IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP – BUT WHO WOULD HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY?

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NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES

December 23, 2011 (Game 33, Home Game 15)

Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

                                   

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Philadelphia Flyers       0     0        2       –       2                  Game Summary
New York Rangers        0     2        2       –       4                  Event Summary

Team Notes:

• The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, tonight at Madison Square Garden to extend their winning streak to four games, and move into first place in the Atlantic Division standings. The Blueshirts are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings, trailing Boston by just one point.
• New York improved to 21-8-4 (46 points) on the season, which includes a 10-3-2 mark at home.
• The Rangers’ eight regulation losses are the fewest in the league, and New York ranks second in the NHL with a .697 winning percentage.
• This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Atlantic Division standings since the 2005-06 season, when New York held the top position through game #80 on Apr. 13, 2006.
• The Rangers have registered at least one point in 20 of their last 25 games (18-5-2), and have out-scored their opponent, 83-54, during the stretch. The Blueshirts are 6-2-0 in their last eight contests.
• The Rangers improved to 16-1-1 (.917 win%) in games when scoring first. Their .917 win% ranks second in the NHL, while their 16 wins are tied for second in the league.
• New York out-hit Philadelphia, 35-24, with six Rangers players registering three or more hits in the contest. The Blueshirts now rank third in the league with 878 hits.

Player Notes:

• Henrik Lundqvist made 28 saves to improve to 14-7-4 overall, including a 7-3-2 mark at home. He has now held opponents to two or fewer goals in 16 games this season, and is 12-4-1 with a 1.87 GAA, .937 Sv% and one shutout in his last 17 games.
• Stu Bickel registered two primary assists, posted a plus-two rating and was credited with a game-high, six hits to earn second star honors. He has now tallied at least one assist in each of his three games since being recalled on Sunday (four assists over the span).
• Marian Gaborik notched the game-winning goal to extend his goal streak to four games (six goals, one assist over the span). He also posted a plus-two rating in the contest, and is plus-seven during his current four-game goal streak. Gaborik currently leads the league in goals scored with 21 goals on the season.
• Michael Del Zotto tallied two assists, including one on the game-winning goal and one on the power play, and posted a plus-two rating in a game-high, 25:47 of ice time. He has now tallied 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in the last 14 games, and is tied for third in the NHL (first among defensemen) with a plus-22 rating on the season.
• Ryan Callahan notched a power play goal and registered four shots in 20:45 of ice time.
• He has tallied 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in the last 15 games, and now leads the team in power play goals (six).
• Brandon Dubinsky recorded an assist and a game-high, five shots on goal to earn third star honors. He has now registered three points (one goal, two assists) in the last two games. The Rangers improved to 9-1-2 in games when he records a point.
• Derek Stepan notched the game’s opening goal at 10:18 of the second period, posted a plus-two rating and won a team-high, 9-15 face-offs (60%). He has now tallied 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in the last 12 games, and ranks third on the team in scoring with 25 points on the season.
• Ruslan Fedotenko tallied a goal and was credited with two hits in the contest. The Rangers improved to 7-1-1 when he registers a point.
• Anton Stralman recorded the primary assist on the game-winning goal, tied for the team-high with three blocked shots, was credited with four hits and logged a season high, 24:20 of ice time. He has registered three assists in the last two games, and has posted a plus-six rating in the last three. Stralman has logged 20:00+ minutes of ice time in four of the last five contests. Dan Girardi registered the primary assist on Callahan’s power play goal, tied for the team-high with three blocked shots and was credited with four hits in 25:35 of ice time.
• Girardi now ranks third on the team in power play assists (six), and is tied for fourth in power play points (seven). His six power play assists ties his career-high, previously established in 2007-08.

 

Post-Game Quotes:

John Tortorella on winning three division games in four days…

“We put it into a capsule as I said a few days ago. These are the four days, all division games, and we took each day at a time. Tonight was our fourth day and we ended up winning all three of them. I’m happy for the players because they get away from it for a couple of days. It’s not a big break, which I’m glad, because you just don’t want to stay away from it for too long here, but they should feel good about themselves. Having said that, there are a number of things you have to stay consistent with and we’re right back at it against the Islanders (on Monday).”

 

Henrik Lundqvist on the team…

“It feels like we’re more mature this year. We have a great game or a couple good games, we still come out the next night expecting a lot from ourselves. In the past, maybe we got a little more satisfied and a little more inconsistent. This year, I think we demand more from ourselves in the room here. We have more skill and more guys that compete for spots now, so you can’t afford a bad night. There are good players right now out of the lineup. And that’s what you need all year, guys that expect a lot from

each other. That’s what I am happy about right now: the way we show up every night.”

 

Ryan Callahan on tonight’s game…

“It had that playoff-type atmosphere 30-something games into the season. You don’t see that too much. The crowd was into it, bodies were getting thrown around. We love playing these types of games.”

 

Team Schedule:

• Please note the Blueshirts have scheduled off-days tomorrow, December 24, and

Sunday, December 25.

• The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the New York Islanders on Monday, December 26, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), in their fourth
• consecutive game against an Atlantic Division opponent. The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.
• Prior to Monday’s contest, the Blueshirts’ morning skate is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at Madison Square Garden.

 

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