Zuccarello gets first goal in style to sink Hurricanes

2010-11 Game No. 41; Home Game No. 20		Rangers' Record: 23-15-3
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GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com One day, when he has retired from hockey and is back home in Norway reminiscing about his professional career, Mats Zuccarello is sure to recall fondly the first goal he scored in the National Hockey League. And those listening to his tale might shake their heads -- thinking that Zuccarello most definitely was exaggerating some of the details. But the thing is, when it comes to Zuccarello’s first NHL goal, reality clearly trumps almost any fiction he could conjure up. On Wednesday night at a sold-out and rollicking Madison Square Garden, Zuccarello scored the game-winning overtime goal -- his first in the NHL -- to lead the Rangers to an impressive 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. “Good for him,” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. “He’s a real likable kid, and he should feel real good about it because it’s a huge two points for us and it was a big goal by him. I am sure he’s real excited about it.” Zuccarello scored the goal after some gritty hard-nosed work behind the Hurricanes net by Brandon Dubinsky. Battling ferociously for control of the puck, Dubinsky was able to slip the disc over to Zuccarello, who was also behind the goal line. The talented young Norwegian swung out from the right-wing goal line, spun to face ‘Canes goalie Cam Ward, and proceeded to whistle a perfectly-placed shot just under the crossbar 3:09 into overtime for the game-winner. “Me being able to secure a win like this for the team is just an unbelievable feeling,” said Zuccarello, 23. “I haven’t been here  ... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME Brandon Dubinsky registered his 11th multipoint effort of the season with two assists, including the primary assist on Zuccarello’s game-winner. He now leads the Rangers with 18 assists on the season, and has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in the last 14 contests with seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last six. THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. H. Lundqvist 2. Matt Gilroy 3. Zuccarello

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THE BIGGER PICTURE One of the reasons that the Rangers have established themselves as a likely playoff team is their record of success against teams that would not be in the playoffs if they started today. This was the Rangers' 18th win in 24 such games this season.

RANGERS LEADERS Time on Ice -- Staal (30:10) Shots -- Gaborik (5) Hits -- Staal, Boyle (4) Blocks -- Girardi (4) Takeaways -- Staal (2) Faceoffs -- Boyle (17)

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

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, Staal, Girardi, Fedotenko, Boyle, Prust.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Brandon Dubinsky	Derek Stepan	Mats Zuccarello
Alex Frolov	Artem Anisimov	Marian Gaborik

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Marc Staal	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Michal Rozsival

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