Cam shuts out Chicago 1-0

Wow.  The post-trade deadline rangers are something to see.  Last night in Chicago they fought for more than 60 minutes – shutting out the Brad Richards/Dan Carcillo Blackhawks and beating them in OT 1-0 on a Derek Brassard blast from the left circle just 32 seconds into overtime. 

Cam Talbot was magnificent for the 2^nd straight game stopping all 29 shots he faced and beating a red hot Corey Crawford on the road.  In fact it‘s been more than 5 periods since the red hot Talbot has surrendered an even strength goal. 

The Rangers just kept coming and rolled 4 lines with no skater getting less than 10:31 time on the ice in the contest.  And after two tough road opponents that have needed 3 of a possible 4 points. 

What Did We Learn?  We learned that Cam Talbot can – at least at time – look every bit like a 1^st team goalie on a top NHL contender.   

Uh, A Little Help?  Assists?  There was one – by Captain Ryan McDonagh – and that was all we needed.

Did Special Teams Determine The Outcome Of This Game?  Yes and no.  We were 0-2 on the powerplay – but our Penalty Kill kept Chicago from scoring in 4 powerplay attemptsand in a 1-0 OT shutout – that was the difference between winning and losing.    

Where Do We Stand?  Get this - we are now 1 point behind the Islanders with 3 games at hand.  And we’re just 3 points behind the conference leading Canadiens with 2 games at hand.  We’re 15 points up on 9^th place Florida (who will soon be passed by Ottawa).

Oh My - What Will Happen Next?  A night off then it’s off to Long Island to face the Islanders Tuesday. 

Non-Sequitur of the day:  If we sprang forward on the clock this weekend – why do I feel like falling back to bed?