Hockey - Rangers Transform Thrashers Into Clay Pigeons

The Rangers arrived in Madison Square Garden last night as returning heroes, carrying in a two-games-to-none playoff series lead over Atlanta, a feat the crowd began celebrating the minute the Rangers took the ice. The howl continued through the national anthem, and fans had barely settled into their seats when the Rangers made them stand up again.

Center Michael Nylander scored on the first shift, on the Rangers? first rush, 32 seconds into the game, seeming to leave little question whether the Rangers could maintain their stranglehold on the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. That goal ? the first of three by Nylander ? sent the Rangers on their way to a 7-0 victory and gave them a three-games-to-none edge and a chance to complete a sweep of the series tonight.

It was the Rangers? first home playoff victory since their 3-0 triumph over the Devils on May 8, 1997.

Atlanta, the Eastern Conference?s No. 3 seed, has yet to collect a victory in the franchise?s first playoff appearance.

On the first shift of the game, forward Jaromir Jagr carried the puck up ice, stick-handled around Atlanta center ?ric B?langer as if he were a traffic cone and passed to an unchecked Nylander, who fired his shot past Thrashers goalie Kari Lehtonen. The Zamboni had barely stopped idling, and the Rangers had all the momentum they needed.

Small things happen and we get the first goal and it?s always a more relaxed feeling to play like that,? Nylander said. ?We just have to continue working and whatever happens, happens. We have a lot of confidence in the group right now. ?

It also called into question the decision of Atlanta Coach Bob Hartley to switch goalies for the second time in the series, putting Lehtonen, his regular-season starter, back in the net after benching him for Johan Hedberg in Game 2.

Hedberg had played well in that game with 37 saves, despite the Rangers? 2-1 victory. One of the goals ricocheted off the glass and into the net on a bizarre bounce, and the other came off a perfect across-the-crease pass from Sean Avery to Brendan Shanahan.

Lehtonen got little help from his defense. Already backing up on Nylander?s first goal, the Thrashers did not get off their heels for the entire period. Every time the Jagr-Nylander-Marcel Hossa line took the ice, Atlanta seemed defenseless.

Jagr set up the next goal by forechecking behind the Atlanta net, knocking the puck free from Niclas Havelid and tying up both Havelid and B?langer. Free in front of the net were Hossa, who took a shot, and Nylander who got the rebound and scored his second goal. That came with 10 minutes 15 seconds left in the period.

?We had a great start,? Jagr said. ?That?s the bottom line. We score the first goal and we just keep going. After the first it?s 3-0 and I thought it was enough.?

The teams were soon in a four-on-four situation with Atlanta defenseman Greg DeVries and Rangers forward Sean Avery off with matching cross-checking penalties.

That gave Rangers defenseman Marek Malik two scoring chances on one possession. He sent one shot wide, then got another chance off a pass from Nylander and scored with 7:34 left in the first period.

The Thrashers called timeout after the goal, but Hartley stuck with Lehtonen.

The Rangers added to their lead early in the second period. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist made his biggest save of the game, sprawling to stop a shot that defenseman Fedor Tyutin then cleared out of danger.

Tyutin passed to Avery, who spotted Ryan Callahan speeding into the Atlanta zone ahead of the defense. Callahan collected the pass and beat Lehtonen to the far post for the 4-0 lead and his first career playoff goal.

Callahan scored again on a power play late in the second period, deflecting a slap shot by defenseman Paul Mara past Lehtonen.

Whenever the Thrashers managed to generate offensive chances, Lundqvist turned them away. He had been spectacular in Game 2, a close-checking game that gave the Rangers and Lundqvist no room for error. Though Lundqvist stayed sharp on the few good scoring chances the Thrashers had last night, it gave the fans little opportunity to use the little cardboard Lundqvist masks they had been received for the game.

?We looked at each other on the bench before the game even started,? Sean Avery said. ?During the anthem they were just rocking. And then Mikey scores that goal and they get going even louder. It?s like a sixth guy on the ice. It?s got to be intimidating for a visiting team to come in here and play in that. I thought Atlanta was loud and they didn?t have anything on this rink. It?s the loudest rink I?ve ever been in.?

The Thrashers have gotten little out of their high-powered offense. In the regular season, Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa combined for 85 goals, but they have managed only one between them in the series.

SLAP SHOTS

Rangers defenseman Fedor Tyutin collected another assist in Game 3, and has five in the series. ... Forward Jaromir Jagr assisted on each of the Rangers? first three goals and had four assists over all. ... Rangers Coach Tom Renney stuck with the same lineup he used in the first two games, keeping the checking-line forward Ryan Hollweg in the press box in favor of Colton Orr.

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