Jagr Notches 30th as Rangers Clinch Playoffs
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Jaromir Jagr reached the 30-goal mark for the 15th straight season and added an assist to carry the Rangers back into the playoffs with a 3–1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens last night.
Jagr, finishing his first season as Rangers captain, has scored at least 30 goals in every NHL campaign following his rookie year with Pittsburgh. He gave New York a 2–0 lead with 8:42 left in the second and then helped set up defenseman Marek Malik’s goal with 1:34 remaining in the frame.
After a seven-season absence, the Rangers have reached the postseason for the second straight year. New York will enter the Eastern Conference playoffs as the sixth or seventh seed. The win also secured a berth for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and left Montreal, Toronto, and the Islanders in a fight for the eighth and final spot heading into the last weekend.
Henrik Lundqvist, caught in a bit of controversy following an alleged run-in with an Islanders Ice Girl on Tuesday as she tried to shovel snow from the crease, wasn’t bothered much in his return home by the Madison Square Garden sweepers or the Canadiens, who had won six of seven but fell for the eighth time in 10 road games.
He made 25 saves, with the best coming in the second period of New York’s final regular-season home game. Lundqvist did the splits near the left post to deny Michael Ryder, who got free in front, and then used the shaft of his stick to block a hard drive by Francis Bouillon in the closing seconds.
During TV timeouts, Lundqvist reassumed his usual head-down, concentrated pose, as the area around the net was cleared off without incident.
The only blemish for Lundqvist, who shut out the Canadiens at home on February 27, was Sheldon Souray’s record-setting powerplay goal with 4:43 left. Souray set the man-advantage mark for NHL defenseman in a season with his 19th.
Petr Prucha bounced back from a one-game benching by Rangers coach Tom Renney and scored his fourth goal in nine games to break the scoreless tie in the opening frame. That sent New York on its way to its 13th win in 19 games (13–2–4).
