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Rangers send Hurricanes to fifth straight loss

Dec 2, 2011 - 3:41 AM Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - The New York Rangers showed their depth on Thursday as five different players found the back of the net en route to a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at RBC Center.

Marian Gaborik finished with a goal and an assist, while Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh, Sean Avery and Michael Sauer all scored for the Rangers, who have won four straight and 11 of their last 13 contests.

Martin Biron stopped 28-of-31 shots to earn his fourth win of the season for New York.

Jiri Tlusty, Jeff Skinner and Derek Joslin scored and Eric Staal had two assists for the Hurricanes, losers of five consecutive games.

Cam Ward was touched for all five goals on 27 shots in defeat for Carolina.

Carolina wasted no time taking the lead, making it 1-0 just 35 seconds into the game when Brandon Sutter won an offensive zone faceoff to the left of Biron back to Tlusty, who fired a quick wrister from the left circle high over the right shoulder of the Rangers netminder.

The Rangers answered right back on the power play at 1:42 of the opening stanza when Brad Richards fired a shot from the left circle that was stopped, but Callahan was on the doorstep to slam home the rebound.

"You can't count on two or three guys, or even one line, to carry you every night and have success. You're too easy to shut down," Callahan said. "But here everyone is contributing right through the lineup. Guys are stepping in from Hartford and getting points, scoring goals. That's what you need to have success in this league, contributions throughout the lineup, and it breeds confidence."

Carolina grabbed the lead again with just nine seconds remaining in the first period when Staal won an offensive zone draw back to Joni Pitkanen at the point. Pitkanen let a shot go that was blocked by Brandon Prust, but the puck came right back to Pitkanen and he batted it over to Skinner, and the reigning Calder Trophy winner fired it past Biron from the right circle.

The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room at the first intermission, but New York took control of the game with three consecutive goals in the second stanza.

The Rangers came up with the tying goal at 8:54 of the second period when McDonagh fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that found its way through sticks and bodies in front and past Ward.

The second goal of the period came just under three minutes later when Gaborik took a great feed from Artem Anisimov and put it past Ward for the 3-2 lead.

Avery made it 4-2 when he accepted a pass from Gaborik and ripped it past Ward from the slot at 13:47.

Carolina finally answered back at 17:47 of the second period when Joslin wristed a shot from the point along the ice that got through the bodies in front and through the legs of a screened Biron to make it 4-3.

New York made it 5-3 at 5:42 of the final period when Sauer let a slap shot go from the right point that got through Ward to cap the scoring.

"It's going to take baby steps," Hurricanes head cocah Kirk Muller said. "We just have to keep building, it's a challenge. We have to keep a positive attitude, keep grinding it out and just get ready to practice tomorrow."

Game Notes

Hurricanes forward Jussi Jokinen played in his 200th game in a Hurricanes uniform...Fourteen Rangers players had at least one point...The Rangers improved to 9-0-1 when leading after the second period.