Richards delivers an amazing win with 0.1 second left

2011-12 Game No. 30; Road Game No. 17	Rangers' Record: 18-8-4
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
• Full Highlights | Tortorella Postgame		• Richards, Biron Postgame

GAME RECAP Associated Press Brad Richards scored the winning goal with 0.1 second left as the Rangers beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 on Saturday night. Richards' backhanded shot from the left circle eluded goalie Mike Smith as time ran out. The game appeared to be headed to overtime, but a video replay revealed that the puck crossed the goal line in just enough time. The Rangers rallied from a 2-1 deficit and snapped a two-game skid. The Coyotes have lost four of five. Martin Gaborik's second goal of the game -- the 300th of his NHL career -- tied it 2-2 just over two minutes into the third period. Gaborik took advantage of Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle's giveaway in front of the net. Cal O'Reilly scored  on the power play to give Phoenix a 2-1 lead with 51 second left in the second period. Lauri Korpikoski made it 1-1 when he got Phoenix even with 9 seconds left in the first. After scoring a total of one goal in their previous two losses, the Rangers came out strong with solid forechecking and a clear territorial edge. The Rangers converted their energy into a power-play goal that made it 1-0. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto split defensemen Adrian Aucoin and Oliver Ekman-Larsson with a perfect pass onto the stick to Gaborik, who broke in alone and ripped a shot past Smith at 8:34 for his 16th of the season. Though clearly outplayed in the first, the Coyotes tied it 1-1 at the end of the period. Boyd Gordon beat Erik Christensen on a faceoff to the right of Rangers goalie Martin Biron and drew the puck back to Korpikoski, who scored his eighth of the season. • COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers improved their league-leading record when outshooting their opponent -- posting a record of 10-2-0 (.833 percent) in those contests. They  are also now 14-1-1 (.875 percent) in games when scoring first. They had entered the game ranked second in the NHL with an .867 winning percentage when scoring first. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. Gaborik 2. Richards 3. Girardi

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THE BIGGER PICTURE There are moments in any special season when a team can look back and say any one particular win was evidence of its destiny. This win will be remembered for a long time and could take on some added meaning depending on the team's playoff run.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Girardi (29:35) Shots -- Richards, Hagelin (4) Hits -- Girardi (6) Blocks -- Prust, McDonagh (3) Takeaways -- Three players tied (1) Faceoffs -- Richards (16)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP AT PHOENIX
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Brandon Dubinsky	Brad Richards	Ryan Callahan
Ruslan Fedotenko	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Carl Hagelin	Brian Boyle	John Mitchell
Mike Rupp	Erik Christensen	Brandon Prust

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

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Ryan Callahan	Brad Richards	Marian Gaborik
Fedotenko/Rupp	Erik Christensen	Brandon Dubinsky

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

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Ryan Callahan	Brandon Dubinsky
Prust/Fedotenko	Brian Boyle

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