Blueshirts dominate Isles in a runaway win at MSG

2010-11 Game No. 37; Home Game No. 19		Rangers' Record: 21-14-2
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
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GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com For the past several days, Rangers head coach John Tortorella has repeatedly praised defenseman Matt Gilroy for stepping into the lineup last Thursday for the ailing Michael Del Zotto and playing a strong game against the Lightning. On Sunday, Tortorella further showed how pleased he was with Gilroy’s play when he announced that -- even though Del Zotto was healthy again -- Gilroy would remain in the lineup for Monday’s contest at Madison Square Garden against the Islanders. It took Gilroy only 44 seconds of Monday’s game to make his coach look very wise. Gilroy scored the game-opening goal en route to a two-goal performance, and the Rangers routed the Islanders 7-2. “Even when I sat him out and we played the other six, we didn’t feel he was that far away,” Tortorella said of Gilroy. “Right now I think he is one of our six (defensemen). He has hung in there and done the right things to be ready to play and has taken advantage of the opportunity.” Gilroy, the Long Island native who had not scored a goal in 21 games so far this season, netted his first in more than a year when he sent a left-point wrist shot through an Artem Anisimov screen at the 44-second mark of the opening period. The last time that Gilroy had scored a goal was on Nov. 28, 2009, a span of 64 games played. “Especially playing against the Islanders and watching that rivalry growing up in New York and knowing the history of the two teams my whole life, it was even more special tonight,” said Gilroy. “The biggest thing for me is confidence. When you feel confident you can just play your game. And when (the coaches) show  ... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Blueshirts were credited with a season-high, 52 shots -- their most since they registered 57 in a 2-1 win over the Islanders on March 5, 2007.  The Rangers tied their season-high for most shots in a period with 18 in both the first and second periods, and their 36 shots through two periods is their most since they had 37 shots through two periods in a 3-1 victory over Washington on Oct. 12, 2007. THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. Matt Gilroy 2. Brian Boyle 3. B. Dubinsky

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THE BIGGER PICTURE With 21 wins through 37 games, the Rangers are tied for fourth in the NHL. In terms of victories through their first 37 games, they are on the same pace they were on during the 2005-06 season, when they led the Atlantic Division on the date of their 21st win.

RANGERS LEADERS Time on Ice -- Staal (23:42) Shots -- Gaborik, Dubinsky (6) Hits -- Fedotenko (4) Blocks -- Gilroy (4) Takeaways -- Anisimov (2) Faceoffs -- Stepan (14)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP VS. ISLANDERS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Mats Zuccarello	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky	Artem Anisimov	Chris Drury
Ruslan Fedotenko	Brian Boyle	Brandon Prust
Sean Avery	Erik Christensen	Alex Frolov

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

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Mats Zuccarello	Chris Drury	Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky	Erik Christensen	Alex Frolov

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Marc Staal	Derek Stepan
Dan Girardi	Rozsival/Gilroy

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
Forward	Forward
FORWARD UNITS
Brandon Dubinsky	Chris Drury
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle
Ruslan Fedotenko	Artem Anisimov

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