JUST A SECOND IS ALL IT TAKES 

          VERSUS      

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 17, 2011 (Game 30, Away Game 17)
Jobing.com Arena – Glendale, AZ

                                                      1st   2nd   3rd   OT   Final
New York Rangers               1       0        2         –         3
Phoenix Coyotes                   1       1        0         –         2

Team Notes:

–        The Rangers defeated the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-2, tonight at Jobing.com Arena, and have now registered at least one point in 17 of their last 22 games (15-5-2).

–        New York improved to 18-8-4 (40 pts) on the season, including a 10-5-2 record on the road.  Last season, the Rangers earned their 40th point in game number 34 with a 4-3 shootout win against Phoenix on Dec. 16, 2010 at MSG.

–        After taking an early lead with a power play goal in the first period, the Rangers tallied two goals in the third period to erase a one-goal deficit heading into the final frame.  The Blueshirts‘ Marian Gaborik tied the game at two goals apiece 69 seconds into the third, and Brad Richards notched the game-winning goal with 0.1 second remaining in regulation.

–        The Rangers notched one goal in six power play opportunities (9:40), and are now 11-47 (23.4%) with the man advantage in the last 12 games.  New York improved to 13-1-2 in games when tallying a power play goal.

–        The Blueshirts improved their league-leading mark when out-shooting their opponent, posting a record of 10-2-0 (.833%) in those contests.

–        New York is now 14-1-1 (.875%) in games when scoring first.  Entering tonight’s contest, the Rangers ranked second in the NHL with an .867 win% when scoring first.

Player Notes:

–        Marian Gaborik notched two goals, including his 300th career NHL goal, in 21:17 of ice time.  He has now tallied 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in the last 10 games, and leads the team with seven multi-point performances on the season.

–        Brad Richards tallied the game-winning goal with 0.1 second remaining in regulation, tied for the game-high with four shots on goal and posted a plus-two rating in 20:35 of ice time.  He has now registered 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in the last 12 games.  Entering tonight’s contest, Richards was tied for eighth in the league with three game-winning goals.

–        Martin Biron made 21 saves to improve to 6-1-0 overall, including a 4-1-0 mark on the road.  Biron has held opponents to two or fewer goals in five of his seven starts this season.

–        Michael Del Zotto tallied a power play assist and was credited with two blocked shots in 25:41 of ice time.  He has now recorded 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in the last 11 games.

–        Derek Stepan recorded a power play assist and was credited with three hits and three shots on goal in 21:01 of ice time.  He has now tallied 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in the last 22 games, including nine points (three goals, six assists) in the last nine contests.

–        Ryan McDonagh registered the primary assist on the game-winning goal and tied for the game-high with three blocked shots in 24:25 of ice time.  McDonagh ranks second on the Rangers in blocked shots (65), and second among Blueshirt defensemen in assists (10) and points (14).

–        Ryan Callahan recorded an assist on the game-winning goal and logged 20:31 of ice time.  He has now tallied 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the last 12 games.

–        Dan Girardi was credited with a team-high, six hits and logged a game-high, 29:35 of ice time.  Entering tonight’s contest, Girardi led the NHL in average ice time (27:31) and was tied for eighth among league defensemen in hits (77).

–        Brian Boyle tied his season-high with five hits in the contest.  Brandon Prust tied for the game-high with a season-high, three blocked shots, and was credited with four hits.

Team Schedule:

–        The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, December 18.  The Rangers’ next practice is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 19, at the MSG Training Center.

–        The Rangers return to action on Tuesday, December 20, when they will face-off against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center (7:00 p.m.), to conclude a three-game road trip.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

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