Lundqvist Notches First Career Win as Rangers Dominate Devils
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Martin Rucinsky and Ville Nieminen scored 17 seconds apart in the first period and rookie goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 20 saves for his first NHL victory as the Rangers beat the Devils 4-1 last night.
Blair Betts and Jaromir Jagr also scored for the Rangers, who ended a three-game losing streak against their rivals.
Jagr’s goal was the 541st of his career, tying him for second place with Stan Mikita on the all-time list for goals scored in the NHL by a European. Jari Kurri is the leader with 601.
Brian Gionta scored for the Devils, who are 24-4-11 against the Rangers since the 1997-98 season.
Rucinsky got the Rangers rolling with a shot from the left circle that beat Martin Brodeur between the pads at 11:35. Nieminen split the Devils’ defense soon after and lifted a backhander over Brodeur for a 2-0 lead.
Betts made it 3-0 at 16:02 of the opening period when he scored on a rebound of Martin Straka’s shot.
The highlight of the scoreless second period came at the midpoint when Lundqvist preserved the shutout with a sprawling save on John Madden’s short-handed breakaway.
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WASHINGTON – Jason Blake and Petteri Nokelainen both had a goal and an assist and Oleg Kvasha added three assists to lead the Islanders to a 5-3 victory over the Washington Capitals last night.
Alexei Yashin, Trent Hunter, and Mark Parrish also scored for New York, which scored on its first two shots of the game. The Islanders, who have won two of three overall, had one win in their last 15 games at MCI Center.
