RANGERS CALM HURRICANES 

     VERSUS    

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 1, 2011 (Game 22, Away Game 13)
RBC Center – Raleigh, North Carolina

                                                      1st   2nd   3rd   OT   Final
New York Rangers               1      3        1       –      5
Carolina Hurricanes            2      1        0      –      3

Team Notes:

–        The Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-3, tonight at RBC Center to extend their winning streak to four games, and have won 11 of their last 13 contests.

–        New York improved to 14-5-3 (31 pts) on the season, including a 7-4-2 record on the road.

–        Carolina took an early lead with an even strength goal just 35 seconds into the game, but New York pulled even 67 seconds later with a power play goal.  The Blueshirts later erased a 2-1 deficit after the first with three goals in a span of 4:53 in the second period.  The Rangers improved to 9-0-1 when leading after two periods, including a 5-0-0 mark on the road.

–        14 of 18 Rangers skaters registered at least one point, including five of six defensemen.  New York’s defense corp combined for two goals and three assists in the contest.  The last time The Rangers had at least 14 different skaters with one or more points was Apr. 9, 2011 vs. New Jersey (5-2 win), and the last time five or more Blueshirt defensemen tallied a point was Mar. 15, 2011 vs. the New York Islanders (6-3 win).

–        The Rangers tallied one power play goal in four opportunities (6:42), and have now notched at least one power play goal in each of the last four games (5-17, 29.4% over the span).

–        New York has out-scored their opponents, 17-9, during their current four-game winning streak.

–        New York was credited with 22 blocked shots in the contest, and now rank third in the NHL with 210 blocked shots on the road this season.

–        The Rangers are now two wins shy of 2,500 wins, having won 2,498 games all-time in franchise history.

Player Notes:

–        Marian Gaborik notched one goal and tallied the primary assist on the game-winner to earn first star honors.  He also registered a team-high, four shots on goal in 18:11 of ice time.  Gaborik has registered six points (three goals, three assists) in the last four games, and now leads the Rangers with 12 goals and 21 points on the season.

–        Ryan McDonagh tallied a goal, was credited with three blocked shots and two hits, and registered three shots on goal in 26:55 of ice time to earn third star honors.  He has registered four points (one goal, three assists) in the last five games, and now leads all Rangers defensemen and is tied for fourth on the team with four goals on the season.

–        Ryan Callahan tallied the Rangers first goal of the game with a power play goal at 1:42 of the first period, and was credited with three hits in 20:06 of ice time.  He has registered 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in the last 14 games, with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the last eight.

–        Carl Hagelin recorded one assist and three shots on goal in 11:31 of ice time.  He has now registered a point in four straight games to begin his career (one goal, three assists), becoming the first Ranger rookie to do so since Steven King recorded a point in four consecutive games to begin his career in 1992-93.

–        Martin Biron made 28 saves to improve to 4-1-0 overall, including a 2-1-0 mark on the road.  He has registered a 1.94 goals against average with a .930 save percentage in six appearances this season.

–        Sean Avery notched the game-winning goal and was credited with two hits in the contest.  The Rangers improved to 138-91-31 with him in the lineup since originally being acquired on Feb. 5, 2007.

–        Michael Sauer tallied a goal at 5:42 of the third period and registered two shots on goal in 19:37 of ice time.  The goal was his first of the season.

–        Brian Boyle registered the primary assist on Sauer’s third period goal and won a team-high, 10-13 faceoffs (77%).  He has tallied three points (one goal, two assists) in the last four games, and has posted a plus or even rating in 12 straight (plus-eight).

–        Brad Richards and Michael Del Zotto each recorded an assist on Callahan’s first period, power play goal.  Richards also led all Rangers’ forwards with 20:54 of ice time, while extending his point streak to four games (three goals, four assists over the span).  Del Zotto was credited with three blocked shots in 22:14 of ice time, and has tallied an assist in each of the last three games (three assists over the span).

–        Derek Stepan registered an assist on the game-winning goal and was credited with two blocked shots in 16:33 of ice time.  He has now recorded 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the last 14 games, and is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 13 points on the season.

–        Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi tallied an assist apiece on McDonagh’s second period goal.  Dubinsky now ranks third on the team with nine assists on the season, as the Rangers improved to 7-0-1 when he records a point.  Girardi led all skaters with five blocked shots and 27:30 of ice time.  Entering tonight’s contest, Girardi led the NHL in average ice time (27:41) and was tied for 10th in the league with 56 blocked shots.

–        Artem Anisimov and Jeff Woywitka each registered an assist on Gaborik’s second period goal.  Anisimov is now tied for the team lead with 11 assists on the season.  Woywitka was also credited with two blocked shots in the contest, and the Rangers improved to 14-2-0 when he is in the lineup and 5-0-0 when he registers a point.

Team Schedule:

–        The Rangers return to action on Saturday, December 3, when they will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum (7:00 p.m.), to conclude their two-game Southeast road trip.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.