The New York Rangers put the finishing touches on an ideal first half of the season with a 3-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, keeping them on top of the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 22 shots he faced as he heads to this weekend’s All-Star game, while the home team got a goal in each period from Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards in a comfortable victory.
“So far it’s been a good ride,” Lundqvist told reporters. “We just have to keep challenging ourselves to try to get better and the challenge is to just stay on top.”
It was an unscheduled appearance for Lundqvist, who was supposed to get the night off, but backup Martin Biron was ruled out with illness, forcing the starter into his fifth consecutive start. It was also his fifth shutout of the season.
The win moved New York (31-12-4) two points clear of Boston in first place in the East and it came after the Rangers beat the Bruins in a showdown on Saturday.
The Jets (22-22-6), fighting to move into playoff contention, slipped to their third straight loss as they failed to pose any real offensive threat.
Ondrej Pavelec had 28 saves for Winnipeg, keeping his team within range until Richards netted a shot in the final four minutes of the game.
Tuesday’s other results:
‧ Predators 3, Blackhawks 1
‧ Penguins 3, Blues 2, SO
‧ Capitals 5, Bruins 3
‧ Flyers 3, Panthers 2, SO
‧ Coyotes 3, Senators 2
‧ Sharks 1, Flames 0
‧ Wild 3, Avalanche 2
‧ Canucks 3, Oilers 2, SO
‧ Sabres 2, Devils 1, SO
‧ Maple Leafs 4, Islanders 3, OT
‧ Stars 1, Ducks 0
‧ Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 2
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The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
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