VERSUS 
NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
March 27, 2012 (Game 76, Away Game 38)
Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
1st 2nd 3rd OT F
New York Rangers 1 1 1 – 3
Minnesota Wild 0 2 0 – 2
Team Notes:
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The Rangers defeated the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, tonight at Xcel Energy Center, and have now won four of the last five games.
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New York improved to 48-21-7 (103 pts.) overall, including a 22-11-5 mark on the road. Tonight’s contest was the Rangers’ final regular season game against a Western Conference opponent, having finished with a 10-6-2 record vs. the West.
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The Rangers increased their lead over Pittsburgh atop the Eastern Conference standings to three points, and rank second in the league overall with 103 points.
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The Blueshirts’ 48 wins are tied for fourth most in franchise history (1971-72), and their 103 points rank fifth in team history.
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New York has posted a combined record of 18-4-5 in back-to-back games this season, including a 9-2-3 (3-1-0 at home, 6-1-3 on the road) mark in the first game. The Rangers are 6-1-1 in the second game of the series when winning the first game.
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The Rangers out-hit the Wild, 30-12, with 14 skaters registering at least one hit in the contest. Derek Stepan and Brian Boyle tied for the game-high with five hits apiece.
Player Notes:
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Ryan McDonagh tallied two assists, including the primary assist on the game-winning goal, was credited with three blocked shots and posted a plus-two rating in 21:46 of ice time to capture first star honors. He has now recorded three assists in the last six games.
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Ruslan Fedotenko notched the game-winning goal at 13:37 of the third period, and registered two shots on goal in 13:39 of ice time. The goal was his 350th career NHL point (169 goals, 181 assists). The Rangers improved to 13-1-1 when he registers a point.
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Marian Gaborik registered one goal, three shots and a plus-two rating in 19:40 of ice time. He has now tallied six goals in the last nine games, and 11 points (six goals, five assists) in the last 10 games. The goal was his first career goal against Minnesota, and he has now recorded a goal against all 30 NHL teams.
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Brian Boyle opened the game’s scoring with an even strength goal at 11:23 of the first period, led all skaters with six shots, tied for the game-high with five hits, and posted a plus-two rating in 17:10 of ice time. He also won a game-high, 10-15 face-offs (67%), and has now won 46-78 (59.0%) face-offs in the last five games.
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Henrik Lundqvist made 24 saves to improve to 36-16-5 overall, including a 16-8-3 mark on the road. He has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 38 games this season, and is now one win shy of 250 career wins.
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Dan Girardi registered an assist on the game-winning goal, posted three shots on goal and a game-high, plus-three rating in 24:07 of ice time. He has tallied four points (one goal, three assists) in the last eight games.
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Brad Richards tallied the primary assist on Marian Gaborik’s goal at 7:58 of the second period, registered five shots on goal and won 9-13 face-offs (69%) in 20:08 of ice time. He has tallied 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in the last 17 games, with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in the last 11 games.
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Brandon Dubinsky registered one assist and three shots in 18:55 of ice time. He has now tallied five points (two goals, three assists) in the last five games.
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Anton Stralman recorded an assist and was credited with a game-high, four blocked shots in 19:45 of ice time while making his return to the lineup after not dressing in the last five games. He has tallied five assists in his last eight games.
Team Schedule:
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The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow, Mar. 28, at MTS Centre (7:00 p.m.), to conclude a back-to-back road set. The game will be televised live on MSG Plus and can be heard on Bloomberg Radio.
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