If the Season Started Today - part 3

It may only be pretend hockey - but in late July its the best we can do right now. When Blueshirt Brothers reader Mike Odell wrote in to ask what roster the Rangers would use "if the season started today" we decided to go one step further and imagine what would happen if the Rangers tried to play hockey today.

The first two periods were recapped over the last 2 days. In the first - the Rangers discovered they were playing alone - as there was no opponent ready to play them in July. Their second shock was that they were stumbling around on the wooden floor - no MSG ice surface yet. Also, 5 seconds in Gaborik tripped and was injured. But you can't blame the Garden ice - as there was none.

In the second period, a shot by Callahan clanged off the post and rolled the length of the ice into the Ranger goal - past a stunned Henrik who wasn't expecting to face any shots.

We pick up the action with the Rangers down 1-0 and the third period beginning:

3rd period

20:00 - Rangers win the faceoff. The scoreboard flashes the news - Gaborik's ankle is broken in 23 places and he is out for the next 3 seasons. In frustration, Drury fires the puck into the netting. Penalty - Rangers have their 3rd penalty kill.

18:00 Rangers kill off the penalty. The PK is their strongest weapon.

14:20 Donald Brasher - confused and frustrated by the fact that the Rangers have no opponents on the ice - goes crazy and starts attacking Ranger players. Without Brashear to protect them from Brashear - the Rangers stay in their own zone and stop attacking on offense. Time passes.

4:20 Blair Betts has had enough and decapitates Brashear with his stick. Sadly, this doesn't seem to impact Brashear's game very much - as he was never a cerebral player.

2:00 down 1-0 with time running out, the Ranger's pull Hank.

0:23 New Ranger Chris Higgins fire's the puck into the net for the apparent tying goal. But, since this is July, one of the goal judges is still on the Jersey shore. The light never goes on.

0:00 Rangers lose a heart breaker, 1-0. Sam Rosen talks up the positives.