Big second period sends Penguins past Blueshirts

2010-11 Game No. 26; Home Game No. 13		Rangers' Record: 14-11-1
VIDEO: TORTORELLA POSTGAME
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GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com The Rangers knew they had to be at their absolute best when they skated against the Pittsburgh Penguins -- perhaps the hottest team in the NHL -- at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Although the Rangers were good, the Penguins were just a bit better and, as a result, the Blueshirts dropped a 3-1 decision to their Atlantic Division rivals. With the victory the Penguins have now won seven consecutive games, and nine of 10. Their only loss in those 10 games was an overtime defeat two weeks ago at the hands of the Rangers, who have still won seven of their last 11 contests despite Monday’s loss. “The Penguins are a good hockey club, they’re on a run, their goaltender has been playing really well, and they are opportunistic,” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. “They had chances to get us, and they got us. Give them credit.” The Penguins took advantage of a Rangers miscue to score the only goal of a fairly evenly-played first period before scoring twice in rapid succession during the second period to grab a 3-0 lead. Before the second period was complete, Marian Gaborik provided the home team with some life by ripping a shot past Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at the 16:19 mark. Sprung on a long pass by Michal Rozsival from deep in the Rangers zone, Gaborik raced over the blueline and zipped a nasty shot from the top of  ... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers had 39 hits on the night, and they had six players credited with at least four hits.The Blueshirts lead the NHL with 776 hits on the season, including a league-high 469 at home. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. M. Gaborik 2. R. Callahan 3. Sean Avery

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THE BIGGER PICTURE The Rangers played a strong game and had numerous scoring chances that were stopped by a hot goaltender. Most impressive was the way the Blueshirts kept the puck pinned in the Pittsburgh zone for long stretches and kept the Pens' stars on their heels.

RANGERS LEADERS Time on Ice -- Del Zotto (25:01) Shots -- Boyle (4) Hits -- Callahan (5) Blocks -- Girardi, Eminger (3) Takeaways -- Fedotenko, Callahan (2) Faceoffs Taken -- Christensen (16)

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

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

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

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

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
Forward	Forward
FORWARD UNITS
Brandon Prust	Derek Stepan
Brandon Dubinsky	Brian Boyle
Fedotenko/Gaborik	Artem Anisimov

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Marc Staal	Dan Girardi
Steve Eminger	Michal Rozsival