NY Rangers 4, New Jersey 0
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 27, 2013
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Referees:
Dave Jackson, Steve Kozari
Linesmen:
Greg Devorski, Tony Sericolo
Attendance:
17200
By SportsDirect Inc.
Rangers 4, Devils 0: Rick Nash scored twice to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the ninth consecutive season and Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 20 shots he faced for host New York, which secured the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Captain Ryan Callahan and Derek Stepan each collected a goal and an assist as the Rangers improved to 10-3-1 in their last 14 games and will face Southeast Division champion Washington in the first round. The clubs have met in the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
Making his 14th straight start, Lundqvist was rarely tested en route to securing his 45th career shutout - and second in 2013.
Stepan opened the scoring 2:37 into the first period after one-timing Callahan's centering feed past Johan Hedberg (17 saves). The goal continued an impressive month for Stepan (eight goals, 11 assists) and extended Callahan's point streak to seven games.
Callahan scored on a breakaway with 59 seconds remaining in the first period for his second short-handed goal of the season. After scoring from the inner edge of the left circle late in the second, Nash added his team-leading 21st goal early in the third by converting Mats Zuccarello's nifty centering pass.
GAME NOTEBOOK: New York C Brad Richards, who was playing in his 900th NHL contest, extended his point streak to six games with a pair of assists. ... Nash failed to reach the 20-goal plateau in his rookie season with Columbus. The top overall pick had 17 goals in 74 games in 2002-03. ... After dropping a 3-1 road decision on Feb. 5, the Rangers won the final three games of the season series with the Devils.
Top Game Performances
| New Jersey |
|
NY Rangers |
|
N/A |
Points |
Rick Nash 2 |
|
N/A |
Goals |
Rick Nash 2 |
|
N/A |
Assists |
Brad Richards 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
Ryan Callahan 1 |
|
Johan Hedberg .810 |
Save Percentage |
Henrik Lundqvist 1.000 |
|
Johan Hedberg 17 |
Saves |
Henrik Lundqvist 20 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| New Jersey
|
20 |
0 |
0-4 |
6-6 |
12 |
26 |
| NY Rangers
|
21 |
4 |
0-6 |
4-4 |
8 |
21 |