Rangers-Devils Post-Game Extra: Quotes, Stats, Comments

Plenty of things to chew on here:

First, no matter what coach John Tortorella says publicly, he was NOT happy about Peter DeBoer’s starting lineup. Henrik Lundqvist admitted that, and TV cameras showing his displeasure don’t lie, in this case.

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It is the earliest that the Rangers have clinched a post-season spot since the 1991-92 season, but there is no guarantee of seeding. They still could finish as low as fifth in the East, but also are three points behind St. Louis (100) for the NHL lead.

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The Rangers killed three power plays included a critical one at 9:38 of the third, up 3-2, when Ryan McDonagh was whistled for tripping Zach Parise. The Rangers were 1-3 on the PP.

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Brandon Dubinsky, (1-1-2) who wore the celebratory Broadway Hat, said he “took no pleasure” in watching Ryan Carter get smacked around by Stu Bickel. “He popped me in the nose last time, but it was a fair fight, nothing dirty. You never want to see anybody getting hurt.”

Dubinsky on clinching a playoff spot: “It’s definitely a foreign feeling. It’s not coming down to the last day. We’ve worked really hard all year for this opportunity.”

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Torts on Stepan and his linemates Dubinsky and Callahan. The line had six points.

“He’s (Step) played better in the last two games. I always compare him to Brad Richards in that he’s so hard on himself. He knows that he needs to be part of this as far as secondary scoring. It’s been a little bit of a fight for him and it’s going to be. But in the last two games that line has played very well and I’m glad he got rewarded.”

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Henrik Lundqvist: “It’s been a good year so far, but we have to play 10 more games. They mean a lot to us and we want to get better as a team. We can’t afford not being ready. The last 10 we need to push ourselves really hard.”

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 Mats Zuccarello: “I just want to show that I’ve learned. When you do stuff like that, the little things, you get more comfortable in the game. It’s a great feeling to be up here so I have to enjoy it while I can…After two straight losses, it was a really important win for us. We battled hard. Three of our guys starting off the game like that was a huge factor---sacrificing themselves for us.”

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Brandon Prust, who left the ice doubled over after a heavy, unpenalized boarding from Adam Henrique, “is fine”, Torts said after the game.

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Coming in next, the Red Wings on Wednesday.  The Rangers practice at noon tomorrow.