Rangers Duck It Up: Lose 5-2 to Anaheim

[Note by Jim Schmiedeberg, 03/10/11 12:51 AM EST Recap is brief and to the point. Sorry, gotta be up for the real job at 5:30AM]

The Rangers followed up their best game of the year by playing one of their worst. Flat and largely disinterested for most of this game, they were beaten by Anaheim, 5-2 tonight at the Honda Center.

Brandon Dubinsky scored early to give the Rangers the lead, his twentieth of the season, with Callahan getting his twentieth assist and twentieth assist for Artem Anisimov as well. (Thanks to Jessie Spector for finding this one). It should be noted that the Great Cam Fowler left Dubinsky wide open in front of the net on the play.

Ducks tied up on a goal by Corey Perry that deflected in off Dan Girardi, then Lubomir Visnovsky gave the Ducks the lead just a few minutes later. Visnovsky would add yet another deflected goal, this one off Artem Anisimov, and the Ducks took a 3-1 lead into the second period.

In the third, after Dan Ellis made a terrific save to stop Brandon Dubinsky, the Ducks took a two on one the other way, and Bobby Ryan put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist to give the Ducks a three goal lead.

Marian Gaborik made an appearance in the third period. After going shotless through the first two frames, Gabby scored and pulled the Rangers within two, and the buzz about whether the Rangers were about to mount another furious third period "lose by one goal rally" began.

Corey Perry would score his second goal of the game to put an end to any of those thoughts, and now the Rangers are faced with trying to beat one of the hottest teams in hockey In San Jose Saturday night to try and salvage some points from this California trip.

The Rangers did have their chances in this game, and couldn't capitalize. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi were both awful in this one. Turn the page boys, get ready for the Sharks, or they'll make you look more foolish than Anaheim did tonight.