While the start was lousy, the finish more than made up for it. After spotting the Devils 2-0 and 3-1 leads, the Rangers roared back with six straight goals, including four in the second, to defeat New Jersey 7-3. The seven goals and four in the second, along with 12 players with points and six players with a goal or more, were other marks set records for Outdoor Games, but more important, was the win and four-point swing resulting from the victory.
Game Highlights:
The pomp and circumstance of the event was something to behold. When you then add in the snow in the second period, it gave the spectacle kind of a magical feel to it. I like Southside Johnny and the Jersey Boys were okay, and understand that since the Devils were the home team, it was tailored to them, but both left me kind of feeling meh. With Islanders-Rangers, would love if Billy Joel, who lives in LI but holds the record for most concerts at MSG played, or even add Dee Snider from Twisted Sister for a local feel, though Gary Bettman would likely be apoplectic over it.
Watching the game, you could tell right away that Henrik Lundqvist was fighting it. I wasn't sure if it was the ice, the cold or something else, but he looked to be struggling tracking and handling the puck, in surrendering three goals on 10 shots in the first period. Of course, it came out after that due to the uncertainty of the time for the opening faceoff - the originally scheduled 1:02 faceoff was ultimately delayed 40 minutes - Lundqvist was actually napping when the team’s warmup time was finally settled. Initially, the view was that start would actually be around 2:30, so Lundqvist grabbed a pre-game nap, but was woken up and told they were in 30 minutes, which threw off his entire schedule. That was evident early on, but he got stronger as they game wore on, allowing no goals on just 12 shots the next two periods while stoning NJ early in the third to maintain the 6-3 lead.
The three goals allowed by the Rangers were largely the result of poor play and less so due to the conditions. On the first, two Rangers were beaten at the Devils blue line, allowing the breakout pass to Patrik Elias, who caught Dan Girardi flat-footed and beat Lundqvist short-side. On the second, Lundqvist for some reason tracked Jaromir Jagr to the side of the net, leaving it open and Elias, who benefited from an uncalled Travis Zajac pick, was open in front. On the third, John Moore failed to tie up his man and boom 3-1.
The Rangers fourth line and second pair defensemen saved the team and were strong throughout. The first goal was a result of good hard work by the fourth line, with Dominic Moore getting free to bang it past Martin Brodeur and make it 2-1. Later, Marc Staal did his best impersonation of Mike Rupp in the Winter Classic, scoring a similar weak short-side goal to lift the team from its doldrums. Staal and Stralman were each a plus-four and Stralman's hit at the Rangers blue line created the sixth goal scored by Rick Nash to basically clinch the game.
That goal seemed to calm the Rangers down and open the floodgates. New York started to use their speed to their advantage, transitioning from defense to offense and using the bad ice to break out of the zone with odd-man rushes. John Moore had his best game in ages, flying all over the ice and creating chances. He was disher on the 2-on-1 with Mats Zuccarello that resulted in Zucc's first tally of the game and in the middle of the 3-on-2 with Zuccarello and Brassard that resulted in the second of the night by Zuccarello's that gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead.
Speed was at the forefront again on the fifth goal, where Carl Hagelin used that speed to obtain the puck, then create space around the boards and put the puck on net. Granted the goal deflected off Marek Zidlicky behind Brodeur, but we have talked about getting shots on net and traffic in front and that's what happened there with Brad Richards in the slot. On the sixth, the hit by Stralman created the turnover, quick transition, 3-on-1 and deflection off a stick on a shot by Rick Nash, his 11th in 11 games, and 6-1. Even the penalty shot came about due to speed by Derek Stepan, yes, you read that correctly speed by Derek Stepan, caused the hook and penalty shot call, which Stepan buried past Cory Schneider for another first.
Before 50,105 fans and the colors of the two teams, it was great event. Now, the Rangers have to forget it and move on to the Islanders on Wednesday. They have a bit of a benefit of having played in two of these games and knowing the ice at Yankee Stadium, but if they fail to shut down the Tavares line, who killed them last week, all that experience will mean nothing. Also, for the most part, the fans were good, but you had the stupid ones drinking and cursing on the subway at 11am and cursing with little kids around during the contest. Granted that's part and parcel of the event, and I am sure with a 7:30 start Wednesday and it being Rangers-Islanders, it will be worse, but hopefully the fans will be civil, though that may be asking for too much. Back with more tomorrow.