NEW YORK - It could have just as easily been Elvis walking off the stage, but instead is was Henrik Lundqvist who was raising his stick to the crowd after being named first star in the Rangers 4-0 trouncing of the visiting Florida Panthers.  The Rangers= goalie faced 38 shots and stopped them all in route to completing his second career shutout and ending the Rangers winless streak at three.

Carrying a 4-0 lead late in the third period -- despite being badly outshot -- the Rangers heard their rookie goaltender receive frequent chants of AHenry@ along with several standing ovations from the adoring Madison Square Garden faithful. 

And in the final minutes, when the outcome was all but settled, fans stuck around and cheered with delight for every Lunqvist save, rooting for the Swedish rookie to keep the puck out of the net.

AIt=s an amazing feeling to go out there after the game,@ Lundqvist gushed from the locker room, still dripping with sweat.  AI just want to stay out there all night.@

And while Lunqvist got most of the cheers, another Rangers rookie also grabbed part of the spotlight as Petr Prucha netted his 20^th goal during a 5-on-3 power play. 

With the tally, he is rapidly gaining on Calder Trophy favorites, Alexander Ovechkin (25) and Sindey Crosby (21).  But Prucha refuses to let his name be brought up with his more famous rivals. 

"I cannot be Rookie of the Year," Prucha said sheepishly after the game. "I'm not a complete player like Crosby or Ovechkin. Here, I'm just a little piece of a big machine."

"Petr's on fire," Lundqvist countered, placing Prucha=s name right up there with Ovechkin and Crosby. "I face him every day in practice. I know how skilled he is."

It is fair to say that both teammates deserve some consideration for the Calder Trophy as the NHL=s Rookie of the Year.  But interestingly, neither Prucha nor Lunqvist knows what the trophy is called.  Such a relaxed knowledge of the award reflects the pair=s evident ambivalence about receiving it, which suits team leader Jaromir Jagr just fine. AI'm glad about it because they don't get a big head,@ Jagr quipped with a smile.

However, when asked about Lundqvist specifically, Jagr compliment his goalie: Ahe was excellent.@

Jagr, for his part, was his usual impressive self, netting the first and last goals of the afternoon for the Blueshirts and extending his league-leading point total to 65.  Linemates Michael Nylander (3 assists) and Martin Straka (2 assists) also shined.  Ville Nieminen chipped in with a goal and an assist.

In fact, it was a near-perfect day at work for the Rangers but for a knee injury to Blair Betts in the first period.  Head Coach Tom Renney refused to speculate upon the injury=s severity, but Betts offered the media his best guess: AWe=re leaning towards there being some damage to the MCL ligament.@ 

If that=s the case, Betts would most likely not face surgery, but would require an extended period of rest and rehabilitation.  More will be known after Betts undergoes an MRI tomorrow.

The win for the Rangers also marks the exact halfway point in their season and they now look ahead ambitiously to the second half.  Renney did not hesitate to say that the team=s goal is to catch the first place Philadelphia Flyers and Awin the division.@  They currently trail by 7 points and have 6 games left against Philadelphia to help turn the tide.

It is a goal that is far from where many expected the Rangers to wind up at the end of the season.  But with a pair of surprising rookies to compliment Jagr and the veterans, that aspiration doesn=t seem that far-fetched anymore.