Valiquette Gets First Career Shutout
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PHILADELPHIA — Steve Valiquette made 20 saves in his first career shutout to help the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 4–0, last night, New York’s first road win in more than a month.
Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Chris Drury, and Brendan Shanahan scored for the Rangers, squashing the momentum of a Flyers team that was on a 12–2–1 streak.
Valiquette was hardly tested after the first period but still blanked a Flyers team that hadn’t scored fewer than three goals in a game since Jan. 4. He picked up only his third win of the season and first shutout in 21 career games.
The Rangers snapped a winless road skid that stretched back to a 6-1 win at Toronto on Dec. 29 — Valiquettte’s last victory. They were 0-4-2 on the road since the win over the Maple Leafs and only 1-6-4 since the start of December. New York avoided its first seven-game road losing streak since an 0-6-1 stretch from December 31, 2001–January 17, 2002.
The Rangers entered the game in last place in the Atlantic, but the win moved them only five points behind the division-leading Flyers (61).
The Rangers scored four goals in the first 22 minutes and chased Antero Niittymaki. Niittymaki was 6–1–1 in his last eight games and a brief goalie controversy brewed in Philly. But Niittymaki stopped only eight of 12 shots before he was pulled for Martin Biron.
