NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Rangers scored three third-period goals to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 on Sunday and record their fourth consecutive victory.
Ales Kotalik scored with the final period barely two minutes old while Artem Anisimov scored on another power play 12 minutes later for his first NHL goal. Dan Girardi added an empty netter with less than two minutes remaining for the Rangers (4-1).
"We played a solid game right from the start," Kotalik told reporters. "We knew we had to stay with it and stay patient and things would happen for us, and they did."
New York wing Sean Avery saw his first action of the season and assisted on Anisimov's score. Avery, who had been out with a knee injury, also drew a penalty on the Ducks' Ryan Whitney that led to Kotalik's goal.
"He played well, forechecked, and was effective," Rangers head coach John Tortorella said of Avery.
"On that power play goal, he became a pretty effective player there."
Goaltender Steve Valiquette, making his first start of the season, recorded his fourth career shutout and made 18 saves.
The Ducks (2-2-1) took only one shot in the first period.
"It was extra special tonight because my four-month-old was here," said Valiquette.
"I wanted to have a strong showing, certainly for him, and I really wanted to win the hockey game for him."
Ducks netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 35 saves.
"He was pretty good," Kotalik said of Giguere. "He kept them in the game for 40 minutes, and he got lucky a bunch of times, too.
"But we stayed with it, stayed patient, and we knew we had the strength and the conditioning for a strong finish in the third period."
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
