GAME THREAD: NHL: PITTSBURGH (16-16) at NY RANGERS (16-16)

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 2:02 LEFT, 2ND PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL END OF THE 2ND 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0
NY RANGERS 1 2 3 END OF THE 2ND

GOAL SCORING:

1ST PRD: NYR - SCOTT GOMEZ 7 (MARTIN STRAKA, JAROMIR JAGR) 1:12
2ND PRD: NYR - MARTIN STRAKA 5 (MARC STAAL, MICHAL ROZSIVAL) 10:30
NYR - (PP) SCOTT GOMEZ 8 (CHRIS DRURY, MICHAL ROZSIVAL)
13:21

SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PIT 3 2 5
NYR 10 11 21

GOALIES: PIT - DANY SABOURIN
NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">------------------------------
Pittsburgh 0 0 --0
Ny Rangers 1 2 --3
------------------------------

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 7 (Martin Straka,
Jaromir Jagr), 1:12. Penalties: K Letang, Pit (holding), 8:52; P
Mara, Nyr (interference), 15:30.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Ny Rangers, Martin Straka 5 (Marc Staal,
Michal Rozsival), 10:30. 3, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 8 (power play)
(Chris Drury, Michal Rozsival), 13:21. Penalties: B Orpik, Pit
(interference), 3:05; K Letang, Pit (boarding), 6:04; A Hall, Pit
(tripping), 11:35; G Roberts, Pit (goalie interference), 13:06; C Orr,
Nyr (roughing), 17:58.

Shots on goal:
----------------------------------
Pittsburgh 3 2 --5
Ny Rangers 10 11 --21
----------------------------------

Goalies : Pittsburgh, Dany Sabourin (21 shots, 18 saves). Ny Rangers,
Henrik Lundqvist (5 shots, 5 saves). Referees: Fred L'Ecuyer, Rob
Shick. Linesmen: Anthony Sericolo, Steve Miller.</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 19:55 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 16:33 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 14:40 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 11:59 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 3 8:38 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 4
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) CHRIS DRURY 8 (MICHAL ROZSIVAL, BRENDAN SHANAHAN)
12:20</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 4 6:23 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 4 1:56 LEFT, 3RD PRD</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0
NY RANGERS 1 2 1 4 FINAL

GOAL SCORING:

1ST PRD: NYR - SCOTT GOMEZ 7 (MARTIN STRAKA, JAROMIR JAGR) 1:12
2ND PRD: NYR - MARTIN STRAKA 5 (MARC STAAL, MICHAL ROZSIVAL) 10:30
NYR - (PP) SCOTT GOMEZ 8 (CHRIS DRURY, MICHAL ROZSIVAL)
13:21
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) CHRIS DRURY 8 (MICHAL ROZSIVAL, BRENDAN SHANAHAN)
12:20

POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: PIT - 0 OF 5, NYR - 2 OF 7.

SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PIT 3 2 13 18
NYR 10 11 10 31

GOALIES: PIT - DANY SABOURIN
NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST

OFFICIALS: REF - FRED L'ECUYER, ROB SHICK
LIN - ANTHONY SERICOLO, STEVE MILLER

ATT: NA</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">NHL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PITTSBURGH 0 0 0 0
NY RANGERS 1 2 1 4 FINAL

GOAL SCORING:

1ST PRD: NYR - SCOTT GOMEZ 7 (MARTIN STRAKA, JAROMIR JAGR) 1:12
2ND PRD: NYR - MARTIN STRAKA 5 (MARC STAAL, MICHAL ROZSIVAL) 10:30
NYR - (PP) SCOTT GOMEZ 8 (CHRIS DRURY, MICHAL ROZSIVAL)
13:21
3RD PRD: NYR - (PP) CHRIS DRURY 8 (MICHAL ROZSIVAL, BRENDAN SHANAHAN)
12:20

POWER-PLAY CONVERSIONS: PIT - 0 OF 5, NYR - 2 OF 7.

SHOTS ON GOAL: 1ST 2ND 3RD TOTAL
--- --- --- -----
PIT 3 2 13 18
NYR 10 11 10 31

GOALIES: PIT - DANY SABOURIN
NYR - HENRIK LUNDQVIST

OFFICIALS: REF - FRED L'ECUYER, ROB SHICK
LIN - ANTHONY SERICOLO, STEVE MILLER

ATT: NA</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 --0
Ny Rangers 1 2 1 --4
------------------------------------

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 7 (Martin Straka,
Jaromir Jagr), 1:12. Penalties: K Letang, Pit (holding), 8:52; P
Mara, Nyr (interference), 15:30.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Ny Rangers, Martin Straka 5 (Marc Staal,
Michal Rozsival), 10:30. 3, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 8 (power play)
(Chris Drury, Michal Rozsival), 13:21. Penalties: B Orpik, Pit
(interference), 3:05; K Letang, Pit (boarding), 6:04; A Hall, Pit
(tripping), 11:35; G Roberts, Pit (goalie interference), 13:06; C Orr,
Nyr (roughing), 17:58.

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Ny Rangers, Chris Drury 8 (power play)
(Michal Rozsival, Brendan Shanahan), 12:20. Penalties: B Betts, Nyr
(holding), 4:05; R Hollweg, Nyr (roughing), 8:07; T Kennedy, Pit
(boarding served by P Sykora, misconduct), 10:20; R Hollweg, Nyr (
misconduct), 10:20; C Armstrong, Pit (holding), 11:04; J Strudwick,
Nyr (roughing), 13:14.

Shots on goal:
---------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 3 2 13 --18
Ny Rangers 10 11 10 --31
---------------------------------------

Power-play Conversions: Pittsburgh - 0 of 5, Ny Rangers - 2 of 7.
Goalies : Pittsburgh, Dany Sabourin (31 shots, 27 saves; record:
7-7-1). Ny Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist (18 shots, 18 saves; record:
16-11-2). A: NA. Referees: Fred L'Ecuyer, Rob Shick. Linesmen:
Anthony Sericolo, Steve Miller.</div>

 

By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


NEW YORK (Ticker) - One of their worst games of the seasonresulted in a revamped top line and it led to one of the the NewYork Rangers' best performance of December.


Scott Gomez scored just 72 seconds into the first period andadded a power-play goal as the Rangers rolled to a 4-0 victoryover the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at Madison SquareGarden.


Gomez recorded his first two-goal game as a Ranger, 14th careerand first since December 29. He also stretched his pointsstreak to seven games.


The 27-year-old center's two tallies were sandwiched around agoal by Martin Straka, who also had an assist for histhird-multi point game of the season.


Defenseman Michal Rozsival had a career-high three assists andcaptain Jaromir Jagr also added an assist.


Chris Drury capped the scoring during a 5-on-3 for the Rangers,who were 2-of-7 on the power play.


Henrik Lundqvist also made 18 saves en route to his sixthshutout of the season, giving him a share of the league leadwith Columbus' Pascal Leclaire. It also was his 13th careershutout.


The Rangers avoided their second three-game losing streak of themonth and also improved to 3-4-1 in December. They are 4-5-2in their last 11 contests following a 10-2 stretch that elevatedthem to first place in the Atlantic Division.


New York has slipped out of first place with losses such asSunday's 5-1 home setback to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Rangersallowed four second-period goals just four days after they blewa two-goal lead and settled for a point in a 5-4 loss atWashington.


Looking to generate a spark from Jagr, coach Tom Renney placedGomez on the top line with Straka and the trio clicked. Theycombined for five points, 13 shots and were among the bestplayers on the ice for Renney.


While the revamped line helped New York on the offensive side,the team also played well defensively. Lundqvist only facedthree shots in the first period and five in the first twoperiods.


Lundqvist also faced just two in the second as the Penguinsendured droughts of 8:33 and 8:53 without registering a shot. Hemade two stops on Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, including aleft pad save on an odd-man rush with 11:27 remaining thatprevented the game from being tied.


Less than a minute after Lundqvist preserved the lead, theRangers took a 2-0 lead on Straka's fifth goal of the season.

Although Jagr was not credited with an assist, he kept the playalive by carrying the puck deep in the zone and sending a passto Rozsival at the right point. Rozsival fed rookie defensemanMarc Staal, whose shot from the left circle was tipped byStraka.


Less than three minutes later, the Rangers struck on the powerplay. Gomez dug the puck out from behind the Pittsburgh net,fed Drury and got it back before his centering pass intended forBrendan Shanahan banked off Pittsburgh goaltender DanySabourin.


Before the Rangers struck for two quick goals in the second,Gomez, Jagr and Straka teamed up to open the scoring on theirfirst shift of the night.


Jagr and Gomez helped chip the puck away from Penguinsdefenseman Sergei Gonchar behind the Pittsburgh net. Gomezdished to Straka, who was near the right faceoff circle, went tothe net and put home the rebound of Straka's wrister.

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
NHL
PITTSBURGH 0
NY RANGERS 4</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

<div class="pre">------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 0 0 0 --0
Ny Rangers 1 2 1 --4
------------------------------------

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 7 (Martin Straka,
Jaromir Jagr), 1:12. Penalties: K Letang, Pit (holding), 8:52; P
Mara, Nyr (interference), 15:30.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Ny Rangers, Martin Straka 5 (Marc Staal,
Michal Rozsival), 10:30. 3, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 8 (power play)
(Chris Drury, Michal Rozsival), 13:21. Penalties: B Orpik, Pit
(interference), 3:05; K Letang, Pit (boarding), 6:04; A Hall, Pit
(tripping), 11:35; G Roberts, Pit (goalie interference), 15:06; C Orr,
Nyr (roughing), 17:58.

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Ny Rangers, Chris Drury 8 (power play)
(Michal Rozsival, Brendan Shanahan), 12:20. Penalties: B Betts, Nyr
(holding), 4:05; R Hollweg, Nyr (roughing), 8:07; T Kennedy, Pit
(boarding served by P Sykora, misconduct), 10:20; R Hollweg, Nyr (
misconduct), 10:20; C Armstrong, Pit (holding), 11:04; J Strudwick,
Nyr (roughing), 13:14.

Shots on goal:
---------------------------------------
Pittsburgh 3 2 13 --18
Ny Rangers 10 11 10 --31
---------------------------------------

Power-play Conversions: Pittsburgh - 0 of 5, Ny Rangers - 2 of 7.
Goalies : Pittsburgh, Dany Sabourin (31 shots, 27 saves; record:
7-7-1). Ny Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist (18 shots, 18 saves; record:
16-11-2). A: NA. Referees: Fred L'Ecuyer, Rob Shick. Linesmen:
Anthony Sericolo, Steve Miller.</div>

 

NHL: PITTSBURGH at NY RANGERS

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

FIRST PERIOD -- Scoring: 1, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 7 (Martin Straka,
Jaromir Jagr), 1:12. Penalties: K Letang, Pit (holding), 8:52; P
Mara, Nyr (interference), 15:30.

SECOND PERIOD -- Scoring: 2, Ny Rangers, Martin Straka 5 (Marc Staal,
Michal Rozsival), 10:30. 3, Ny Rangers, Scott Gomez 8 (power play)
(Chris Drury, Michal Rozsival), 13:21. Penalties: B Orpik, Pit
(interference), 3:05; K Letang, Pit (boarding), 6:04; A Hall, Pit
(tripping), 11:35; G Roberts, Pit (goalie interference), 15:06; C Orr,
Nyr (roughing), 17:58.

THIRD PERIOD -- Scoring: 4, Ny Rangers, Chris Drury 8 (power play)
(Michal Rozsival, Brendan Shanahan), 12:20. Penalties: B Betts, Nyr
(holding), 4:05; R Hollweg, Nyr (roughing), 8:07; T Kennedy, Pit
(boarding served by P Sykora, misconduct), 10:20; R Hollweg, Nyr (
misconduct), 10:20; C Armstrong, Pit (holding), 11:04; J Strudwick,
Nyr (roughing), 13:14.

Shots on goal:
----------------------------------------
PITTSBURGH 3 2 13 --18
NY RANGERS 10 11 10 --31
----------------------------------------

Power-play Conversions: PIT - 0 of 5, NYR - 2 of 7. Goalies :
Pittsburgh, Dany Sabourin (31 shots, 27 saves; record: 7-7-1). Ny
Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist (18 shots, 18 saves; record: 16-11-2). A:
NA. Referees: Fred L'Ecuyer, Rob Shick. Linesmen: Anthony Sericolo,
Steve Miller.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER STATISTICS

PITTSBURGH NY RANGERS
G A +/- Shots G A +/- Shots
G Roberts 0 0 -1 0 B Shanahan 0 1 even 2
J Staal 0 0 -1 2 B Betts 0 0 even 1
E Christensen 0 0 even 1 B Dubinsky 0 0 even 2
P Sykora 0 0 -1 1 M Staal 0 1 +2 0
A Hall 0 0 even 1 S Gomez 2 0 +2 7
R Whitney 0 0 -1 1 C Drury 1 1 even 2
C Armstrong 0 0 -1 0 R Callahan 0 0 even 0
G Laraque 0 0 -1 0 P Prucha 0 0 even 1
M Eaton 0 0 -1 2 P Mara 0 0 even 1
J Ruutu 0 0 even 0 C Orr 0 0 even 3
R Scuderi 0 0 -1 0 M Rozsival 0 3 +2 1
B Orpik 0 0 even 0 J Strudwick 0 0 even 0
T Kennedy 0 0 even 1 R Hollweg 0 0 even 1
D Sydor 0 0 even 3 D Girardi 0 0 even 3
S Gonchar 0 0 -1 2 F Tyutin 0 0 even 0
K Letang 0 0 even 1 J Jagr 0 1 +2 2
E Malkin 0 0 -1 1 M Straka 1 1 +2 4
S Crosby 0 0 even 2 N Dawes 0 0 even 1
R Malone LEG INJURY M Malik HEALTHY
C James HEALTHY M Hossa FLU</div>

 

By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


NEW YORK (Ticker) - One of their worst games of the seasonresulted in a revamped top line and it led to one of the the NewYork Rangers' best performance of December.


Scott Gomez scored just 72 seconds into the first period andadded a power-play goal as the Rangers rolled to a 4-0 victoryover the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at Madison SquareGarden.


Gomez recorded his first two-goal game as a Ranger, 14th careerand first since December 29. He also stretched his pointsstreak to six games.


"I think everyone picked up their game today and not just ourline," Gomez said. "I think other guys were going. We had toget better. It doesn't matter who you play with."

"They were great," center Chris Drury added. "Right from thestart of the game, they were buzzing. They seemed to have a lotof energy."


The 27-year-old center's two tallies were sandwiched around agoal by Martin Straka, who also had an assist for histhird-multi point game of the season.


Defenseman Michal Rozsival had a career-high three assists andcaptain Jaromir Jagr also added an assist.


Drury capped the scoring during a 5-on-3 for the Rangers, whowere 2-of-7 on the power play and posted their first victory bymore than three goals.


"Regardless of who the combinations are, if we play the way wethink we need to play, we'll have success," Rangers coach TomRenney said.


Henrik Lundqvist made 18 saves en route to his sixth shutout ofthe season, giving him a share of the league lead with Columbus'Pascal Leclaire. It also was his 13th career shutout.

The Rangers avoided their second three-game losing streak of themonth and also improved to 3-4-1 in December. They are 4-5-2in their last 11 contests following a 10-2 stretch that elevatedthem to first place in the Atlantic Division.


"I think we came out and definitely Tom put a challenge to us,"Gomez said. "And I think everyone responded. Last week was oneyou wish didn't happen but it's good we came back and had asolid effort like this."


New York has slipped out of first place with losses such asSunday's 5-1 home setback to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Rangersallowed four second-period goals just four days after they blewa two-goal lead and settled for a point in a 5-4 loss atWashington.


Looking to generate a spark from Jagr, Renney placed Gomez onthe top line with Straka and the trio clicked. They combinedfor five points, 13 shots and were among the best players on theice for Renney.


While statistically the top line was effective, Jagr wascautious in predicting how successful the unit can be.

"It's tough to say," Jagr said. "We have to wait and see buthopefully it's going to be good."


While the revamped line helped New York on the offensive side,the team also played well defensively. Lundqvist only facedthree shots in the first period and five in the first twoperiods.


"Obviously Gomer scores on the first shift and for a team likeus that's had some bum luck lately, it was nice to get off to agood start," Rangers winger Brendan Shanahan said. "I thoughtthe lines were good. It was really just about the team. Itwasn't about one particular line or any particular player."

Lundqvist also faced just two shots in the second as thePenguins endured droughts of 8:33 and 8:53 without registering ashot. He made two stops on Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby,including a left pad save on an odd-man rush with 11:27remaining that prevented the game from being tied.

"We played really good tonight," Lundqvist said. "From thefirst shift, I think the guys were really smart and we got agood start with the early goal. It's important to come backafter two tough losses."


The Penguins dropped their third in a row to the Rangers andlost for the third time in four games following a four-gamewinning streak.


Pittsburgh has been outscored, 16-3, in their last three lossesand coach Michel Therrien was brief in summing up the defeat.

"We didn't compete," Therrien said. "The Rangers were a betterteam than us tonight. They wanted it more. They deserved towin. It's simple."


Pittsburgh was also 0-for-5 on the power play and had a seasonlow 18 shots on goal. By the time the Penguins reached doubledigits in shots, the game was out of reach.


"We didn't generate a lot, that's for sure," Crosby said. "Iguess I don't remember all the games but that's not one of ourbetter ones."


The Rangers seemed to dominate play from the outset and that wasevident when Gomez, Straka and Jagr teamed up for a goal ontheir first shift.


Jagr and Gomez helped chip the puck away from Penguinsdefenseman Sergei Gonchar behind the Pittsburgh net. Gomezdished to Straka, who was near the right faceoff circle, went tothe net and put home the rebound of Straka's wrister.

Less than a minute after Lundqvist preserved the lead, theRangers took a 2-0 lead on Straka's fifth goal of the season.

Although Jagr was not credited with an assist, he kept the playalive by carrying the puck deep in the zone and sending a passto Rozsival at the right point. Rozsival fed rookie defensemanMarc Staal, whose shot from the left circle was tipped byStraka.


Less than three minutes later, the Rangers struck on the powerplay. Gomez dug the puck out from behind the Pittsburgh net,fed Drury and got it back before his centering pass intended forShanahan banked off Pittsburgh goaltender Dany Sabourin.

 

By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


NEW YORK (Ticker) - One of their worst games of the seasonresulted in a revamped top line and it led to one of the NewYork Rangers' best performances of December.


Scott Gomez scored just 72 seconds into the first period andadded a power-play goal as the Rangers rolled to a 4-0 victoryover the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at Madison SquareGarden.


Gomez recorded his first two-goal game as a Ranger, 14th careerand first since December 29. He also stretched his pointsstreak to six games.


"I think everyone picked up their game today and not just ourline," Gomez said. "I think other guys were going. We had toget better. It doesn't matter who you play with."

"They were great," center Chris Drury added. "Right from thestart of the game, they were buzzing. They seemed to have a lotof energy."


The 27-year-old center's two tallies were sandwiched around agoal by Martin Straka, who also had an assist for histhird-multi point game of the season.


Defenseman Michal Rozsival had a career-high three assists andcaptain Jaromir Jagr also added an assist.


Drury capped the scoring during a 5-on-3 for the Rangers, whowere 2-of-7 on the power play and posted their first victory bymore than three goals.


"Regardless of who the combinations are, if we play the way wethink we need to play, we'll have success," Rangers coach TomRenney said.


Henrik Lundqvist made 18 saves en route to his sixth shutout ofthe season, giving him a share of the league lead with Columbus'Pascal Leclaire. It also was his 13th career shutout.

The Rangers avoided their second three-game losing streak of themonth and also improved to 3-4-1 in December. They are 4-5-2in their last 11 contests following a 10-2 stretch that elevatedthem to first place in the Atlantic Division.


"I think we came out and definitely Tom put a challenge to us,"Gomez said. "And I think everyone responded. Last week was oneyou wish didn't happen but it's good we came back and had asolid effort like this."


New York has slipped out of first place with losses such asSunday's 5-1 home setback to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Rangersallowed four second-period goals just four days after they blewa two-goal lead and settled for a point in a 5-4 loss atWashington.


Looking to generate a spark from Jagr, Renney placed Gomez onthe top line with Straka and the trio clicked. They combinedfor five points, 13 shots and were among the best players on theice for Renney.


While statistically the top line was effective, Jagr wascautious in predicting how successful the unit can be.

"It's tough to say," Jagr said. "We have to wait and see buthopefully it's going to be good."


While the revamped line helped New York on the offensive side,the team also played well defensively. Lundqvist only facedthree shots in the first period and five in the first twoperiods.


"Obviously Gomer scores on the first shift and for a team likeus that's had some bum luck lately, it was nice to get off to agood start," Rangers winger Brendan Shanahan said. "I thoughtthe lines were good. It was really just about the team. Itwasn't about one particular line or any particular player."

Lundqvist also faced just two shots in the second as thePenguins endured droughts of 8:33 and 8:53 without registering ashot. He made two stops on Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby,including a left pad save on an odd-man rush with 11:27remaining that prevented the game from being tied.

"We played really good tonight," Lundqvist said. "From thefirst shift, I think the guys were really smart and we got agood start with the early goal. It's important to come backafter two tough losses."


The Penguins dropped their third in a row to the Rangers andlost for the third time in four games following a four-gamewinning streak.


Pittsburgh has been outscored, 16-3, in their last three lossesand coach Michel Therrien was brief in summing up the defeat.

"We didn't compete," Therrien said. "The Rangers were a betterteam than us tonight. They wanted it more. They deserved towin. It's simple."


Pittsburgh was also 0-for-5 on the power play and had a seasonlow 18 shots on goal. By the time the Penguins reached doubledigits in shots, the game was out of reach.


"We didn't generate a lot, that's for sure," Crosby said. "Iguess I don't remember all the games but that's not one of ourbetter ones."


The Rangers seemed to dominate play from the outset and that wasevident when Gomez, Straka and Jagr teamed up for a goal ontheir first shift.


Jagr and Gomez helped chip the puck away from Penguinsdefenseman Sergei Gonchar behind the Pittsburgh net. Gomezdished to Straka, who was near the right faceoff circle, went tothe net and put home the rebound of Straka's wrister.

Less than a minute after Lundqvist preserved the lead, theRangers took a 2-0 lead on Straka's fifth goal of the season.

Although Jagr was not credited with an assist, he kept the playalive by carrying the puck deep in the zone and sending a passto Rozsival at the right point. Rozsival fed rookie defensemanMarc Staal, whose shot from the left circle was tipped byStraka.


Less than three minutes later, the Rangers struck on the powerplay. Gomez dug the puck out from behind the Pittsburgh net,fed Drury and got it back before his centering pass intended forShanahan banked off Pittsburgh goaltender Dany Sabourin.