Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Chris Drury scored twice and Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves, as the New York Rangers clipped the New Jersey Devils, 3-1, in an Atlantic Division tussle at the Prudential Center.
Brandon Dubinsky also lit the lamp for the Rangers, who have won all five games against the Devils this season and four of their last five overall. New York pulled within one point of third-place New Jersey courtesy of its 26th win of the season and ninth road triumph.
"You can't play well in goal if you don't have a good team in front of you," said Lundqvist. "I know I have to play well going forward, and I'm set on getting better. I can feel good about improving my game, but the most important thing is that we start to play a more patient game. We got a lead and then stayed back, didn't take too many chances."
Zach Parise scored for the Devils, who have dropped three in a row and four of six. Martin Brodeur allowed two goals on 25 shots in defeat.
New York picked up where it left off after Thursday's win in Philadelphia, taking a 1-0 lead exactly four minutes into the game on a slapshot from the left wing by Dubinsky.
The Blueshirts went up 2-0 a little more than two minutes into the second as Drury banked a shot off Brodeur from the goal line, as the veteran netminder stuck out his stick to cut off a potential cross-crease pass.
New Jersey responded at 5:48 of the period, off a fluke play. Jamie Langenbrunner coasted down the right side and shot to the far side of the net, but the puck sailed wide and off the left boards. Parise happened to be in the right place at the right time to tap the disc home off the carom before Lundqvist could get across.
The Rangers blanketed their rivals in the third period, allowing only five shots on goal. Parise had the best chance to pull the Devils even with just over 30 seconds to play, as he was alone in front of Lundqvist, but the Rangers' goalkeeper followed him across the crease and smothered his backhander.
Seconds later, the Devils were whistled for a too-many-men-on-the ice penalty, but Brodeur was called to the bench . Blair Betts took advantage of a turnover and fed Drury for the empty-net clincher with four seconds to play.
"I thought we did a lot of good things here, especially after the first five minutes of the game," said Devils head coach Brent Sutter. "When you only score one, it's difficult to win the game. I thought we did good things in our own zone. We didn't give up quality scoring chances, but they made the most of theirs."
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The NHL's most sought-after free agents are usually snatched up soon after July 1, when the signing period begi... Full Story...
What Is The Score | WhatistheScore.com
Design by SEOSolutions.co.cr
All Rights Reserved ©2006-2007
WITS - WhatIsTheScore.com is a Sports Content Website offering Real Time Sports Information such as Live Score, Free Live Odds, Sports News, Sports Events, Stats, Standings, Sports Articles and more in all Major Sports around the World – WhatIsTheScore.com
WebDesign & SEO marketing by
(fm) freaky-media! technology