Rangers 1, Hurricanes 5 - 1/27/10

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In their final home game before a three-game trip out West, the Rangers did not get the result they were seeking. Instead of a victory to bolster them as they jet off to Phoenix, the Blueshirts dropped their fourth straight contest, falling 5-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Ryan Callahan scored the lone goal for the Rangers, who have netted just three total during their four-game slide.

“I didn’t think we played that bad of a game,” Callahan said. “If you break it down, I thought we battled hard and we had a lot of time in their zone. Right now we need that extra bounce and go from there.”

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Carolina’s win was backstopped by a sensational outing from goaltender Cam Ward, who made 21 saves in the second period alone, and finished with 37. Sergei Samsonov and Eric Staal both contributed two goals apiece for the visitors.

“I think Ward played great tonight for them and gave them a boost,” said center Brian Boyle. “They capitalized on that with some scoring. We need to do that, get those goals.”

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The Rangers could not have gotten off to a much worse start then they did on Wednesday. Before four minutes had elapsed on the game clock, they trailed Carolina 2-0. And although they did not allow another goal the remainder of the first period, things did not get much better for the home team over the first 20 minutes of play.

“Of course that’s not the start we’re looking for,” said alternate captain Vinny Prospal. “But there was still a lot of time left in the hockey game. But we got just one goal, and that’s not enough.”

Carolina struck for goals 25 seconds apart to open up a two-goal lead by the 3:36 mark of the first. Positioned down low in front of Henrik Lundqvist, Carolina’s Patrick Dwyer deflected Joni Pitkanen’s slap shot into the net for his fourth goal at 3:11. Staal, the Hurricanes’ new captain, doubled the advantage on the game’s next shift when his bad angle shot from left wing somehow eluded Lundqvist at 3:36.

“I have to be better, plain and simple,” said Lundqvist.

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FINAL SO

1-5

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