Brandon Dubinsky helps New York Rangers beat Florida Panthers 1-0
Brandon Dubinsky notched the game-winning goal in the final frame and Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 22 shots to record the 34th shutout of his career, as the New York Rangers edged past the Florida Panthers 1-0 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Dubinsky was pleased with his side’s performance, and said after the game, "This was a good test for us -- a playoff-type game that you have to grind away.”
Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan both dished out the assists on Dubinsky’s lone goal, which gave the Rangers their season-high fifth consecutive victory. With this victory, the Rangers have 84 points and are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They
sit only three points below sixth-place Montreal Canadiens and three points ahead of eighth-place Buffalo Sabres.
Lundqvist did not had to face any hurdle in recording his second shutout of Panthers this season. He was solid between the pipes, stopping five shots in the first frame, nine in the middle and eight in the final to register his NHL-best 10th shutout of the
season.
An excited Lundqvist said after the game, "I remind myself everyday that last year was one point. I don't want to be there and I don't think anyone else wants to be there. This is a contest that could be the difference."
Tomas Vokoun surrendered the lone goal on 33 shots for the Panthers, who played without leading scorer Stephen Weiss. The Panthers have lost nine of their previous 12 contests.
Vokoun was disappointed with his side’s performance. He said after the game, "We're missing our leading scorer from what's left out of this team. If you don't score, you can't win. We battled hard, but this is where we are. We didn't even generate enough
to get us some power plays. It's disappointing."
Both teams could not score in the first two periods of the game.
Like the opening period, New York had the better of the opportunities in the middle frame, but could not take advantage because Vokoum stopped several quality shots in the period. Vokoum made 17 saves in the second period. His best stop came when Brian Boyle
ripped a one-timer from the right circle less than five minutes into the second, but Vokoum slid across to save it.
After a scoreless 40 minutes, Dubinsky finally gave the Rangers a one-goal lead that proved decisive. In the eighth minute of the third stanza, New York kept the disc in the Florida end and Ryan Callahan picked it up in the slot. He then centred a pass to
Dubinsky, who banged the puck home to seal the victory.
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