RANGERS DOUBLE UP LIGHTNING 

          VERSUS          

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 3, 2011 (Game 23, Away Game 14)
St. Pete Times Forum – Tampa, Florida
                                                      1st   2nd   3rd   OT   Final
New York Rangers               0      1        3       –      4
Tampa Bay Lightning          1      1        0       –      2

Team Notes:

–        The Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2, tonight at St. Pete Times Forum to extend their winning streak to five games, and have won 12 of their last 14 contests.

–        New York improved to 15-5-3 (33 pts) on the season, including an 8-4-2 record on the road.  The Rangers have the fewest regulation losses in the NHL.

–        The Blueshirts’ 33 points through 23 games is their most since they recorded 34 points in 23 games (16-5-2) to begin the 1993-94 Stanley Cup Championship season.

–        The Rangers tallied three goals in the third period to comeback from a 2-1 deficit heading into the final frame.  It was New York’s first win of the season when trailing after two periods.

–        New York has out-scored their opponent, 49-28, in their last 14 games (12-2-0), including a 21-11 advantage during their current five-game winning streak.

–        The Rangers improved to 8-3-2 in their last 13 games against the Lightning.

–        The Blueshirts out-shot the Lightning, 36-26, and remain the only team in the NHL who are undefeated when out-shooting their opponents, posting an 8-0-0 mark in those contests.

–        The Rangers are now one win shy of 2,500 wins, having won 2,499 games all-time in franchise history.

Player Notes:

–        Derek Stepan notched the game-winning goal with 3:19 remaining in the third period after tallying the lone assist on the game-tying goal earlier in the third to earn first star honors.  He also registered four shots on goal and won eight of 12 face-offs (67%) in 17:35 of ice time.  Stepan has recorded 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in the last 15 contests.

–        Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves to improve to 11-4-3 overall, including a 6-3-2 mark on the road.  He has won each of his last four games, and is now 9-1-0 with a 1.89 GAA, .936 Sv% and one shutout in his last 10 games.  Lundqvist has started each of the last 25 games against Tampa Bay dating back to Nov. 10, 2005.

–        Brad Richards registered two points (one goal, one assist) in the contest to extend his point streak to five games (four goals, five assists over the span), and has tallied 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in the last 15 games.  He also recorded four shots on goal in 20:21 of ice time, and led all skaters with 13 faceoff wins in 25 attempts (52%).  Tonight’s win was Richards’ first at Tampa Bay as a member of the opposing team.

–        Artem Anisimov tallied two points, including the game-tying goal at 6:16 of the third period and the primary assist on the game-winning goal, and led all skaters with five shots on goal.  He has tallied 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in the last 12 games, with five points (two goals, three assists) in the last five contests.

–        Ruslan Fedotenko notched the Rangers’ first goal of the game at 6:38 of the second period and logged 19:43 of ice time.  He has now tallied four points (three goals, one assist) in the last five games.

–        Ryan McDonagh recorded two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, and posted a plus-two rating in 27:53 of ice time.  He has now recorded six points (one goal, five assists) in the last six games.

–        Ryan Callahan tallied an assist, posted a plus-two rating and tied for the game-high with six hits in 21:19 of ice time.  He has now registered 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in the last 15 games, with seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last five contests.

–        Dan Girardi led all skaters with four blocked shots and 28:29 of ice time, tied for the game-high with six hits and posted a plus-two rating in the contest.  Entering the game, Girardi led the NHL in average ice time (27:41), was tied for seventh in blocked shots (61) and ranked second on the team in hits (59).

Team Schedule:

–        The Rangers return to action on Monday, December 5, when they will face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in an Original Six matchup.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.