Rangers-Thrashers: A Shutout at Madison Square Garden

Somewhere Little John is yelling in disbelief at his television: "WHHHAT!?"

He has just witnessed his beloved Atlanta Thrashers shut out by the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Henrik Lundqvist earned his league-leading—it's a tie at least—seventh shutout of the season stopping every shot that came his way.  Thanks to the defense, the Thrashers managed just 14 shots on goal. 

Offensively, the Rangers may have found that scoring touch they were looking for, beating Kari Lehtonen 4 times.

Scott Gomez and Jaromir Jagr had two assists for the Rangers.  Fedor Tyutin had three assists.  The goals were scored by Brandon Dubinsky, Sean Avery, Martin Straka, and Jagr.

Defensively, Marc Staal may have played his best game of the season.  He wasn't on ice for any goals but played a considerable amount of time and performed solidly on the defensive end.

There were no powerplay goals to speak of tonight, but the Straka's occurred while the Rangers were on the penalty kill.  In fact, all Thrasher power play opportunities were killed off.

Now, an update from the rest of the league:

The Washington Capitals had the night off, so that's two more points between them and the Broadway Blues.

The Boston Bruins were downed 8-2 by the Montreal Canadiens, helping the Rangers to cover some of the ground they lost this weekend.

The New York Islanders ended up winning down in Carolina 6-3, so they will keep pace with the Rangers and remain two points ahead in the standings.

The win keeps the Rangers in last place in the Atlantic Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference.  However, fans and players alike are imagining this game was a showing of things to come, not just another win surrounded by a bunch of losses.

The Rangers are back in action on Brian Leetch night as they host the Thrashers for a rematch.  The pregame festivities should prove emotional for players and fans alike as one of the best defensemen ever to grace the game is honored, having his number hoisted to the rafters of the most famous arena on Earth.