Rangers, Lundqvist shut out Penguins
NEW YORK: Henrik Lundqvist recorded his sixth shutout of the season, which the New York Rangers rode to a 4-0 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Lundqvist missed the last game with influenza and had to make only 18 saves for the shutout, just five of them in the first two periods as the Rangers ended a two-game losing streak and recorded their second win in the last seven games.
"The guys played a great game, which was perfect for me (after) a couple of days with the flu," Lundqvist said in a televised interview. "It was a perfect game, we were sharp from the beginning."
Coming off a 5-1 home loss to Phoenix, Rangers coach Tom Renney changed his forward line with Scott Gomez joining Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka, which paid dividends.
Gomez scored two goals, while Straka scored a goal and had an assist and Jagr added an assist. The line had 13 shots on goal.
Chris Drury also had a goal and an assist and defenseman Michal Rozsival had three assists.
The Rangers defense also ensured Pittsburgh's top line, led by Sidney Crosby, was held in check. Crosby had just two shots on goal.
"When you shut down Crosby, you have a chance to win the hockey game. He's 50 percent of their offense," said Jagr.
Agencies
(China Daily 12/20/2007 page24)
