GOALIE SHUFFLE 

Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba have switched places once again. With the HUGE game coming up Friday against Manchester at the XL Center, it’s a good move on the part of the Rangers and Wolf Pack organizations.

Here’s the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that goaltender Chad Johnson has been assigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL), and Matt Zaba has been recalled from Hartford.

Johnson, 23, made his third appearance with the Rangers on Saturday, stopping 21 shots in a 4-1 loss at St. Louis.  He has a record of 0-1-1 with a 2.58 goals against average and a .908 save percentage along with one assist this season.  Johnson registered an assist, made 31 saves through regulation/overtime and stopped three of five shootout attempts while making his first career NHL start with the Rangers on January 7 at Atlanta.  He made his NHL debut with 17 saves on December 30 vs. Philadelphia, and has dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in 18 games.

Johnson returns to Hartford where he has posted a 13-7-2 record with a 2.02 goals against average, .929 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games this season.  He ranked fifth in the AHL in goals against average, and was tied for fourth in shutouts, fifth in save percentage and eighth in wins at the time of his recall on January 11.  Johnson registered a season-high four-game winning streak, beginning with his first career AHL shutout on October 31 against Providence to November 7 at Bridgeport.  He also notched back-to-back shutouts on November 13 vs. Manchester (26 saves) and November 14 at Worcester (35 saves).  The AHL rookie made his debut with Hartford on October 9 at Providence, and recorded his first AHL win the following game on October 10 against Springfield.  

The Calgary, Alberta native was originally the Pittsburgh Penguins’ fifth round selection, 125th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  He was acquired by the Rangers on June 27, 2009, in exchange for a fifth round selection (Andy Bathgate) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Zaba, 26, has posted a record of 2-2-0 with a 2.48 goals against average and .918 save percentage in four games with Hartford since dressing as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup on January 2 vs. Carolina and January 4 vs. Boston.  He has posted a 3-4-1 record with a 3.45 goals against average and .888 save percentage in 12 AHL games this season.  Last season, Zaba ranked seventh in the AHL in goals against average (2.33), tied for eighth in save percentage (.920) and 12th in wins (25).  He also led the league in shootout save percentage with a .930% success rate.  Zaba was named AHL Goaltender of the Month for February, and he finished the regular season with a 14-2-0 mark and a 1.84 goals against average, a .937 save percentage and one shutout in his final 16 contests.  He made his AHL debut on October 18, 2008, at Toronto.

The Yorkton, Saskatchewan native was originally the Los Angeles Kings eighth round selection, 231st overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.  He was signed by the Rangers as a free agent on August 20, 2007.

The Rangers return to action tomorrow, January 21, when they will face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center (7:00 p.m.), in a matchup between Atlantic Division rivals. Prior to the game, the Blueshirts’ optional morning skate is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Wachovia Center.  This is the third of six meetings between the Rangers and Flyers this season, and the second at the Wachovia Center.  The Rangers own a 1-1-0 mark in the season series, including a record of 1-0-0 on the road following a 2-1 win on December 19 at the Wachovia Center.