Postgame: Rangers 3 Avs 1
Scoring Summary
First Period
13:53: Marian Gaborik (31) ripped a shot through a defenseman and past Craig Anderson to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead from Sean Avery (15) and Artem Anisimov (9)
Second Period
4:57: Vinny Prospal (29) put a no-look pass right in front for Gaborik (32) to score his second of the game. Marc Staal also picked up an assist.
Third Period
9:17: Prospal (30) shotgunned a pass to Gaborik (32) who fired it past Anderson for the Hat-Trick. Dan Girardi (11) also picked up the assist on the goal
12:39: Cody Mcleod scored to end Johnson’s chance at a shutout
Statistics
Chad Johnson picked up his first career win and stopped 34 of 35 shots
Anderson stopped 30 of 33 shots
Gaborik had six shots to lead the team
Sean Avery only played 9:34
Staal played over 25 minutes to lead the team
Matt Gilroy played 10:27 and was rumored to be traded which could have been why he played little in the first two periods.
Special Teams
Both teams were 0-6 on the powerplay
Next Game
The Rangers next game is Tuesday night against Los Angeles.
Ranger Game Notes are after the jump The Blueshirts defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 3-1, tonight at the Pepsi Center, marking the first Rangers win at Colorado since a 6-3 victory on Dec. 31, 1998.
Marian Gaborik tallied all three Rangers goals to record his first hat trick as a Blueshirt, and the 10th hat trick of his career; it is the first hat trick by a Ranger since Chris Drury notched three goals vs. Tampa Bay on Nov. 6, 2008.
With his first goal at 13:53 of the first period, Gaborik registered his 500th career NHL point; he finished the contest with six shots and a plus-three rating, and has recorded 11 points (five goals and six assists) in the last eight games.
The Rangers improved their record to 25-24-7 (57 pts.) overall, including a 13-11-3 (29 pts.) mark on the road.
New York held Colorado scoreless in six power play opportunities (9:56), and are now 13-for-13 in shorthanded situations in their last two games.
Goaltender Chad Johnson registered his first career NHL win, stopping 34 of 35 shots, while starting in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
Defenseman Marc Staal tallied a career-high two assists, and finished with a plus-two rating in a game-high 27:12 of icetime; Staal has recorded six points (one goal and five assists) in the last eight games.
Rangers Alternate Captain Vinny Prospal tallied his 10th multi-point effort of the season with two assists, and registered five shots and a plus-two rating; Prospal has recorded seven points (one goal and six assists) and a plus-six rating in the last eight games.
Sean Avery recorded the primary assist on Gaborik’s first period goal, and has now registered a point in each of the last two games (one goal and one assist); Avery also finished with a plus-one rating, and has now posted a plus or even rating in 27 of the last 38 games.
Rookie forward Artem Anisimov collected one assist, and has now registered three points (two goals and one assist) in the last four games.
Please note the Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Feb. 1.
The Rangers will conclude their three-game Western Conference road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 2, when they will face-off against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center (10:30 p.m.), in their fourth game in three days; the game will be televised live on MSG Network.
