THEY’RE JUST THE BETTER TEAM 

     VERSUS     

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
December 20, 2011 (Game 31, Away Game 18)
Prudential Center – Newark, NJ

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

Team Notes:

–        The Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-1, tonight at Prudential Center, and have now won their last two games.

–        New York improved to 19-8-4 (42 pts) on the season, including an 11-5-2 record on the road.

–        The Rangers have registered at least one point in 18 of their last 23 games (16-5-2), and are 4-2-0 in their last six games.

–        The Blueshirts trailed 1-0 after the first period, but tied the game with an even strength goal at 17:28 of the second.  In the third, New York notched three goals, including a shorthanded tally at 14:42, to record the win.

–        The Rangers held the Devils scoreless in three shorthanded situations (6:00) and tallied one shorthanded goal.  The Blueshirts’ penalty kill has now held their opponent scoreless in six of their last seven games (21-22, 95.5% over the span), while tallying four shorthanded goals during the stretch, and is 31-34 (91.2%) in their last 12 games.  The Blueshirts improved to 13-3-2 when holding their opponent scoreless on the power play.

–        New York is now tied for 3rd in the NHL with five shorthanded goals.

Player Notes:

–        Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves to improve to 13-7-4 overall with a 7-4-2 mark on the road.  He has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 15 games this season, including in four of the last five, and is 11-4-1 with a 1.86 goals against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout in his last 16 games.  Lundqvist has registered 30 or more saves in 10 games this season, posting a record of 5-4-1 with a 2.18 goals against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout in those contests

–        Marian Gaborik registered his 600th career NHL point with the game-winning goal at 4:45 of the third period, added an empty net goal with 0:04 remaining and an assist for his third, three-point performance of the season.  He also posted a plus-three rating in 19:22 of ice time, and has registered five points (four goals, one assist) and a plus-four rating in the last two games.  Gaborik is now tied for second in the NHL with 19 goals on the season.

–        Artem Anisimov notched the Rangers’ first goal of the game at 17:28 of the second period and tallied the primary assist on Gaborik’s game-winning goal in the third to earn second star honors.  He also registered a team-high, four shots on goal and a plus-two rating in 18:48 of ice time, while making his return to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game in Phoenix due to an illness (his first career game missed).  Anisimov has tallied nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last nine games, and is now seven points shy of 100 career NHL points.

–        Carl Hagelin tallied a shorthanded goal and registered three shots on goal in 15:01 of ice time to earn third star honors.  The rookie is now tied for third in the NHL with two shorthanded goals on the season.

–        Derek Stepan recorded a career-high, three assists and posted a plus-three rating in 18:52 of ice time.  He has tallied 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in the last 10 games, and now leads the Rangers with 17 assists on the season.

–        Stu Bickel tallied a shorthanded assist and logged 11:40 of ice time while making his NHL debut, following his recall from Connecticut on Sunday.  Bickel is the 10th new Rangers player to appear in a game this season.

Team Schedule:

–        The Blueshirts’ practice schedule for tomorrow, December 21, is 12:00 p.m. at the MSG Training Center.

–        The Rangers return to action on Thursday, December 22, when they will face-off against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in the first of back-to-back home games.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

newyorkrangers.com