Rangers Report Blog

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
January 31, 2012 (Game 48, Away Game 26)
Prudential Center — Newark, NJ

1st   2nd   3rd   SO   Final
New York Rangers                1      0        2       0      3
New Jersey Devils                 0      1        2       1      4

Team Notes:

-        The Rangers were defeated by the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, in the shootout tonight at Prudential Center, and are now 14-4-1 in their last 19 games.

-        New York has posted a record of 31-12-5 (67 pts) on the season, including a 16-7-3 mark on the road.  The Rangers have registered at least one point in 31 of their last 40 games (28-9-3), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark.

-        The Rangers have registered at least one point in six of their last seven road games (5-1-1 over the span), and are 11-3-1 in their last 15 games away from MSG.

-        The Blueshirts maintained a one-point lead over Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference, and are currently tied with Detroit for first in the league overall with 67 points.  Detroit is in action tonight at Calgary.

-        10 of the Rangers’ last 14 meetings with the Devils have been decided by two goals or less.

-        The Rangers are now 18-7-3 against the Devils since 2007-08, including a 9-4-2 mark on the road, dating back to a 2-0 win on Oct. 25, 2007.

-        Martin Biron’s start in net tonight ended Henrik Lundqvist’s streak of 32 consecutive starts against the Devils.  The last Rangers goalie other than Lundqvist to start against New Jersey was Kevin Weekes on Dec. 17, 2006.

Player Notes:

-        Michael Del Zotto notched a goal, was credited with three hits and three blocked shots, and posted a plus-two rating in 25:21 of ice time to earn third star honors.  He has tallied 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in the last 29 games, including two points (one goal, one assist) in the last two.

-        Marian Gaborik tallied two primary assists and logged 18:00 of ice time in the contest.  He has now recorded seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last six games, and leads the team in scoring with 41 points on the season.

-        Carl Hagelin tied his career-high for assists/points in a game with two assists, and logged 13:14 of ice time in the contest.  He has tallied 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the last 15 games.

-        Anton Stralman opened the game’s scoring with an even strength goal with 0:33 remaining in the first period, and was credited with two blocked shots in 19:28 of ice time.  He has tallied a point in each of the last two games (one goal, one assist).

-        Brian Boyle notched a goal, was credited with two blocked shots, tied for the team-high with four shots on goal, and led the team with nine faceoff wins in 17 attempts (53%).  He has recorded a point in each of the last two games (one goal, one assist).

-        Martin Biron made 26 saves through regulation and overtime, and stopped two of three in the shootout.  He has now posted a record of 9-2-1 overall, including a 5-2-1 mark on the road.  Tonight’s contest is only the fourth time this season he has allowed more than two goals.

-        Stu Bickel and Brandon Prust each registered an assist on Brian Boyle’s third period goal.  Prust has now recorded two assists in the last three games.

-        Dan Girardi led all skaters with a career-high, 33:46 of ice time, tied for the team-high with a season-high, four shots on goal, and was credited with two blocked shots.  Girardi has now logged 30:00+ of ice time 11 times in his career, including seven times this season.

Team Schedule:

–        The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow, February 1, at First Niagara Center (7:30 p.m.), to conclude their back-to-back set.  The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

Someone asked Henrik Lundqvist last night if he knew the Jets hadn’t won the second part of a back-to-back all season. He laughed and said he didn’t, then insisted it didn’t matter. Some team will always be the first, he said.

Despite sitting atop the Eastern Conference at the break, Lundqvist and the Rangers refuse to leave a stone unturned. The idea of Winnipeg, amidst a slump, on the road, on the second night of a back-to-back screamed “trap game” to them. They refused to let that thought become a reality, and beat the Jets 3-0.

Here’s a quick review as the Blueshirts head into the break…

Thoughts:

1) Lundqvist said the Rangers wanted to the Jets to realize quickly they meant business. The Jets were a defeated team that was more than 2,000 miles from home and limped into the Garden losing 8 of 11. That means the game plan was simple: Register an early goal and let Winnipeg know that thought hovering in the back of their minds at the opening face-off was a reality.

Indeed, the Jets were in for a rough night. The Rangers did exactly what they wanted, scoring 4:05 in when Ryan Callahan punched in the rebound of Anton Stralman’s shot. Quickly, it was 1-0 Rangers.

2) I know from back in the days when I covered the team semi-regularly that a big complain among fans was the team’s reluctance to shoot. Much has changed since the likes of Jagr, Roszival and Nylander left town, but not enough for John Tortorella’s liking. No, Torts didn’t reference the old Czech core, nor, I’d assume, did they ever entered his mind. However, he did praise Stralman for being ready to shoot when Winnipeg’s clearing try moved toward him. It allowed the defenseman to generate a chance when it seemed like one didn’t exist.

“A big part of what I think we have to get better at are rebound goals. And before you get rebound goals, you have to shoot the puck on the net,” Tortorella said. “We tend to look for the next play where probably the best play is being ready to shoot before it comes to you and to shoot it instead of trying to pass it.”

3) Anytime you have a shutout, the defense usually has something to do with it. Even with Hank in net. But the Ranger D played an especially strong game. Their names were sprinkled throughout the post-game notes. In reality, Stralman and Michael Del Zotto were largely responsible for the first two goals.

Del Zotto’s play seemed especially noteworthy. He skated from the red line in front of the Ranger bench, crossed the blue line, swooped toward the right circle and back toward the center before finding John Mitchell open on the left circle. It was poor defense by Winnipeg for sure, but a creative play by Del Zotto, who earned my third-star vote for the night. He logged 26:16 of ice time and finished a plus-2. Stralman, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh were all over 20 minutes as well.

4) With those four playing major minutes, Marc Staal played a season-low 12:06 in this, his 11th game. Staal had no shots, blocked no shots and recorded just one hit. As you may have read, the Daily News reported that the club said Staal had no issues. That seems reasonable. Perhaps it’s just time for a break. The All-Star Game may come at a good time and allow him to re-boot for the second half.

5) When the Rangers struck for that second goal, they did so shortly after Winnipeg killed off a power play for the second time that period. The Rangers went on to finish 0 for 4 with a man-advantage and are now mired in an unsightly 3-for-41 stretch. If there’s a fear in the second half, is that it?

6) It certainly isn’t Lundqvist. The King recorded his fifth shutout of the season last night and 40th of his career, moving him into a tie for second in franchise history. Lundqvist said the achievement was significant to him because he understands the great men that have stood in the Garden goal before him. (I had a quote from him on this but can’t decipher it on my recorder because he speaks so softly.)

Of more importance for the stretch run, Lundqvist said, although he can still improve going forward, he feels strong because of the extra rest this season.

7) Lundqvist was asked if he tried to avoid the puck with his right foot on the second-period re-direct by Blake Wheeler that hit the right post and shot parallel to the goal line. As you know, it narrowly avoided Lundqvist’s skate. He appeared to raise it just in time to avoid kicking it into the goal, but that was pure fancy.

“No,” he said. “I feel like I was a little lucky today.”

8) The Rangers played out the remainder of the second period well, but they were fortunate Winnipeg failed to strike early in the third. Tortorella and some of the players said that was the only stretch where they let up, but Lundqvist saved the day, particularly with a spectacular left-pad stop on Tanner Glass.

“I thought we did a pretty good job of it. Other than the first few minutes there to start the third period, I thought we did a good job,” Tortorella said. “We defended well. In the first part of the third, Hank made some big saves when we didn’t. So I was pretty happy with how we played.”

9) In the waning minutes, when it became clear only a miracle or two could even send the game to OT, Brad Richards found an answer to his drought, scoring for the first time in eight games. He gave the Rangers a 3-0 and probably will go home this week feeling better for it.

10) I stopped by Brian Boyle’s locker quickly after the game to check on his foot. I would describe him as annoyed that the injury simply won’t seem to go away. Boyle seems to feel unsteady on it. It’s clear that an athlete has had his confidence rattled when he uses the word “scared” like Boyle did last night.

11) This morning’s final thought comes from your captain, whose cautious, we’ve-done-nothing-yet message reads like it was taken right off his coach’s tongue:

“We’ve had a good first half now. It’s good going into the break knowing you’re sitting in first place. But at the same time, the hockey only gets harder from here,” Ryan Callahan said. “Everybody picks it up a notch. We have to continue to do the same to have more success.”

*********************
My Three Rangers Stars:
1. Henrik Lundqvist
2. John Mitchell
3. Michael Del Zotto

*********************
AP photos, above (and below).

… as expected.

From the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS TRANSACTION UPDATE
Tim Erixon Assigned to Connecticut

New York, December 16, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Tim Erixon has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Erixon, 20, did not skate in the Rangers 4-1 loss yesterday at St. Louis following his recall from Connecticut on Wednesday.  He began the season on the Rangers opening night roster, and skated in nine games with the Blueshirts before being assigned to Connecticut on October 29.  Erixon posted a plus or even rating in six of his nine contests.  He made his NHL debut on October 7 against Los Angeles in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Premiere.

The Port Chester, New York native returns to Connecticut where he has registered one goal and 11 assists for 12 points, along with 10 penalty minutes in 13 games this season.  He currently has a three-game AHL assist streak, tallying four assists during the stretch which began with a two-assist effort on December 9 vs. Hershey.  Erixon leads all Whale defensemen and is tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 12 points, and ranks second on Connecticut overall in average points per game (0.92) and is tied for third in assists (11).  He registered seven points in a five-game span (one goal and six assists), beginning with his first career AHL goal on November 12 at St. John’s and culminating with a career-high, three assists on November 23 vs. Portland.  Erixon tallied an assist while making his AHL debut on November 2 at Bridgeport.

Erixon was acquired by the Rangers along with a fifth round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Shane McColgan) from Calgary, in exchange for Roman Horak and two second round picks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Markus Granlund, Tyler Wotherspoon) on June 1, 2011.  He was originally selected by the Flames in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

 

From the Rangers:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Anton Stralman.

Stralman, 25, has skated in 212 career NHL contests over four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets, registering 11 goals and 63 assists for 74 points, along with 97 penalty minutes. He enjoyed his most productive season in 2009-10 with Columbus, establishing career-highs in games played (73), goals (six), assists (28), points (34), power play goals (four), power play assists (18), power play points (22), shots on goal (121) and penalty minutes (37). He led all Columbus defensemen in points, assists, power play goals, power play assists and power play points, and tied for second among team defensemen in goals that season. He also led the team in power play assists, tied for second in power play points and fifth in power play goals. Stralman posted a career-high, four-game point streak from January 16, 2010 vs. Chicago to January 21, 2010 at Boston, tallying five assists over the span. He also registered a career-high, six multi-point performances.

Last season, Stralman registered one goal and 17 assists for 18 points, along with 22 penalty minutes in 51 games with Columbus. He tallied a career-high, three points (three assists) on April 1 vs. Chicago. The 5-11, 193-pounder made his NHL debut on October 23, 2007 vs. Atlanta, and recorded three goals and six assists in 50 games as a rookie with Toronto in 2007-08. Stralman registered his first career NHL point with an assist on January 10, 2008 at Los Angeles, and notched his first career NHL goal on March 21, 2008 at Buffalo.

The Tibro, Sweden native was originally selected as Toronto’s seventh round choice, 216th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Got these, naturally, in the middle of the night. So, half a day late …

Courtesy of the NYR:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
New York Rangers 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)
October 20, 2011 (Game 5, Away Game 5)
Scotiabank Saddledome – Calgary, Alberta

Team Notes:
-The Rangers defeated the Calgary Flames, 3-2, in overtime tonight at Scotiabank Saddledome for their second consecutive win.  Ryan McDonagh tallied the game-winning goal with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime.
-The win was the Blueshirts’ first in Calgary since Nov. 14, 2002 (2-1).  New York has begun their four-game Western Canada road trip by defeating Vancouver and Calgary, marking the first time the team has won in those two cities in the same season since 1986-87.
-The Rangers have now recorded at least one point in four of five games this season, and have won each of their last two contests.
-New York and Calgary combined for four first period goals, including one power play goal apiece and a shorthanded goal by the Rangers.
-The Rangers tallied their first power play goal of the season at 4:53 of the first period, and finished 1-2 (1:51) with the man advantage in the contest.
-New York also notched their first shorthanded goal of the season, at 13:42 of the first period.  Last season, the Rangers tied for fourth in the league with 11 shorthanded goals, the most for New York since they notched 11 in 2006-07 and tied for 12th most in franchise history.
-The Rangers were credited with 16 blocked shots in the contest, and have now registered 39 blocked shots in the last two games.
-Ryan McDonagh’s overtime goal was New York’s second four-on-four goal of the season, which is tied for first in the NHL.

Player Notes:
-Henrik Lundqvist stopped 33 of 35 shots to record his second consecutive win and improve to 2-1-2 on the season with a 1.73 goals against average, a .946 save percentage and one shutout.  He made 25 straight saves to end the game after allowing two goals on his first 10 shots faced.  Lundqvist has registered 30 or more saves in each of the last three games, and has posted a .973 save percentage in the last two contests (73-75).
-Brandon Prust notched a shorthanded goal at 13:42 of the first period, and has now recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in the last three games.  Prust, who was originally selected by Calgary in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (third round, 70th overall) and skated with the Flames from 2006-07 to 2009-10, led the Rangers and tied for second and third in the league, respectively, with a career-high, seven shorthanded points and five shorthanded goals last season. His five shorthanded goals were the most by a Ranger since Theo Fleury tallied seven shorthanded goals in 2000-01.
-Ryan McDonagh tallied the game-winning goal with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime, and registered three shots on goal in 26:24 of ice time.  The goal was his first career overtime tally.  He has now recorded three points (two goals, one assist) in the last two games, and leads all team forwards in goals (two), assists (two) and points (four) on the season.  His two goals and four points are also tied for second on the team overall.
-Marian Gaborik opened the game’s scoring with a power play goal, the Rangers’ first of the season, at 4:53 of the first period to extend his goal streak to three games (three goals over the span).  He also led all skaters with a season-high, eight shots on goal in 21:03 of ice time.  Gaborik has now tallied a goal in four of five games this season, and leads the team in goals (four) and is tied for second in points (four).
-Brad Richards registered his 500th career NHL assist with an assist on Gaborik’s power play goal to extend his scoring streak to five games (one goal, four assists over the span), and led all forwards with 23:00 of ice time.  Richards, who has tallied a point in each of the Rangers’ games to begin the season, leads the team in assists (four) and points (five).
-Brian Boyle tallied the lone assist on Prust’s shorthanded goal to capture second star honors, and has now recorded a point in each of the last two games (one goal, one assist over the span).  Last season, Boyle led the Rangers and tied for second in the NHL with a career-best, three shorthanded assists.
-Derek Stepan recorded the primary assist on Gaborik’s power play goal, and was credited with a game-high-tying three hits in 19:34 of ice time.  He now leads the team with 14 hits on the season.
-Dan Girardi tallied the primary assist on McDonagh’s overtime game-winning goal, and led the team with 27:28 of ice time.  He leads all NHL skaters in average ice time (28:58).
-Brandon Dubinsky registered an assist on McDonagh’s overtime game-winning goal, was credited with two blocked shots and four shots on goal, and won a team-high 10-of-17 faceoff attempts (59%).  He has now tallied two assists in the last two games.
-Steve Eminger led all skaters with four blocked shots for the third consecutive game, and logged a season-high 20:51 of ice time.  He now leads the team with 14 blocked shots on the season, including 12 blocked shots in the last three games.

From the Rangers:

MSG NETWORK INVITES RANGERS FANS TO TWEET DURING TELECASTS OF TRAVERSE CITY TOURNAMENT
Fan Interaction to Play a Major Role in Television Coverage of Four Rangers Games Sept. 10-14 … Viewers to Have Unprecedented Access to the Rink and Locker Rooms
New York, NY – September 8, 2011 – MSG Network will offer Rangers fans an opportunity to take part – via Twitter –  in the telecasts of four Rangers games from the 2011 Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament, which runs from September 10-14 in Traverse City, Michigan. Viewers will also have never-before-seen access to the team, coaches and executives during the five day competition.
Starting today, MSG Network’s Traverse City play-by-play man John Giannone (@jaygeeMSG) and reporter Dave Maloney (@DaveMaloneyMSG) will call on fans to join their conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #NYRprospects. Giannone and Maloney, along with color commentator Joe Micheletti, will turn to Twitter for questions and remarks from viewers, which they can respond to and comment on during the action starting Saturday. The former Rangers captain will also use Twitter as the source of his questions as he talks to players benchside throughout the game, as well as for reports and interviews during intermissions.
MSG Network viewers will have unlimited access to the players, coaches and executives at the tournament. A number of players will wear wireless microphones during the games and cameras will follow the Rangers’ prospect team coach, Ken Gernander, into the locker room for pregame and intermission talks.
Viewers can also follow @MSGNetworks on Twitter or go to www.msg.com/rangers for additional information and tweets, including live updates from the tournament, as well as exclusive photos and interviews with players and coaches in their entirety. Extended video clips of Giannone, Micheletti and Maloney responding to fan-submitted questions will also be available.
The 2011 Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament includes eight teams from the NHL, split into two divisions: the Gretzky Division (New York Rangers, St. Louis, Dallas, Carolina) and the Howe Division (Detroit, Buffalo, Columbus, Minnesota). Each team will face its division opponents once in the opening round and the final day will feature the top seeds in the Championship Game, as well as the remaining teams in the third, fifth and seventh place games, based on their records.
2011 marks the 14th year of the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament, which has previously featured current Rangers players, including Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Derek Stepan.

Below is the schedule for the Rangers telecasts:

Saturday, September 10 – NY Rangers vs. St. Louis (7:00 p.m.)
Sunday, September 11 – NY Rangers vs. Dallas (6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, September 13 – NY Rangers vs. Carolina (3:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, September 14 – TBD (depending on standings)

From the Rangers:

RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH FREE AGENT DEFENSEMAN BRENDAN BELL

New York, August 9, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Brendan Bell.

Bell, 28, has skated in 101 career NHL contests with the Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs, registering seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points, along with 51 penalty minutes.  He established career-highs in 2008-09 with Ottawa, tallying six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 53 games.  Bell tied for second among Senators defensemen in goals, and ranked fourth in assists and points that season.  As a rookie in 2006-07, Bell recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) in 45 contests with Toronto and Phoenix.  He notched his first NHL point with an assist on October 28, 2006 at Montreal, and tallied his first NHL goal on January 20, 2007 at Pittsburgh.  Bell made his NHL debut as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 21, 2006.

The 6-2, 211-pounder has also skated in 374 career AHL contests with the Syracuse Crunch, Peoria Rivermen, Binghamton Senators, San Antonio Rampage and Toronto Marlies/St. John’s Maple Leafs, registering 46 goals and 152 assists for 198 points, along with 376 penalty minutes.  In 2009-10, Bell established AHL career-highs in goals (14), assists (38) and points (52) while skating in 71 games with Peoria and Syracuse.  He finished that season tied for third among AHL defensemen in goals, fourth in points and assists, and led all blueliners and tied for ninth in the league overall with a career-high, 12 power play goals.  Bell also led Syracuse in assists, points and power play goals.

Last season, Bell tallied two goals and nine assists for 11 points, along with 14 penalty minutes in 29 games with EHC Biel of the Swiss A-League.  He led all team defensemen in assists and points, and tied for third on the team overall with a plus-two rating.  Bell also skated in one contest with Omsk Avangard of the Continental Hockey League (KHL), recording two assists in his only appearance.

The Ottawa, Ontario native was originally selected as Toronto’s third round choice, 65th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Hockey season is over. The U.S. Open begins.

I’ve got nothing to add. Well, I have stuff to add, but I’m not supposed to write anything this week. So I won’t.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Henrik Lundqvist was understandably crushed after tonight’s 4-3, double-OT loss by the Rangers. He said he didn’t expect to sleep tonight, and that he’d probably stay up wondering what he could have done better.

Here’s what he had to say…

On the final goal being a freak play:

“I don’t know what to say. I have to look at it. Like I said, I tried to just freeze it and nobody’s there. Gaby, I think, tried to put it behind the net and it hit their guy. I don’t know what to say. It’s just really frustrating.”

On his leg cramps:

“Yeah, my calves (were cramping). It was so warm and it was a pretty tiring game actually. The toughest part is to stay focused. It’s definitely a tough sport when you’re playing a long game and an intense game.”

On whether he and Gaborik tried to communicate with each other:

“No. It all happened so fast. I thought he saw me coming, but he probably didn’t see me. He just tried to put it behind the net I think. It’s just a really tough bounce for us.”

On putting the game behind them:

“It’s going to be tough until tomorrow. Then you just have to move on. You can’t get stuck here. I don’t know how much I’m going to sleep tonight. I’m going to think about what happened and what I could’ve done differently. Then I’m going to have to move on.”

On what he did between periods to re-hydrate himself:

“Salt. A lot of salt. And I drank a lot. But it’s just really tough right now.”

On the inability to close in the third period:

“We just had a tough time getting pucks out. A couple of times we had the puck and gave it away and they capitalized on it pretty easily. I don’t know the reason for it. We just have to correct that.”

On if Semin’s shot fooled him:

“It’s was just so close. It hit my arm here. I honestly thought I had it under my arm. I could feel the puck. Then he came and chopped it underneath me. I was hoping for a whistle, but no.”

On the final goal:

“It was a miscommunication. It all happened pretty fast. Unfortunately, when he played the puck it hit their guy and game over.”

From the Rangers:

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES AND QUOTES

April 9, 2011 – New York Rangers 5, New Jersey Devils 2 (Game No. 82, Home No. 41)

•The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 5-2, today at Madison Square Garden, to complete their 2010-11 regular season schedule with a record of 44-33-5 overall, including a 20-17-4 mark at home.  New York posted a record of 11-4-1 in their final 16 contests, and won six of their last eight games at MSG (6-1-1).

•New York currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, and will advance to the playoffs with a Carolina loss tonight vs. Tampa Bay.

•The Blueshirts had 14 players register at least one point in the contest.  The last time they had 14 or more players with at least a point was January 19, 2010 vs. Tampa Bay (8-2 win, 16 players).

•Ryan McDonagh tallied his first career NHL goal, the game-winner, at 11:59 of the second period, and posted a plus-two rating in 22:12 of ice time.  McDonagh has posted a plus or even rating in 32 of his 40 games, and ranks second on the team and sixth among NHL rookies with a plus-16 rating.

•Rangers’ Captain Chris Drury notched a goal in his return to the lineup after missing the previous 27 games due to injury.  He tallied the goal at 3:14 of the first period, just 1:11 after the Devils took the lead.

•Vinny Prospal recorded his fifth multi-point performance of the season with two points, including the primary assist on the game-winner and a goal at 10:49 of the third period.  He has registered 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in the last 21 games, and leads the team with 14 assists and ranks second in scoring with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in 29 games since returning from injury on Feb. 3.

•Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves to improve to 36-27-5 overall, including a 16-14-4 mark at home.  His 36 wins are tied for sixth most in Rangers’ history.  He is 11-4-1 with a 2.10 GAA, .930 Sv% and three shutouts in the last 16 games.

•The Rangers were credited with 40 hits in the contest, led by Brian Boyle (eight) and Brandon Dubinsky (seven).  Entering today’s contest, Boyle led the Rangers and ranked 11th in the NHL with 232 hits.  Dubinsky also registered the primary assist on Brandon Prust’s goal at 16:06 of the second period.

•Wojtek Wolski notched a goal at 1:52 of the second period to tie the game at two goals apiece.  He has now registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the last three games.

•Brandon Prust tallied one goal and was credited with four hits in the contest.  The Rangers improved to 19-7-2 when he registers a point.

•Marian Gaborik recorded an assist on the game-winning goal, and registered a game-high, five shots on goal.  He has now tallied four assists in the last five games.

•Ruslan Fedotenko and Michael Sauer each tallied an assist on Wolski’s second period, game-tying goal.  Fedotenko has now registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the last four games.  Sauer has recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in the last three games.

•Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello each registered an assist on Drury’s first period goal.  Christensen has recorded 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in the last 18 games, and the Rangers improved to 15-4-0 when he registers a point.  Zuccarello has registered four assists in his last seven games.

•Dan Girardi, Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov each recorded an assist in the contest.  Girardi completed the regular season with career-highs in assists (27) and points (31).  Stepan has recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in the last four games.  Anisimov has tallied 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the last 16 games, and the Rangers improved to 24-6-2 when he records a point.

•The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Apr. 10.

POST-GAME QUOTES

John Tortorella on the team… “I think we have a plan.  I think that it is very important to have a plan.  I like the youth that we have infused.  I think we have used our minor league system.  The foundation, the guts of this team is our guys.  I think we are only going to get better.  I think we created an identity.”

Henrik Lundqvist on the year… “I think last year was really tough.  This year, it feels like we have been consistent the whole year.  We had a couple bumps here and there.  It is hard to be satisfied or disappointed right now.  If we are in, I think it is a great year.  If not, you cannot be happy about the year.  We will see.”

Chris Drury on his goal… “You don’t want to give them a chance to get comfortable with the lead and build momentum off of it.  Anytime you give up a goal you try to respond the right way and as fast as you can.”