Rangers' big comeback falls just short at Garden

2010-11 Game No. 8; Home Game No. 4		Rangers' Record: 4-3-1
VIDEO: TORTORELLA POSTGAME REMARKS
• Complete Game Highlights | HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME		• Melrose Credit Union Save of the Game

GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com The Rangers learned an unfortunate lesson in their game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. A quick start and a strong finish are nice, but a complete 60-minute effort is most often required to secure victory. So Ryan Callahan’s goal 38 seconds into the game and a pair of tallies midway through the third went for naught as an incomplete effort dogged the Rangers in a 6-4 home-ice loss. “We lost and we deserved to lose,” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. “We are not a good enough team to have letdowns like we did (Wednesday) night. We didn’t play well enough consistently enough, and it cost us.” Riding a three-game winning streak, the Rangers roared out of the starting gate, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the game’s first minute on Callahan’s second goal in as many games. Camped just outside the blue crease, Callahan tapped Artem Anisimov’s centering feed into the net just as most of The Garden Faithful were still settling into their seats. When the Blueshirts continued their assault on Thrashers goalie Chris Mason -- racing out to a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal -- it looked like the home team could be capable of running the visitors out of the building. However, Atlanta calmly got itself back into the game by taking over the neutral zone and forcing the Rangers into repeated turnovers with a successful trapping style of play. By the end of the first period, the game was tied 1-1, and the Thrashers held a 12-10 advantage in shots. ... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME Rangers forward Sean Avery had his third multi-point performance through his first eight games, and he is now tied for the team lead with six assists. Last season, Avery didn't get his third multi-point night until his 18th game of the year, and he didn't get his sixth assist until playing in his 19th game. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkangers.com) 1. Sean Avery 2. R. Callahan 3. S. Eminger

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THE BIGGER PICTURE Last season, the Rangers won only once when trailing after two periods. Wednesday, they fell into a deeper hole in the third yet nearly came back for a tie. This was a loss, but the team showed the sort of mindset that will make for better results this year.

RANGERS LEADERS Time on Ice -- Girardi (22:58) Shots on Goal-- Five players tied (3) Hits -- Prust (5) Blocked Shots -- Eminger (3) Takeaways -- Christensen (2) Faceoffs Taken -- Christensen (20)

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

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Marc Staal	Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto	Dan Girardi
Steve Eminger	Matt Gilroy
Goaltenders: Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist Starting Lineup: Biron, Staal, Rozsival, Boogaard, White, Boyle.

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

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

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Ryan Callahan	Dubinsky/Boyle
Ruslan Fedotenko	Artem Anisimov

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