Comeback victory completes a season sweep of Jets

2011-12 Game No. 77; Road Game No. 39	Rangers' Record: 49-21-7
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
• Full Highlights | Tortorella Postgame		• Stepan, Callahan, Lundqvist Postgame

GAME RECAP Associated Press Ryan Callahan and Michael Del Zotto each had a goal and an assist, and the Rangers moved to the top of the NHL standings with a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night. Brian Boyle and Derek Stepan also scored, and Marian Gaborik added a pair of assists for the Rangers (49-21-7), who lead Pittsburgh by five points in the Eastern Conference. The Blueshirts are tied with Western Conference-leading St. Louis with 105 points, but the Rangers have the edge because of one more non-shootout victory. Spencer Machacek and Bryan Little scored for the Jets (35-34-9), who are 10th in the East with 76 points. The Rangers went 4-0 vs. Winnipeg this season. Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the Rangers, who swept a two-game trip following a win at Minnesota on Tuesday. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 24 shots for Winnipeg. The Jets had all three power plays in a scoreless first period, including a two-man advantage for 1:44, and outshot the Rangers 11-4., but failed to score. That changed soon after when Winnipeg connected for a pair of quick goals, but the Rangers responded with a short-handed goal and a power-play tally. With Rangers center Brandon Dubinsky in the box for slashing, Callahan took the puck behind the net, spun around and sent a pass to Del Zotto in the slot. The defenseman put a low shot under Pavelec at 7:44. While Jets forward Alex Burmistrov was off for holding, Callahan scored his 28th goal of the season at 18:23. • COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STATS OF THE GAME The Blueshirts' 49 wins are tied for third most in franchise history (1970-71), while their 105 points are tied for fourth in team history (1991-92). The Rangers have posted a combined record of 19-4-5 in back-to-back games this season, including a 10-2-2 (6-0-0 at home, 4-2-2 on the road) mark in the second game. The Rangers also completed a sweep of the season series against the Jets (4-0-0), outscoring Winnipeg 12-3 in the four games. THREE STARS (selected by newyorkrangers.com) 1. Del Zotto 2. Callahan 3. Boyle

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THE BIGGER PICTURE Having clinched their playoff berth so early, the Rangers are getting a unique opportunity to sample some playoff environments (hostile road crowds, desperate teams, etc.). Winnipeg had all of that -- and a lead -- Wednesday, but the Blueshirts still rallied to win.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- Callahan (27:20) Shots -- Richards (5) Hits -- Four players tied (3) Blocks -- Three players tied (4) Takeaways -- Four players tied (1) Faceoffs -- Boyle (26)

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

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

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

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Michael Del Zotto	Girardi/Stepan/Stralman
Marc Staal	Anton Stralman

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

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Marc Staal	Michael Del Zotto