Music: {allcanada} Talbot makes 21 saves, Rangers shut out Flames

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

{allcanada} Talbot makes 21 saves, Rangers shut out Flames

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NEW YORK -- Not only did the New York Rangers win without Rick Nash on Tuesday, the player who replaced him on the top line provided the only goal they needed against the Calgary Flames.

Kevin Hayes scored three minutes into the third period and Cam Talbot made 21 saves to lift the Rangers to a 1-0 win at Madison Square Garden. Hayes is normally New York's third-line center but was playing on the first line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello with Nash out of the lineup because of neck spasms.

Nash, the second leading scorer in the NHL with 37 goals (trailing Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who has 38), is considered day-to-day. He missed his first game of the season Tuesday.

The Rangers (37-16-6) have points in nine straight games (7-0-2) and improved to 10-1-2 in their past 13 games. They are 8-1-2 since goalie Henrik Lundqvist was taken out of the lineup because of a vascular injury.

Talbot had his first shutout since taking over as the Rangers' temporary No. 1 goalie. He allowed 28 goals in his previous nine starts.

The Rangers are still two points behind the New York Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division, but now have a three-point lead on the third-place Pittsburgh Penguins and a four-point lead on the fourth place Washington Capitals.

The Penguins and Capitals play in Washington on Wednesday.

The Rangers, who trail the Islanders by two points, have three games in hand on the Islanders, one on the Penguins and two on the Capitals.

The Flames (32-24-4), who started a season-high seven-game road trip on Tuesday, remained out of the Stanley Cup Playoff picture in the Western Conference. They entered the night one point behind the Minnesota Wild for the second wild-card spot.

Calgary, which has lost three in a row (0-2-1), plays at the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday before finishing its New York/New Jersey swing of this road trip Friday at Nassau Coliseum against the Islanders. The Flames also have games at the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators before playing their next home game on March 11.

Hayes' 12th goal of the season was a result of a turnover in the defensive zone by Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman. Brassard stripped the puck away from Wideman and went toward the net before leaving a pretty drop pass back to Hayes for a glove-side one-timer from the right circle.

With the assist Brassard set a career high for points in a season with 48 through 57 games. His previous high of 47 came in 74 games during the 2010-11 season, when he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Neither team scored through two periods with Talbot and Flames goalie Karri Ramo combining for 34 saves. The Rangers had a 45-27 edge in total shot attempts through two periods.

Ramo made 19 saves in the first 40 minutes, including a highlight-reel glove save on J.T. Miller during a Rangers power play at 1:46. He faced 10 shots in the first period and nine in the second.

Talbot made 15 saves through two periods, including six in the final 4:51 of the second period.

Talbot had to make three saves on one sequence entering the final minute of the second period. He made back-to-back saves on Flames forward Josh Jooris from the left circle before holding onto Sean Monahan's shot off the rebound from the right circle with one minute remaining.

New York forward Oscar Lindberg took Nash's spot in the lineup to make his NHL debut.

Lindberg was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League earlier in the day Tuesday.

Lindberg played most of the game as the Rangers' third-line center between Miller and Carl Hagelin. Hayes is normally the Rangers' third-line center.

Calgary rookie Emile Poirier also made his NHL debut. Poirier was recalled Monday along with Michael Ferland. Matt Stajan and Mason Raymond were unavailable both were in Calgary with their wives, who were expecting to give birth.

Poirier, 20, was Calgary's first-round pick (No. 22) in the 2013 NHL Draft.

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