Henrik Lundqvist Leads the New York Rangers To Their Third Straight Victory

On Sunday night, the New York Rangers took on their cross-river rivals the New Jersey Devils in their first matchup of the season. The game turned out to be yet another nail biter for the Rangers, but the team prevailed and came out victories by the score of 3-1.

In net was superstar goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and for the second straight game he was spectacular. Only allowing one third period goal to the Devils, Lundqvist played very well in net making some outstanding saves. His biggest saves came late in the third period; one of them he thought went past him. Hank stifled New Jersey’s goal scorers throughout the game, and that was a major reason the Rangers won the contest.

The young-star line of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, and Ryan Callahan was once again the number one line for the Rangers. Dubinsky and Callahan both scored goals in the game, and Anisimov played very well again for the Rangers.

This line was constantly forechecking and backchecking, and continues to lead the team on offense. Dubinsky and Callahan played extremely well on the penalty kill, assisting the Rangers in their perfect four-for-four penalty kill. This line was also impressive on the power-play, scoring the Rangers lone power-play goal in the game.

The second best line was once again the second line consisting of Sean Avery, Derek Stepan, and Ruslan Fedotenko. They played another excellent game and both Sean Avery and Ruslan Fedotenko were credited with assists on the first New York Rangers goal. Young Derek Stepan played another impressive game for the Rangers, as he generated many scoring chances and added two shots on goal.

Alexander Frolov and Erik Christensen played very well with a combined total of seven shots on goal (Christensen with five, Frolov with two). Brandon Prust was the third forward on the line and he played very, very well for the Rangers Sunday night. Coming off an injury late in the game Saturday against the Bruins, Prust returned to Rangers lineup and played a huge role in the Rangers perfect penalty kill.

On the fourth line, Brian Boyle played well in the defensive zone, and saved a goal late in the game. Derek Boogaard was pretty much unnoticeable except for a couple of big hits he made in the game, and call-up Jeremy Williams played a pretty good game for the Rangers in his debut. He (Williams) was excellent in the defensive zone and he generated one huge offensive chance but his shot was blocked.

Jeremy Williams may be sent back to Hartford tomorrow but there is a possibility that he is kept in the NHL, and veteran forward Todd White is sent to Hartford instead of Williams.

On defense Marc Staal and Michael Rozsival played their best games of the season. Staal was excellent in the defensive zone, clearing the puck out of the zone and clearing the crease of unwanted visitors. Staal was another key player on the Rangers penalty kill.

Michael Rozsival was excellent on the power-play earning a power-play assist, and an even strength goal for the Rangers. Rozsvial was also a major presence in the defensive zone as he quickly came to the aid of Henrik Lundqvist whenever a Devil entered the crease area.

Daniel Girardi had another excellent game on the penalty kill, and blocking shots. Michael Del Zotto also had a very good game for the Rangers, as he logged the most ice-time on the team.

The third defensive paring of Matt Gilroy and Steve Eminger played an okay game for the Rangers, both playing under nine minutes. Steve Eminger was a pregame addition to the Rangers lineup due to undisclosed soreness bothering Michael Sauer.

Overall the Rangers played another excellent game, leading them to a three game win streak. Their next game is Wednesday night at home as they host the Atlanta Thrashers.

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