UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- Captain Chris Drury and Nikolai
Zherdev each recorded a goal and an assist as the New York
Rangers posted a 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on
Thursday in a battle of Atlantic Division rivals.
Scott Gomez and Markus Naslund also tallied in support of
All-Star Henrik Lundqvist's 28-save performance for the Rangers,
who won their second straight game after dropping four in a row.
New York benefited from strong debuts by newly acquired Nik
Antropov and agitator Sean Avery.
Antropov, who was dealt from the Toronto Maple Leafs before the
NHL trade deadline on Wednesday, recorded an assist, while Avery
- claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars - registered two
penalty minutes in 13 minutes, 55 seconds of action.
Yann Danis stopped 19 shots and Blake Comeau and rookie Jack
Hillen netted goals for the Islanders, who had their two-game
winning streak halted.
After Zherdev opened the scoring at 8:33 of the first period,
Comeau leveled the contest 5 1/2 minutes into the second with
his fifth tally of the season.
Drury converted passes from Antropov and Brandon Dubinsky for a
power-play goal four minutes after Comeau struck to give the
Rangers a 2-1 bulge.
Gomez ballooned the advantage 49 seconds into the third, but
Hillen notched his first goal of the campaign three minutes
later to halve the deficit.
Naslund secured the victory with 6:36 remaining in the game,
tipping in defenseman Paul Mara's attempt for a power-play tally
while stationed in the slot.