Christensen scores twice in Rangers' rout
New York Rangers' Erik Christensen reacts after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period of an NHL hockey game. (Feb. 25, 2011) Credit: AP
WASHINGTON - There was justifiable worry on the Rangers' side in having to face Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals without Marc Staal, the do-everything defenseman sidelined with a sore knee Friday night.
But the Rangers' kiddie corps of defensemen filled the void extremely well. That's what this Rangers team has been about for most of the season, stepping in and stepping up when key players go down.
They didn't miss Staal one bit in a dominating 6-0 win over the Caps, the Rangers' second straight victory against an Eastern Conference foe that was within shouting distance in the standings.
Erik Christensen had two goals and two assists, his first points since December. The Rangers moved within four points of the fifth-place Capitals.
"Staalsie's our most important defenseman, and everyone just came in and picked up their games a bit," Dan Girardi said. "The D was great, the forwards came back well. It was a real team effort, which we needed."
The turning point came barely six minutes in. Caps defenseman Mike Green, who had missed the previous five games with concussion symptoms, skated off to the locker room at 5:56 after taking Derek Stepan's shoulder to the jaw.
With Green prone on the ice, Stepan grabbed a turnover and fed Steve Eminger, whose point shot caromed in off a Caps defenseman for a 1-0 Rangers lead. Stepan may be called on the carpet by the NHL for the unpenalized shoulder before Sunday's game against the Lightning, but no one, even Caps coach Bruce Boudreau, thought it was a dirty play.
"It wasn't like I viciously turned around there," Stepan said. "It was just a puck battle and I caught him in a vulnerable spot."
Christensen was all alone in front of Michal Neuvirth to redirect Michael Sauer's alert pass with 5:13 left in the first, and Christensen had all kinds of room after Ryan Callahan's pretty feed to score his second of the night, on a power play, 4:19 into the second.
Stepan had plenty of time, too, to gather a rebound and chip it from a sharp angle over Neuvirth with 2:08 left in the second, again on the power play.
Vinny Prospal and Brian Boyle (his team-high 20th) capped the rout in the third. Henrik Lundqvist picked up his league-leading eighth shutout by making 35 saves.
Ryan McDonagh moved into Staal's spot alongside Girardi to try to contain Ovechkin, who had eight shots.
"This is a young guy in a spot we really don't want him in too much of the time, but he was solid," coach John Tortorella said of McDonagh, who played 21:47. Sauer, paired with Matt Gilroy, was superb yet again.
Ruslan Fedotenko's latest injury - he got hit by John Erskine early in the second and didn't return in his first game back after a month away, possibly reinjuring his shoulder - could shuffle the deck even more for the Rangers, who still are without Marian Gaborik (concussion).
Notes & quotes:
Staal said trainer Jim Ramsay didn't see enough improvement overnight to be cleared to play. It was the first game in Staal's four-year career that he missed because of injury. He missed two games in February 2008 with the flu.
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