National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
NY Rangers 4, Anaheim 1
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Referees: Kelly Sutherland, Jean Hebert
Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 17174

Rangers 4, Ducks 1: Rick Nash scored his team-leading 25th goal early in the third period as visiting New York skated to its third consecutive win and 11th in 12 games.

Derick Brassard tallied to record his second three-game goal-scoring streak of the season for the Rangers, who won for the first time in their last four visits to the Honda Center (1-2-1). Mats Zuccarello also tallied, Dominic Moore added an empty-net goal and Henrik Lundqvist finished with 24 saves in his sixth straight start.

Defenseman Francois Beauchemin scored a power-play goal midway into the third period for the Ducks, who fell to 3-2-0 on their season-high eight-game homestand. Ilya Bryzgalov turned aside 26 shots in his first start since yielding six goals in a lopsided loss to Ottawa on Dec. 19.

With a delayed penalty against Anaheim about to be called, Brassard came off the bench as an extra attacker and unleashed a blast from above the left faceoff circle that sailed between the pads of Bryzgalov 9:10 into the second period to open the scoring. New York doubled the advantage 2:32 into the third as Ducks defenseman Sami Vatanen's clearing attempt was denied by blue-liner Kevin Klein, who wristed a shot from the slot that Nash deflected past Bryzgalov to move within one goal of Dallas' Tyler Seguin for the league lead.

Derek Stepan's delay-of-game penalty brought about a power-play opportunity for Anaheim, which converted 10 seconds later as Beauchemin's blast from the point glanced off Rangers forward Carl Hagelin and past Lundqvist. The momentum was short-lived as Zuccarello intercepted the Anaheim defenseman's clearing attempt and beat Bryzgalov from the right circle with 5:33 left before Moore sealed the win with an empty-net tally.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Although he scored his 11th goal, Brassard struggled mightily in the faceoff circle by winning just 2-of-16 draws. ... The Rangers scored the game's first goal for the seventh straight contest and 10th time in their last 11. ... Anaheim RW Devante Smith-Pelly registered five hits in his return to the lineup after sitting out Sunday's 4-3 shootout victory over Nashville.
Top Game Performances
 
NY Rangers   Anaheim
J.T. Miller 2 Points Francois Beauchemin 1
Derick Brassard 1 Goals Francois Beauchemin 1
J.T. Miller 2 Assists Ryan Getzlaf 1
N/A Power Play Goals Francois Beauchemin 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Henrik Lundqvist .960 Save Percentage Ilya Bryzgalov .897
Henrik Lundqvist 24 Saves Ilya Bryzgalov 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
NY Rangers 30 4 0-1 2-3 6 25
Anaheim 25 1 1-3 1-1 2 36
Upcoming Games
  • Anaheim will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Ducks have a W/L % of .593 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • NY Rangers will play their next game on the road against Los Angeles. The Rangers have a W/L % of .619 after a win and .562 after a loss.