecting on what has been a season of rebirth for the Rangers’ 35-year-old goaltender, achieved through these types of unheralded efforts.

“You always try to put whatever happened in the past behind you, but every year I’m in the league, I always want the next year to be better,” Lundqvist said, having been rewarded for his bounce-back performance with his fourth career All-Star selection, starting with the skills competition here on Saturday night. “So I always look to improve, I always look to do whatever I can to improve myself as a hockey player. I definitely feel like I’ve taken a step in the right direction this year, for sure.”

Lundqvist was coming off the worst statistical season of his career in 2016-17, posting a 2.74 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. It was a campaign defined by drastic inconsistencies, when almost every one of his high-level games was matched with a more difficult showing.

It didn’t seem all that promising when he started this season, either. The skaters in front of him struggled to defend and he gave up more soft goals than he would have liked while the Blueshirts got out of the gate by going 3-7-2. Through his first nine starts, Lundqvist had a 3.12 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

On Halloween is when things started to turn around with a 6-4 comeback win over the Golden Knights at the Garden. Beginning with that game, Lundqvist started 32 of the next 38 games, facing a league-high 1,056 shots during that stretch while posting 2.47 GAA and .927 save percentage. No coincidence, the Rangers clawed their way back into the postseason picture.

Lundqvist saw a change in the game around him, and so he changed his approach. He has become more aggressive in his reads and comes out of his crease to challenge shooters more often. He had no option but to evolve or be left behind.

“I feel like it’s a different game, really,” Lundqvist said. “I feel like after the last three, four years, the game has changed a lot. There’s more speed, more chances, more shots. I remember there were a lot of games with a lot of structure, and it was just a different type of game. As a goalie, that was not as draining. Now it takes a lot more.

“If you’re not on top of your game, it’s going to be a tough one. So you need to push yourself constantly. I feel like it’s a fun challenge to have in front of you every night.”

In terms of how he physically feels, Lundqvist was adamant that not much is different from his days of carrying the Rangers to three of four conference finals and one Stanley Cup final from 2013-16. But he is not the type of player to deny he is aging. Instead, he’s kept pace by learning how to better prepare.

“I feel pretty much the same because I think I’m better at managing everything,” Lundqvist said. “I have a better understanding right now. I try to manage my sleep, my training, try to train better. The overall feeling, it feels pretty much the same, I would say. I’m hopefully a little bit smarter. You learn. And you also realize how important it is, as you get older, to manage all these different parts. It’s not only on-ice, it’s everything.”

Of course, as the whole organization strongly considers rebooting the roster as they approach the Feb. 26 trade deadline, a key piece to consider is the three years after this one remaining on Lundqvist’s contract, carrying an annual salary-cap hit of $8.5 million. The first half of this season has shown he certainly is still capable of evolving as a player. Just how much is left in the tank after 13-plus years of heavy workloads is something nobody knows, not even Lundqvist.

Which is why he still works so hard, and why he relishes weekends like this when that work can be put aside for a brief moment.

“It’s a fun experience that will energize me and just try to enjoy myself,” he said. “Then when I come back, I know it’s an important time for us.”