Boys and Girls – that was the best Ranger victory of the season – one of the best hockey games I’ve seen in years – and proof-positive
that this team is a 100% legit contender to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup in June.
Fighting a first place Islander team that has had their
number this year – without their best player Henrik Lundqvist in goal –
trailing all night – your New York Rangers rose from the dead not once, but
twice to overcome three two goal deficits to tie the Nassau Nemeses and then
exploding for the game winner late in the third to defeat the stunned Islanders
6-5 on their own Long Island Ice.
Make no mistake –
this team can score. We are now talking
22 goals in 4 games. That’s two 6’s and
two 5’s. Vigneault has built this group –
a unit that was supposed to not have the talent to compete for the cup – into a
team that can fire the puck through the neutral zone – flood into the opponent’s
zone with speed – move the puck – generate chances – and score, score and score
again.
You pal Dave Pucks has been watching the Blue Shirts since
that meant squinting at a ten once black & white TV at Jean Ratelle – and I
have NEVER seen a Ranger team that could score like this. You have three dangerous lines now – all of
which can light the lamp. To put this
another way – you get six goals – and folks – you can take your chances.
This was a hockey game that not only seemed like a playoff
game – it almost felt like an entire playoff series. 11 goals.
Sam Rosen at 14:20 of the 2nd actually called it, saying “this
could be a 6-5 game”.
It only took the Islanders 11 seconds to take the lead as
Tavares, the Islanders best player, intercepted Talbot’s attempted pass from
behind the net and John shot the puck cleanly into the net before Cam could get
back to the crease. Nielson added the Islanders 2nd
goal at 11:46 and it was a two goal lead.
It was the captain, Ryan McDonagh, who got the Rangers
started in the right direction. The Ranger defenseman took a long Halak
rebound and rifled it in from the right circle to cut the lead to 2-1.
On to the second period, where at 1:20 Johnny Boychuk beat
Cam with slap shot from the blue line and it was 3-1. But in the period’s 4th minute the
Rangers rose up and changed this hockey game:
First - Dan Boyle passes the puck to Derek Stepan and the Ranger
center delivers the puck
to Chris Kreider who crossed the blue line and just
flat-out beak Halak with a long wrister that clanged off the post and in. The goal shook the islanders and ignited the Rangers
– who scored again just 23 seconds later.
This time it was the captain’s 2nd of the
night. J. T. Miller slide the puck near
the blue line to Ryan – who shot it through traffic and past the rocked
Islander goalie to, incredibly, tie the contest at 3-3.
But – to the Islander’s credit – they regrouped and then
regained the momentum after a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty by the Rangers. We fought off the extra man attack for the
full 2 minutes – but in thr seconds afterwards – Ryan Strome beat an exhausted Rangers
defense and Cam Talbot – and the Islanders had regained the lead escaping the third
period up 4-3.
So –on to a third period that would feature 4 more goals and
the game’s only lead change.
For the third time – the Islanders scored the first goal of
a period. The Rangers had put on
sustained pressure for three minutes but the Islander defense held. Then a costly turnover by Dan Boyle gave our
opponents a 3 on 1 break – which they cashed in to rebuild a two goal lead, 5-3
with 3:43 gone in the third.
But if this game was over – someone forget to tell the New
York Rangers. It was the Stepan line
that got things started. Chris Kreider
came flying up the right side of the ice and brilliantly shoveled a no-look backwards
pass to the trailing Derek Stepan – surprising everyone on the ice – possibly including
Derek himself. Stepan took the puck and
fired a quick from the right circle that beat Halak and at 6:25 of the third
the deficit was cut to one once again at 5-4.
The Rangers had regained the momentum and were coming at the
Islanders in waves now.
And less than
two minutes later – magic happened:
Chris Kreider stole the puck in the neutral zone and Derek
Stepan collected in and somehow the Rangers stayed onside (or did they) as the
three forwards entered the Islanders zone together. Stepan broke in on Halak and cleverly
backhanded a pass across the ice tot the waiting Martin St. Louis. The diminutive aging superstar was locked and
loaded and ripped the puck at Halak who was trying to get his body into
position. But Marty – who had not scored
in a month – could not have picked a better moment to bury this chance and tie
the game, incredibly, at 5-5 at 8:02 of the third.
And just like that – we had a tie hockey game. With the lines jumbled on a long shift in the
Islander’s zone, Brassard cut across the middle inside the blue line and headed
left before rifling a cross ice pass to his right. It came first to St. Louis who looked like a
baseball hotter taking his m=homerun cut at a fast ball. But the puck was by him before he could
connect. Halak had to react to Marty’s
big swing and so was not fully prepared at the puck continued right to the
stick of onrushing defenseman Kevin Klein.
Klein – who is having a career year – launched one of his patented fast
and heavy shots and Halak could not handle it.
And when the ice chips had cleared it was – for the first
time – the Rangers had taken a lead. It
was 6-5 and 15:28 and the Rangers and Talbot had their first lead to protect.
They did some great work keeping the puck in the Islander
end – but in the game’s final half minute they did attack the Rangers and Cam’s
left post was called on to make a key save.
Shortly after that the final horn sounded and your New York Rangers had somehow
scrambled back against a first place club to get their first win of the season
against the Islanders and overcome a series of deficits to beat their rivals
6-5.
What a game. And what
a comeback by a gritty Ranger team. Make
no mistake – these guys can fly around the ice and score goals. And when you can do that – you’re never out
of a hockey game. 11 goals, 85 shots (42
by the Rangers).
Uh, A Little Help? Assists?
Oh yeah we got that: 2 for Stepan
and one each for Girardi, Kreider, Boyle, Miller, Stempniak, Klein, Boyle and
St. Louis.
Did Special Teams
Determine The Outcome Of This Game? No.
Officially we were 0-2 and and ne Islanders 0-3 with the man
advantage.
Where Do We Stand?
Oh baby – it’s 34-16-5. Looking
down – the perennial 9th place Florida Panthers are now 13
points behind us. And looking up, the news is, well, looking up. We just passed Pittsburgh for 2nd
place – we both have 73 points but the Rangers hold the game-at-hand. And against the first place Islanders we are
only 2 points back with two games at hand.
Oh My - What Will Happen
Next? Home finally on
Thursday to Vancouver.
So trap in folks – the Rangers are gunning for first place. Thanks for reading – Dave Pucks out.
No comments:
Post a Comment