Lundqvist, Rangers Blank ‘Canes As Jagr Scores Two More
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Jaromir Jagr scored twice during another milestone night and Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves in his third career shutout, carrying the Rangers to a 4–0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes last night.
Just two nights after Jagr became the 16th NHL player to score 600 goals, he passed Jari Kurri to move into 15th place. Brendan Shanahan, who got to 600 earlier this season, and Marcel Hossa also scored.
It was the first time since Detroit’s Brett Hull and Steve Yzerman on March 21, 2004, that 600-goal scoring teammates connected in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Lundqvist has picked up his game and was sharp throughout, making 23 saves in the first two periods and protecting a lead all night. During the middle frame, he turned away Mike Commodore after defenseman Karel Rachunek turned over the puck in front, and then rushed across the crease to deny Ray Whitney’s onetimed shot at the left post.
Jagr maneuvered in the left circle and ripped a shot in with 6:24 left in the second period to make it 3–0, then closed the scoring by tipping in Aaron Ward’s drive in the final frame.
Jagr and Shanahan almost teamed up for a goal in the second, but Jagr’s shot during a 2-on-0 break with his high-scoring teammate sailed over the crossbar.
It was during that frame that the Rangers killed off a 5-on-3 Carolina power play that started in the opening minute.
After a lackluster loss in Pittsburgh last Saturday night, that angered coach Tom Renney, the Rangers have bounced back with two of their best efforts of the season against the last two Stanley Cup champions.
New York, only 5–4–1 at Madison Square Garden, followed up a 4–1 home win over Tampa Bay on Sunday by thoroughly outworking Carolina.
That doesn’t bode well for the Hurricanes, who started a three-game in four-day road trip — that includes a Friday matinee in Boston — with an uninspired performance of their own. Carolina’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
The Rangers turned the heat up early on goalie Cam Ward and the rest of the Stanley Cup champions. Less than a minute after Martin Straka nearly converted a Hurricanes turnover into a goal, Hossa scored his first of the season at 3:39.
New York didn’t ease up and turned hard work down low into another goal.
Matt Cullen, a member of the Hurricanes last season, tried to stuff a shot in from behind but was denied. Straka gathered the puck and brought it back behind the goal before finding Shanahan in front. Shanahan knocked it past Ward for his 17th of the season and 615th overall.
The 37-year-old Shanahan is on an eight-game point streak (five goals, five assists) and has a goal in three straight games and four of five.
Notes: The teams completed a trade before the game as the Rangers acquired veteran forward Brad Isbister from Carolina for C Jakub Petruzalek and a conditional 2008 draft pick. Isbister, in the AHL all season, will report to the Rangers’ Hartford affiliate. … Jagr has 30 goals against the Carolina franchise in 63 games … The Hurricanes are 12–5–2 after an 0–3–1 start.