Rangers finally find a way to score

In the seven games before last night, the Rangers managed only nine goals. Thursday morning, coach John Tortorella said he has seen teams go through scoring droughts before and was convinced that his players would shake their collective slumps.

He did juggle lines, however, putting Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen and Marian Gaborik together and moving Olli Jokinen between Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. The other two lines were Sean Avery-Artem Anisimov-Enver Lisin and Brandon Prust-Chris Drury-Brian Boyle.

Little did he think the Rangers would have one of their more productive evenings of the season against the Capitals' Jose Theodore, although they still fell short in a 6-5 loss to Washington.

Dubinsky scored for the first time since Jan. 19. Defenseman Matt Gilroy had an assist, his first point since Jan. 6. Michael Del Zotto's assist was his first point in eight games. Prospal's goal in the first period was his first in eight games. Even Henrik Lundqvist had his first assist of the season.

Blue notes

Aaron Voros, who had dressed for the last 10 games (1-1-2), was a healthy scratch, along with Donald Brashear, who has played once in the last 11 games . . . With four games remaining before the Olympic break, expect Lundqvist to start all of them . . . The least-known Vancouver Olympian in the Rangers' organization, center Andres Ambuhl, who will play for the Swiss team, has four goals and two assists in 48 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack . . . The Rangers will face the Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk at the Garden Saturday night and twice in March in Newark, on the 10th and 25th.