Rangers throw a perfect road game at the Capitals

2010-11 Game No. 63; Road Game No. 33		Rangers' Record: 33-26-4
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
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GAME RECAP By Jim Cerny, newyorkrangers.com With two of their most important players missing from the lineup Friday night due to injury, the Rangers played one of their best -- and most complete -- games of the season, defeating the Washington Capitals 6-0 at the Verizon Center. The win was the Rangers’ second straight this week on the road, following their 4-3 overtime shootout win in Carolina on Tuesday, and was their 19th road victory of the season. Overall, they Rangers have won four of their past six games, and are now just one point out of sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Erik Christensen recorded a career-high four points, Derek Stepan and Vinny Prospal both had a goal and an assist, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 35 shots he faced as the Rangers won convincingly even with All-Star defenseman Marc Staal and star sniper Marian Gaborik sidelined with injuries. The six-goal differential in the final score marked the first time since Jan. 20 that a Rangers’ game was not decided by either one or two goals, and it was quite similar to their 7-0 thrashing of the Caps back on Dec. 12 at Madison Square Garden. “We played the way we wanted to right from the start,” said Stepan. “And then we finished it, too. It’s a big step forward for us, and we’re feeling pretty good.” The Rangers quickly defused Washington’s “Rock the Red” home-ice advantage by scoring twice in the first period and twice more in the second to build a secure lead after 40 minutes of play. Defenseman Steve Eminger opened the scoring 5:56 into the game when his slap shot deflected off a Washington player’s   .... • READ THE FULL STORY | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 35 shots he faced to record his league-leading eighth shutout of the season, 32nd of his career, and improved to 25-20-4 overall with a 15-10-1 mark on the road. He is now tied with John Ross Roach for third on the Rangers' all-time shutouts list with 35 career shutouts (including three in playoffs). THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. H. Lundqvist 2. Christensen 3. R. Callahan

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THE BIGGER PICTURE Missing Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik, the Rangers turned in what was arguably their finest 60-minute performance of the season. When the playoff berth is eventually clinched, the effort the Rangers displayed in games like this will be the reason.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Dubinsky (22:47) Shots -- Christensen (4) Hits -- Five players tied (2) Blocks -- Boyle (5) Takeaways -- Five players tied (1) Faceoffs -- Dubinsky (19)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP AT WASHINGTON
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Brandon Dubinsky	Artem Anisimov	Ryan Callahan
Vinny Prospal	Erik Christensen	Brian Boyle
Wojtek Wolski	Derek Stepan	Mats Zuccarello
Ruslan Fedotenko	Sean Avery	Brandon Prust

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Michael Sauer
Michael Del Zotto	Steve Eminger
Goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron Starting Lineup: Lundqvist, McDonagh, Girardi, Dubinsky, Anisimov, Callahan.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Vinny Prospal	Erik Christensen	Ryan Callahan
Brandon Dubinsky	Artem Anisimov	Brian Boyle

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Mats Zuccarello	Wojtek Wolski
Derek Stepan	Michael Del Zotto

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Ryan Callahan	Brandon Dubinsky
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle
Derek Stepan	Artem Anisimov

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Matt Gilroy	Sauer/Eminger