New York, NY (Sports Network) - Markus Naslund and Scott Gomez both registered a power-play goal and picked up an assist, as the New York Rangers doubled up the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2, at Madison Square Garden.
Fredrik Sjostrom and Blair Betts both netted a short-handed goal for the Rangers, who head into the All-Star break having won four of their last five games. Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves to earn his 24th win of the season and help New York regain first place in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers sit atop the standings with 60 points, one more than the idle New Jersey Devils, who are in action on Wednesday.
Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry were the goal-scorers for Anaheim, which dropped to 1-2-0 so far on a five-game road trip that continues Wednesday on Long Island. Jonas Hiller stopped 26-of-29 shots in defeat.
With about eight minutes remaining in regulation and the scored deadlocked at two, Anaheim forward Samuel Pahlsson was whistled for interference and New York capitalized on the man advantage as Gomez went to the backhand and lifted the puck over Hiller's left pad with 7:21 to play.
New York defenseman Dan Girardi went off for delay of game with 1:57 remaining after he shot the puck over the glass. The Ducks pulled Hiller for a 6-on-4 advantage, but Betts sealed Anaheim's fate with an empty-net tally with 33.9 seconds left in the game.
The clubs traded power-play goals 59 seconds apart in the opening frame.
New York took a 1-0 lead on a misplay by Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer. The veteran pivot partially fanned on his clearing attempt. The puck wound up in the slot and Naslund drilled a low shot that beat Hiller on the glove side with 7:14 left in the first period.
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Ryan, the second overall pick in 2005, banged in a rebound to tie the score.
The Blueshirts reclaimed the lead on Sjostrom's short-handed tally. Sjostrom raced down the left side, drifted into the faceoff circle and snapped a high wrister past Hiller 3:22 into the middle stanza.
Perry knotted the game at two with 1:37 left in the second period. Andrew Ebbett carried the puck along the left boards and across the New York blueline before handing off to a streaking Perry in the slot. Perry made a nifty move to get by Rangers defenseman Dmitri Kalinin and slid the puck through the legs of Lundqvist.
