Hot goaltender finds a way to snap Rangers' streak

2011-12 Game No. 41; Home Game No. 19	Rangers' Record: 27-10-4
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GAME RECAP Associated Press Craig Anderson made 34 saves for his first shutout of the season, Jason Spezza scored twice, and the Ottawa Senators beat the surging Rangers 3-0 Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. Milan Michalek also scored for the Senators, who have won five straight at The Garden and seven of eight there (7-0-1). The Rangers, who entered with the most points in the NHL, had won five straight and 10 of 11. Anderson's 17th career shutout, and first since a 44-save effort against Washington on March 25, came nearly two years after Ottawa's winning streak began in New York with a 2-0 victory on Jan. 14, 2010. During a busy first period in which the Rangers recorded 11 of the first 14 shots and took 12 straight, Anderson made two key saves on the same sequence 5:30 minutes in. He made a toe stop on Derek Stepan's shot and then sprawled across the crease to get his left pad on Marc Staal's backhand attempt on the rebound. "If they get that one early, I think it's a different hockey game," Anderson said on a night in which Anderson improved to 7-0-1 in his last eight games. The Senators are 10-1-2 in their last 13. "They (the Rangers) are a team that has been outworking a lot of teams, and they grind you down," Spezza said. "I thought we were right there with them competing and not giving up any ground. Andy played great." • COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME The Rangers’ current .707 winning percentage is the team’s best start through 41 games in 40 years, when the 1971-72 Blueshirts began the season with a 28-6-7 record (.768 winning percentage), and is the third best start in franchise history. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. Boyle 2. Hagelin 3. Staal

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THE BIGGER PICTURE It took an incredibly hot goaltender in Craig Anderson to beat the Rangers, even though the Blueshirts outshot Ottawa by a lot. The formula for success was foiled in this one, but only because of the visiting goaltender's superb performance.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Girardi (26:29) Shots -- Richards, Boyle, Stepan (4) Hits --Boyle (8) Blocks -- Bickel (4) Takeaways -- Six players tied (1) Faceoffs -- Boyle (19)

NEW YORK RANGERS LINEUP VS. OTTAWA
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Artem Anisimov	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski	Brad Richards	Ryan Callahan
Carl Hagelin	Brian Boyle	Ruslan Fedotenko
Mike Rupp	John Mitchell	Brandon Prust

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Anton Stralman
Marc Staal	Stu Bickel
Goaltenders: Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Biron Starting Lineup: Lundqvist, McDonagh, Girardi, Hagelin, Boyle, Fedotenko.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Rupp/Anisimov	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Wojtek Wolski	Brad Richards	Ryan Callahan

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Michael Del Zotto	Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh	Anton Stralman

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Callahan/Prust	Brian Boyle
Artem Anisimov	Derek Stepan

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