NY Rangers 2, New Jersey 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, March 22, 2014
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees:
Kyle Rehman, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen:
Lonnie Cameron, Steve Miller
Attendance:
17829
By SportsDirect Inc.
Rangers 2, Devils 0: Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 21 shots he faced to record his franchise-best 50th career shutout and Rick Nash scored his team-leading 23rd goal as New York completed a perfect three-game road trip.
Derek Stepan recorded an empty-net goal and notched an assist to increase his total to 15 points in 13 contests. Chris Kreider and defenseman Ryan McDonagh each set up a goal while Lundqvist also added an assist for the Rangers, who posted their NHL-best 23rd road win to remain one point behind second-place Philadelphia in the Metropolitan Division.
Martin Brodeur finished with 25 saves for the sputtering Devils, who have dropped four of their last five to reside six points behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
After claiming the franchise win record from Ed Giacomin on Tuesday, Lundqvist wasn't tested much en route to seizing sole possession of the shutout mark. The Swedish Olympian saw Jaromir Jagr hit the post midway through the third period before recording his fifth blanking of the season.
New York provided the only offense Lundqvist needed midway through the second period after an alert play by Nash. Stepan's shot sailed wide as Kreider crashed the net, causing Brodeur to be distracted by the latter's action. Nash alertly collected the puck along the left-wing boards and wired a quick shot before Brodeur could settle himself for his third goal in three games.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Stepan scored on a backhander from center ice for the Rangers' first power-play goal in 18 opportunities over the last five games. ... New Jersey LW Ryan Carter returned to the ice after missing three games with an upper-body injury. ... New York D Raphael Diaz made his team debut after being acquired from Vancouver at the trade deadline.
Top Game Performances
| NY Rangers |
|
New Jersey |
|
Derek Stepan 2 |
Points |
N/A |
|
Derek Stepan 1 |
Goals |
N/A |
|
Derek Stepan 1 |
Assists |
N/A |
|
Derek Stepan 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Henrik Lundqvist 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Martin Brodeur .962 |
|
Henrik Lundqvist 21 |
Saves |
Martin Brodeur 25 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| NY Rangers
|
27 |
2 |
1-3 |
1-1 |
4 |
29 |
| New Jersey
|
21 |
0 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
8 |
27 |
Upcoming Games
-
New Jersey will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Devils have a W/L % of .355 after a win and .475 after a loss.
-
NY Rangers will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Rangers have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .618 after a loss.