Rangers dominate Panthers 6-1, near East's top spot

2011-12 Game No. 27; Home Game No. 12	Rangers' Record: 17-6-4
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
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GAME RECAP Associated Press Derek Stepan scored twice, including a pretty coast-to-coast goal just after the Rangers killed a penalty, and the Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Sunday night. Stepan also assisted on Marian Gaborik's goal late in the second period that made it 5-1 and seemed to take what spring remained out of the Panthers. The Rangers looked nothing like a team playing for the second night in a row, putting away the Panthers for their fourth win in six games. Brad Richards, Artem Anisimov and former Panthers defenseman Steve Eminger also scored for the Blueshirts. Erik Gudbranson scored for Florida, which has lost two in a row following a three-game winning streak. Florida went down 2-0 early after Richards and Anisimov scored power-play goals, but the Panthers replied 30 seconds after Anisimov shoveled home Erik Christensen's rebound off the post. Gudbranson scored on a slap shot from just inside the blue line with 1:53 left in the first. Stepan's first goal came 5:45 after the first intermission. He darted down the right side and fired a wrist shot past Jose Theodore that made it 3-1 just after the Panthers failed to tie it while New York enforcer Brandon Prust was off for high-sticking. The Rangers soon followed with two more goals, getting their fifth when Gaborik reached over to knock home a rebound and their sixth when Stepan buried a rebound with 2:12 left in the period. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had 20 saves for the win. • COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers improved to 3-0-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season, including a 3-0-0 mark when the game is played at Madison Square Garden. Since the 2009-10 season, the Rangers are 24-8-3 in the second game of back-to-backs, with a 12-3-1 mark at The Garden over the 35-game span. THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. Stepan 2. Del Zotto 3. Eminger

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THE BIGGER PICTURE This weekend was a reminder of how good this Rangers team can be not just because of their talent level and chemistry, but because they simply outwork their opponents on the majority of nights. Coach Tortorella's "team concept" is alive and well here.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Del Zotto (23:55) Shots -- Three players tied (4) Hits -- Four players tied (4) Blocks -- Girardi (4) Takeaways -- Girardi, Richards (2) Faceoffs -- Richards (18)

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

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Steve Eminger
Jeff Woywitka	Anton Stralman
Goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron Starting Lineup: Lundqvist, McDonagh, Girardi, Fedotenko, Richards, Callahan.

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

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

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Hagelin/Callahan	Brandon Dubinsky
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle
Ruslan Fedotenko	Stepan/Anisimov

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