VERSUS 
NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
March 28, 2012 (Game 77, Away Game 39)
MTS Centre – Winnipeg, MB
1st 2nd 3rd OT F
New York Rangers 0 2 2 – 4
Winnipeg Jets 0 2 0 – 2
Team Notes:
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The Rangers defeated the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2, tonight at MTS Centre, and have now won five of the last six games. The Blueshirts tallied four unanswered goals to erase a two-goal second period deficit.
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New York improved to 49-21-7 (105 pts.) overall, including a 23-11-5 mark on the road. The Rangers now rank first in the NHL overall with 105 points, and increased their lead over Pittsburgh atop the Eastern Conference standings to five points.
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Three of the Rangers’ four goals were registered by their special teams, including two power play goals and one shorthanded tally. The Rangers finished the contest 2-5 (7:27) with the man advantage, and are now 7-34 (20.6%) in the last 10 games. The Blueshirts also held the Jets scoreless in five shorthanded situations (8:01), and are now 38-43 (88.4%) in the last 15 games. New York improved to 23-1-4 when tallying a power play goal, and are 33-12-3 when not allowing a power play goal.
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The Blueshirts’ 49 wins are tied for third most in franchise history (1970-71), while their 105 points are tied for fourth in team history (1991-92).
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New York has posted a combined record of 19-4-5 in back-to-back games this season, including a 10-2-2 (6-0-0 at home, 4-2-2 on the road) mark in the second game.
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The Rangers completed a sweep of the season series against the Jets (4-0-0), having out-scored Winnipeg, 12-3, in the series.
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The Blueshirts were credited with 24 blocked shots in the contest, led by Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan who each registered a game-high, four blocked shots.
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The Rangers won 36-59 (61%) face-offs in the contest. Brian Boyle won a game-high, 15 face-offs (15-26, 58%), while Brad Richards won 14-17 face-offs (82%).
Player Notes:
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Ryan Callahan registered two points, including a power play goal and a shorthanded assist, four shots on goal, tied for the game-high with four blocked shots, and led all skaters with 27:20 of ice time to earn second star honors. He has now tallied 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in his last 20 games. Callahan is now three points shy of 200 career NHL points.
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Michael Del Zotto notched a shorthanded goal, added a power play assist and was credited with three hits in 23:52 of ice time to earn first star honors. He has now registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the last five games. The assist was his 30th of the season, marking the first time in his career he reached that plateau, and was also his career-high, 38th point of the season. Del Zotto is now one appearance shy of 200 career NHL games.
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Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves to improve to 37-16-5 overall, with a 17-8-3 mark on the road. He has held opponents to two or fewer goals in 39 games this season, including in five of the last seven games. Lundqvist has started on consecutive days 59 times in his career, posting a record of 38-14-7 with a 1.84 GAA, .934 Sv% and six shutouts in the second game. With the win, Lundqvist became the 45th goaltender in NHL history to record 250 career wins.
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Brian Boyle notched the game-winning goal at 3:07 of the third period, registered three shots on goal and won a game-high, 15-26 faceoffs (58%) in 18:05 of ice time. He has now tallied three goals in the last four games.
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Derek Stepan tallied a power play goal at 10:06 of the third period and logged 18:48 of ice time in the contest. The power play goal was his career-high, fourth of the season.
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Marian Gaborik recorded two power play assists to extend his point streak to three games (three goals, two assists over the span), and logged 20:57 of ice time in the contest. He has now tallied 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in the last 11 games. Gaborik’s first assist was his 70th point of the season, marking the third time in his career he has reached that mark, and the second time in his three seasons as a Ranger.
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Brad Richards tallied one power play assist to extend his assist streak to three games (four assists over the span), tied for the game-high with five shots on goal, and won a game-high, 14-17 (82%) face-offs in 19:54 of ice time. He ranks second in the NHL in scoring during the month of March with 19 points (six goals, 13 assists), and has now recorded 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in the last 12 games.
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Ruslan Fedotenko registered the primary assist on the game-winning goal and posted a plus-two rating in 11:08 of ice time. He finished the Rangers’ back-to-back set with two points (one goal, one assist), having tallied the game-winning goal in a 3-2 win last night at Minnesota.
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Ryan McDonagh tallied an assist on the game-winning goal and registered four shots on goal in 22:32 of ice time. He has recorded four assists in the last seven games, including three assists in the last two games. The assist was his 30th point of the season, marking the first time in his career he reached that mark.
Team Schedule:
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The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, Mar. 30, at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m.), in an Original Six matchup. The game will be televised live on MSG Plus and can be heard on Bloomberg Radio.
