Associated Press
Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, and the Rangers stayed atop the NHL standings with a 3-0 victory over Nashville that stopped the Predators' winning streak at five games on Tuesday night.
The Predators have won eight of 10. The Rangers had lost two of three entering Tuesday's game after a five-game winning streak.
The Blueshirts continue to lead the NHL with 62 points.
John Mitchell scored midway through the second period and defenseman Dan Girardi had a goal in the first when what appeared to be a pass went off Nashville defenseman Jack Hillen and fluttered in behind backup goalie Anders Lindback.
Ryan Callahan was awarded a goal when he dived to try to knock the puck into the empty net in the final minute, and Martin Erat dived on top of him.
Fans chanted "Hen-rik!" several times, none louder than just before the final minute, when Nashville had to take its timeout. Lundqvist didn't need to make another save after that, as he earned his 39th NHL shutout.
Mitchell has been getting more ice time lately. He also scored New York's goal in a 4-1 loss in Montreal on Sunday.
On Tuesday, he skated into the corner, drew defenseman Francis Bouillon with him, hit the brakes, popped back out, and was alone to fire a shot past Lindback's short side at 10:42 of the second. Lindback, the backup to Pekka Rinne, made 25 saves.
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STAT OF THE GAME
The Rangers’ current .705 winning percentage through 44 games is the team’s best start in 40 years, when the 1971-72 Blueshirts began the season with a 30-7-7 record (.761). It is also the third best 44-game start in franchise history and ranks one point ahead of the 1994 Cup champions.
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| (selected by the local media) |
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| 1. Lundqvist |
2. Girardi |
3. Prust |
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