Rangers refuse to leave Atlanta without two points

2010-11 Game No. 50; Road Game No. 26		Rangers' Record: 28-19-3
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
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GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com The story has been repeated multiple times this season, yet it never gets old. The Rangers, their lineup further decimated by injury, rally from a third-period deficit to earn another crucial two points in the standings. It happened once again on Saturday night in Atlanta, as the Blueshirts lost the services of Dan Girardi and Brandon Prust due to injury, yet climbed out of a 2-1 hole to secure a 3-2 overtime shootout victory over the Thrashers at Philips Arena. “I’ve said it all year, this is an easy team to like because it’s played as a team,” said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. “You have to give them high marks tonight. I am glad they got rewarded with a win because they deserved it.” Mats Zuccarello -- now a perfect 3-for-3 in shootout attempts this season -- scored the only goal of Saturday’s shootout, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped all three Thrashers to secure the victory for the Rangers. The win was critical for the visitors, who entered play in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but only three points ahead of eighth place Atlanta. “We battled so hard, even with losing two key guys, and other guys just stepped up again,” said Zuccarello, who made a gorgeous..... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers are 6-12-3 in games they trail after two periods of play this season and they are tied for the NHL lead with 16 victories on the road. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. Zuccarello 2. Brian Boyle 3. W. Wolski

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THE BIGGER PICTURE If you are looking for regular-season evidence as to why the New York Rangers are not only going to qualify for the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs but will then be very, very difficult for any other team to eliminate once they get there, then this is Exhibit A.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Staal (28:47) Shots -- Boyle (6) Hits -- Avery, Eminger (4) Blocks -- Boyle (4) Takeaways -- Four players tied (2) Faceoffs -- Anisimov (17)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP AT ATLANTA
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Sean Avery	Artem Anisimov	Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski	Derek Stepan	Mats Zuccarello
Chad Kolarik	Brian Boyle	Brandon Prust
Brodie Dupont	Kris Newbury	Chris Drury

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Marc Staal	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Michael Sauer
Ryan McDonagh	Steve Eminger
Goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron Starting Lineup: Lundqvist, Staal, Girardi, Avery, Anisimov, Gaborik.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Wojtek Wolski	Derek Stepan	Mats Zuccarello
Chad Kolarik	Artem Anisimov	Chris Drury

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Marc Staal	Marian Gaborik
Mats Zuccarello	Matt Gilroy

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Newbury/Prust	Brian Boyle
Chris Drury	Anisimov/Stepan

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Staal/Sauer	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Steve Eminger