Blueshirts to play New Jersey for conference crown

2011-12 Playoff Game No. 14; Home Game No. 8	Rangers win series 4-3
VIDEO: HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
• Full Highlights | Tortorella | Gaby, Hagelin, Boyle | Richards, Henrik, MDZ		• Melrose CU Save of Game

GAME RECAP Associated Press Brad Richards and Michael Del Zotto scored, Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves, and the Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 over the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. Richards scored less than two minutes in, and Del Zotto doubled the lead in the third period to help the top-seeded Rangers improve to 5-0 in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden. That set up a matchup with the New Jersey Devils, the team the Rangers beat in the 1994 conference finals en route to the Stanley Cup. The series will open Monday at The Garden. The Blueshirts and Washington alternated wins and losses from Game 1 on, and this one didn't come easy for the Rangers, who missed a chance to eliminate the Capitals in Game 6 on the road. Just 38 seconds after Del Zotto made it 2-0 at 10:05 of the third, Roman Hamrlik sent a shot off of Rangers forward Derek Stepan that fluttered past Lundqvist for his only blemish of the night. Braden Holtby played well in his second career Game 7, making 29 saves. It was yet another heartbreaker for the Capitals, who were looking to reach the conference finals for the third time. Both the Rangers and the Capitals reached the second round of this year's playoffs with Game 7 wins. The Rangers knocked out Ottawa, and Washington eliminated the  Boston Bruins. The Rangers played a very disciplined game, taking only one penalty for delay of game against Ruslan Fedotenko in the third. • COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO OF THE GAME STAT OF THE GAME Eleven of the Rangers’ 14 playoff games have been decided by one goal, including six of seven games against Washington. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Blueshirts and Washington were either tied or separated by one goal for 91.1 percent of the total playing time in the series. THREE STARS (selected by the local media) 1. Lundqvist 2. Richards 3. Del Zotto

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THE BIGGER PICTURE The Rangers are now halfway to the Stanley Cup. Considering how tough the first eight wins have come, the next eight wins simply can't come any tougher because all of this has only strengthened the team's already great character and made it that much better.

RANGERS LEADERS Icetime -- McDonagh (29:37) Shots -- Gaborik (6) Hits -- Del Zotto (8) Blocks -- Staal (5) Takeaways -- Anisimov (2) Faceoffs -- Richards (24)

NEW YORK RANGERS' GAME 7 LINEUP VS. WASHINGTON
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Carl Hagelin	Brad Richards	Marian Gaborik
Chris Kreider	Derek Stepan	Ryan Callahan
Artem Anisimov	Brian Boyle	Ruslan Fedotenko
Mike Rupp	John Mitchell	Brandon Prust

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, Staal, Del Zotto, Hagelin, Richards, Gaborik.

POWER PLAY UNITS
FORWARD LINES
Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
Ryan Callahan	Derek Stepan	Marian Gaborik
Chris Kreider	Artem Anisimov	John Mitchell

POINT MEN
Left Point	Right Point
Brad Richards	Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto	Anton Stralman

PENALTY KILLING UNITS
FORWARD UNITS
Forward	Forward
Brandon Prust	Brian Boyle
Ryan Callahan	Derek Stepan

DEFENSE PAIRINGS
Left Defense	Right Defense
Ryan McDonagh	Dan Girardi
Marc Staal	Dan Girardi