Hard-working Rangers make Biron a winner in debut

2010-11 Game No. 5; Road Game No. 3		Rangers' Record: 2-2- 1
VIDEO: TORTORELLA POSTGAME REMARKS
• Complete Highlights | HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME		• Melrose Credit Union Save of Game

GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com If there has been one recurring theme for the Rangers over the first four games of the season it is that the team needs to find a way to avoid lapses and put together a complete 60-minute effort. On Thursday night at the Air Canada Centre, the Rangers accomplished just that in defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1. Strong on the puck and smart with it in all three zones for all three periods, the Rangers rode the  goaltending of Martin Biron in his Blueshirts’ debut, and a pair of first-period goals from Ruslan Fedotenko and Artem Anisimov, to their first victory in four games. “I definitely think this was our most complete effort yet,” said defenseman Dan Girardi, who recorded six of the Rangers’ robust total of 30 blocked shots on the night. “We were really hard on the forecheck and strong in the defensive zone. You can just see here how hard everyone worked. I really think it was a strong 60-minute effort, and it’s going to take another 77 of those this year to get us into the playoffs.” The opening 20 minutes of play just might have been the Rangers’ best in five games played this season. Not only did they outscore Toronto 2-0 and outshoot them 15-8, the visitors dominated play in the neutral zone, an area deemed vital by head coach John Tortorella. “It wasn’t just our (defensemen), our forwards did a good job as far as pressuring their D inside their blueline and kept re-attacking,” said Tortorella. “We jammed that neutral zone, and the neutral zone is a huge part of the game, especially against that offense. I thought we did a really good job with that.” The Rangers played a smart and selfless style, as evidenced ... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME Look no further than the blocked shots when searching for the key to this very impressive victory at Toronto. With a new goalie behind them, the Rangers made sure to protect the house. They "outblocked" Toronto 30-12. Their previous-high for blocks this season was 19, and they had only 20 in the previous two games combined. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. M. Biron 2. A. Anisimov 3. Dan Girardi

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THE BIGGER PICTURE This was a big win, not just because it came without key players in the lineup, and not just because it came in Martin Biron's first start. It was big because the team wanted a full 60-minute effort in Toronto, and they got exactly that.

RANGERS LEADERS Time on Ice -- Girardi (26:25) Shots on Goal -- Fedotenko (5) Hits -- Callahan (4) Blocked Shots -- Del Zotto (7) Faceoffs Taken -- Christensen (19) Takeaways -- Stepan (2)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP AT TORONTO
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Brandon Dubinsky	Artem Anisimov	Ryan Callahan
Alex Frolov	Erik Christensen	Brandon Prust
Sean Avery	Derek Stepan	Ruslan Fedotenko
Derek Boogaard	Todd White	Brian Boyle

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Marc Staal	Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Michael Sauer
Goaltenders: Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist Starting Lineup: Biron, Staal, Rozsival, Dubinsky, Anisimov, Callahan.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Brandon Dubinsky	Artem Anisimov	Ryan Callahan
Alex Frolov	Derek Stepan	Erik Christensen

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Michal Rozsival	Michael Del Zotto
Matt Gilroy	Dan Girardi

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Ryan Callahan	Dubinsky/Anisimov
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle
Ruslan Fedotenko	Todd White

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Marc Staal	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Michal Rozsival