GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NHL: NY RANGERS (9-8) at NEW JERSEY (7-10)

NHL: NY RANGERS at NEW JERSEY

<div class="pre">-----------------------------------------
NY RANGERS 1 2 1 --4
NEW JERSEY 1 0 1 --2
-----------------------------------------

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, New Jersey, Jamie Langenbrunner 1 (Travis
Zajac, Johnny Oduya), 0:35. 2, Ny Rangers, Nigel Dawes 4 (Chris
Drury), 1:25. Penalties: V Vishnevski, Njd (boarding), 1:48; B
Gionta, Njd (hooking), 8:17; Bench, Nyr (too many men served by P
Prucha), 9:22; M Staal, Nyr (interference), 13:14; D Zubrus, Njd
(holding), 17:27.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 3, Ny Rangers, Brandon Dubinsky 2 (Jaromir
Jagr), 1:01. 4, Ny Rangers, Jaromir Jagr 4 (power play) (Scott Gomez,
Michal Rozsival), 19:26. Penalties: J Jagr, Nyr (holding stick),
9:33; J Jagr, Nyr (tripping), 15:24; J Oduya, Njd (slashing), 18:56.

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 5, Ny Rangers, Marc Staal 1 (Scott Gomez,
Brendan Shanahan), 4:13. 6, New Jersey, Jamie Langenbrunner 2 (Zach
Parise, Karel Rachunek), 7:29. Penalties: M Staal, Nyr
(interference), 9:31; P Elias, Njd (interference), 12:30.

Shots on goal:
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NY RANGERS 7 10 6 --23
NEW JERSEY 8 8 8 --24
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Power-play Conversions: NYR - 1 of 5, NJD - 0 of 5. Goalies : Ny
Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist (24 shots, 22 saves; record: 9-7-1). New
Jersey, Martin Brodeur (23 shots, 19 saves; record: 5-9-1). A: 17,625.
Referees: Marc Joannette, Steve Kozari. Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Mark
Pare.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS

NY RANGERS NEW JERSEY
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
B Shanahan 0 1 -1 1 R Pelley 0 0 even 0
B Betts 0 0 even 1 J Madden 0 0 -2 1
S Avery 0 0 -1 0 B Gionta 0 0 even 5
B Dubinsky 1 0 +1 3 J Langenbrunner2 0 +1 2
M Staal 1 0 +1 2 D Zubrus 0 0 -2 0
S Gomez 0 2 -1 0 M Rupp 0 0 even 0
C Drury 0 1 +1 3 S Brylin 0 0 even 1
P Prucha 0 0 +1 0 T Zajac 0 1 +1 3
P Mara 0 0 +1 1 V Vishnevski 0 0 +1 2
C Orr 0 0 even 1 J Pandolfo 0 0 -1 2
M Rozsival 0 1 +1 0 A Asham 0 0 even 0
J Strudwick 0 0 +1 1 P Elias 0 0 -1 2
R Hollweg 0 0 even 0 K Rachunek 0 1 +2 0
D Girardi 0 0 -1 1 J Oduya 0 1 even 1
F Tyutin 0 0 -1 2 A Greene 0 0 -2 0
J Jagr 1 1 +1 4 P Martin 0 0 -1 1
M Hossa 0 0 +1 1 S Brookbank 0 0 -2 1
N Dawes 1 0 +1 2 Z Parise 0 1 +1 3
M Malik RIB INJURY M Mottau HEALTHY
D Clarkson HEALTHY</div>

 

NEWARK, New Jersey (Ticker) -- The scene was set for asignature night at the Prudential Center. Unfortunately for theNew Jersey Devils, it was mostly downhill after the openingminute.


Jaromir Jagr had a goal and an assist and Scott Gomez set up apair of tallies in his return to New Jersey as the New YorkRangers held on for a 4-2 victory over the Devils on Wednesday.

Entertaining the Rangers for the first time in their new home,the Devils bolted to a 1-0 lead when Jamie Langenbrunner scored35 seconds into the game on his first shift of the season. ButNew York answered less than a minute later when Nigel Dawesfinished off a 2-on-1 rush.


The rest of the night belonged to Jagr, Gomez and goaltenderHenrik Lundqvist as the Rangers denied Martin Brodeur his 500thcareer victory while defeating the Devils for the third time inas many meetings this season.


"We didn't want to see him get it tonight," Gomez said. "It'sgoing to be a great moment for him, but in a selfish way, I'mglad he didn't get it tonight."


Just over a minute into the second period, Jagr peeled off theright wing boards, stickhandled past checking specialist JayPandolfo and threw the puck at the net. Brandon Dubinsky gotthe rebound and flicked a backhander past Brodeur for his secondgoal of the season - both in the last three games - and a 2-1edge.


Asked about the Rangers getting goals from three rookies, Jagrsaid, "I play with a rookie, so I'm glad he scored. They're allgetting better and better every game."


The Devils did not get a shot for the first 9 1/2 minutes of thesecond and needed a stellar effort from Brodeur just to staywithin a goal. He stopped defenseman Fedor Tyutin breaking downthe slot with 10:45 remaining, then, while seated in the creasewith 7:19 left, got his left arm on a wrister by Jagr thatappeared ticketed for a gaping net.


"(Brodeur's) had so many great games against us," Jagr said. "Irespect him so much. It's not easy to stay on top for so manyyears. We were taken in the same draft, we're the same age. ...I gotta feel for the kid. The game is changing, they'rechanging the rules."


New Jersey showed signs of life as the period wound down, butLundqvist got his right pad on Zach Parise's rebound chance with6:37 to play, then snared a backhander by Parise off anotherrebound during a power play with 3:51 left.


The Rangers, however, took the momentum into the locker room onan strong individual effort by Jagr. After his centering passfrom behind the net hit the twine and Brodeur, New York'scaptain retrieved the puck and backhanded it inside the leftgoalpost for his fourth tally of the season.


"It was a lucky bounce," Brodeur said. "It went up in the air,hit Karel (Rachunek), went up in the air again, hit Jagr and hitthe side of the net and just fell right on Jagr's stick."

Gomez, who signed a seven-year contract with the Rangers lastJuly after seven seasons with the Devils, was booed every timehe touched the puck. But he helped set up Jagr's goal to extendhis points streak to seven games, then got the primary assiston defenseman Marc Staal's first NHL tally at 4:13 of the third.

Langenbrunner scored again just over three minutes later, butLundqvist blunted New Jersey's comeback attempt when he deniedBrian Gionta on a shorthanded breakaway with 5:52 remaining.

"Hank is playing great for us, no doubt about it. But the teamis playing better defense than last year or the year before,"Jagr said.


The Devils could not have asked for a better start.Langenbrunner, who missed the first 17 games following offseasonhernia surgery, got the rebound of defenseman Johnny Oduya'sone-timer from the left point and beat Lundqvist from the top ofthe crease.


"It felt good to get on the ice with the guys again andcontribute a little," Langenbrunner said. "But it wasn'tsuccessful because we were here to get a win, and we didn't dothat."


Before the goal was announced on the public-address system,Dawes raced down the left side on a 2-on-1. Using Petr Pruchaas a decoy, he put a wrister from the left side betweenBrodeur's skates for his fourth goal, three of which have comeagainst New Jersey.


"That's the momentum of the game," Gionta said. "But it was a1-1 hockey game at that point. We just had to stick with it.... We need to start stringing wins together and stop this winone, lose one (trend)."