Rangers look to build on their first win

VANCOUVER -- The Rangers were fed up. After three losses and then two periods of listless play and nine shots on Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo on Tuesday night, it was time for a change in the visitors' dressing room.

"We just came in and said, 'Enough's enough,' '' Brian Boyle recalled Wednesday before the Rangers flew to Calgary for the second stop of a four-city Western trip. "Hank was tremendous; he gave us the opportunity and we didn't want to blow it and not have a win in four games. We came out with some urgency, we were more physical, we did what we needed to. Now the bar is set."

Boyle, who scored a career-high 21 goals last season, fired in his first of the season off a gorgeous Ruslan Fedotenko pass to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead just 1:33 after defenseman Ryan McDonagh beat Luongo.

"I haven't been playing well enough," said Boyle, who was pointless and had collected four penalties in the first three games. "I'm not worried about scoring goals. It was more important to get a win."

The four-goal final period notwithstanding, coach John Tortorella remained distressed by penalties that led to eight Vancouver power plays and a long benching for Brandon Prust after a holding-the-stick call at 13:18 of the first period.

Prust played just six seconds the rest of the first period and nine seconds in the second. "I was just hoping I was coming back," said Prust, who ended up registering two assists in the third period of the 4-0 victory, on Mike Rupp's goal that made it 1-0 and Boyle's tally.

"There are penalties through aggression because we want to be an aggressive team," said Tortorella, "and there are penalties through absolute stupidity and nonsense. I'm not going to get in a situation where I'm benching people left and right. I trust our hockey club, we'll get this sorted out. But those types of needless penalties cannot be there. He [Prust] does a lot of heavy lifting for this club, and I don't want to lose that."

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The Rangers (1-1-2) face the Flames Thursday night, the Oilers on Saturday and the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. "We're still trying to get our traction here," Tortorella said. "Hopefully we can build off a good period."

Notes & quotes: After Sean Avery, who practiced with the Connecticut Whale for the first time since he cleared waivers on Oct. 5, told ESPNNY.com that he "doubted" that he would be recalled by the Rangers, Tortorella didn't agree or disagree with his assessment. "I'm too busy worried about this team," he said. "That's the first I've heard. I know that's a story that I'm sure is going to be talked about here a lot because Sean was here and very well liked. But again, I'm coaching this hockey club, I haven't talked to [Whale coach] Kenny [Gernander]. I'm not sure what's going on, so I can't comment." . . . D Michael Sauer, who, like Avery, is rehabbing a shoulder injury, is improving after missing the last two games. He took some contact, shot pucks, was more active in drills and said he was closer to returning . . . With an assist on Marian Gaborik's goal, Brad Richards has four points (1-3) in four games.