Oct 3, 2009 10:26 pm US/Eastern
Dubinsky Scores 2 Goals, Rangers Win 5-2
Lundqvist Stops 32 Shots To Help New York Win Home Opener
PITTSBURGH (AP) ―
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The Rangers' Ryan Callahan, No. 24, attempts to maintain control of the puck as he is pushed down in front of goaltender Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury on Oct. 2, 2009 at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Brandon Dubinsky scored twice and Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves Saturday to help the New York Rangers win their home opener, 5-2 over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night.
The sellout crowd came to cheer Marian Gaborik, New York's major free-agent signing over the summer, only to see him upstaged by linemates Dubinsky and Vinny Prospal.
Gaborik scored for a second straight game, a goal that padded Rangers lead to 4-1 after his linemates had already done the heavy lifting.
The Rangers evened their record at 1-1 with a rare home win over the Senators, 16-4-1 in their previous 21 visits to Madison Square Garden.
Daniel Alfreddson and Peter Regin scored in the Senators' season opener.
Pascal Leclaire, making his first start since undergoing ankle surgery last December, made 29 saves in his Ottawa debut.
Prospal, Dubinsky and Michael Del Zotto staked the Rangers to a 3-1 lead in the second period.
Prospal got the first tally at 3:20, rifling a shot under the crossbar. Dubinsky, on a feed from Gaborik, beat Leclaire to the glove side at 10:00, giving New York a 2-0 advantage.
Alfredsson, all alone in the slot as the trailer on an Ottawa rush, converted a centering feed from Jason Spezza at 15:36 to cut the Rangers lead to 2-1.
New York went back up by two when Del Zotto, a 19-year-old rookie defenseman, got his first NHL goal on a point shot as Ryan Callahan provided an effective screen with 51 seconds remaining.
In the third, Gaborik cleaned up the rebound on Dubinsky's breakaway at 12:04. Dubinsky got his second, a short-hander into an empty net, at 18:52.
Regin closed out the scoring with 6 seconds remaining.
The Rangers could not dent Leclaire in a scoreless first period despite a 3-0 advantage in power plays. Prospal came closest to connecting, denied by a Leclaire pad save. At the other end, Lundqvist make a sharp glove stop on Matt Carkner in the closing minutes.
NOTES: Rangers LW Sean Avery remains sidelined by a sprained MCL in his right knee. ... Ottawa C Mike Fisher missed a day of practice this week but was in the lineup. ... It marked the first time the Senators played the Rangers in a season opener. ... The Blue Man Group from Broadway provided pregame entertainment.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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