Blueshirts put on defensive clinic in blanking Flyers

2011-12 Game No. 20; Home Game No. 8	Rangers' Record: 12-5-3
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
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GAME RECAP Associated Press Henrik Lundqvist stopped 29 shots, Carl Hagelin scored his first NHL goal and the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 on Saturday to improve on their best home start in nearly 20 years. After a scoreless first period that featured a fight 4 seconds into the game between the Blueshirts' Brandon Prust and Philadelphia's Zac Rinaldo, Brad Richards scored a power-play goal 54 seconds into the second. Richards' eighth tally of the season came on a slick passing sequence by defensemen Michael Del Zotto and Dan Girardi after Richards had a goal disallowed 24 seconds earlier when Ryan Callahan swiped the puck with his glove in front of Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Hagelin knocked in a rebound at 5:06 of the third period. The 23-year-old Swede made his NHL debut Friday at Washington. The Rangers' 6-1-1 start at Madison Square Garden is their best since they began the 1992-93 season 7-1-1. Philadelphia lost for only the third time this season on the road. The Rangers improved to 12-5-3 overall while the Flyers fell to 13-7-3. The Rangers lead the league in fewest total goals against, allowing 41 through 20 games. Lundqvist is 7-1-0 in November and 9-4-3 this season. The shutout is his second of the season and the 37th of his career, moving the Swede to third on the Rangers' career list.

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers have won their last three games against the Flyers, outscoring Philadelphia, 12-2, in those contests. They have now shut out Philadelphia in each of their last two meetings at Madison Square Garden. THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. Lundqvist 2. Richards 3. Prust

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THE BIGGER PICTURE The only thing that might have made this win sweeter would have been if it was the actual Winter Classic game. Everything is coming together for this team now, including the scouting and developmental work that prepared rookies like Carl Hagelin for the NHL.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Girardi (27:26) Shots -- Del Zotto (4) Hits -- Del Zotto (5) Blocks -- McDonagh (6) Takeaways -- Dubinsky, Sauer (2) Faceoffs -- Richards (25)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP VS. PHILADELPHIA
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Artem Anisimov	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Ruslan Fedotenko	Brad Richards	Ryan Callahan
Carl Hagelin	Brian Boyle	John Mitchell
Sean Avery	Brandon Dubinsky	Brandon Prust

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Michael Sauer
Jeff Woywitka	Steve Eminger
Goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron Starting Lineup: Lundqvist, Del Zotto, Sauer, Avery, Dubinsky, Prust.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Ryan Callahan	Brad Richards	Marian Gaborik
Artem Anisimov	Brandon Dubinsky	Brian Boyle

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Michael Del Zotto	Derek Stepan
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Ryan Callahan	Brandon Dubinsky
Ruslan Fedotenko	Derek Stepan
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Eminger/Sauer