It was a tough night to be a Ranger goaltender. Dan Blackburn announced his retirement from hockey so as not to jeopardize his insurance claim now that it has become clear that he will never make it all the way back to the NHL without a glove hand. The clock struck midnight for Cinderella goalie Chris Holt, who was assigned to Hartford, a wholly expected move. And in the Garden pre-season opener, Ranger starter Kevin Weekes was booed by the home crowd the first time his name was announced and got a sarcastic cheer the first time he made a save.
Weekes was left to fend for himself by the lackadaisical Rangers in the first period. The visiting Bruins had as many goals in the stanza as the home team had shots on goal, taking a 2-0 lead on a 14-2 shot advantage. Weekes was beaten by a screened power play point shot, just as he was twice in the first period of the first pre-season opener vs. the Isles. Although the new standard of officiating makes it difficult to move guys out from the low slot, defensemen are still entitled to their own space on the ice and can legally defend their turf using sound body positioning -- the Ranger defender on the goal completely backed off and left Weekes at the mercy of the screen (Steve Rucchin said after the game that he believes the officials will allow some amount of body contact and that the team has to figure out where the line is).
The Rangers must have gotten a wake up call during the first intermission, because they came out ready to compete in the second period. They cut down on their penalties, drew their share from the Bruins, and scored three times -- all on the rush, all by the top three Czechs (Jagr, Rucinsky, and Straka -- Straka stole the puck and scored on a Messier-style wrong-foot off-wing snap shot with just one tenth of one second left in the period). Jagr, perhaps the most obviously disinterested Ranger in the first period, clinched the game with a power play goal late in the third to complete a three point night (two goals, one assist).
Jagr started the game skating with Rucchin and Rucinsky, with Jozef Balej auditioning on the right side with Straka and Nylander, as coach Tom Renney continues to look at exactly what he has to work with. Dominic Moore centered Nigel Dawes and Chad Wiseman, while Jarkko Immonen lined up with fellow Finn Ville Nieminen and Petr Prucha. The defense pairs were Kondratiev with Kasparaitis, Bryce Lampman with Jason Strudwick, and Tom Poti with Thomas Pock, with Joe Rullier spot shifted among them. Strudwick fought with Colton "Don't Call Me Bobby" Orr in the first period, avenging a big hit on Lampman.
Ville Nieminen looked extremely good tonight, skating hard, throwing some hits, and earning some good scoring chances. Pock continued to look like an NHL player -- he made a gorgeous home run pass that sprung a Nylander breakaway (Jagr pushed the loose puck in from the crease), he threw a thunderous check, and he ripped the helmet off the Bruin goalie with a blistering point shot. Aside from the aforementioned breakaway, Nylander overpassed at every opportunity, even when he was in prime scoring position, something Renney readily acknowledged, although he commended the slick center for his unselfish attitude. Kondratiev had an atrocious first period (giveaway to Bergeron for a goal, beaten for a breakaway that forced him to give up a penalty shot, among other faux pas), but regained control of his play afterwards. It appeared as if he was trying to do too much, and sure enough, that is exactly what Renney noted after the game, saying that he "wanted to get a lot done in a hurry" and needed to be slowed down.
The Rangers showed again in the shoot-out demonstration that they will be a force to contend with in the regular season whenever they get that far. Although Jagr lost the handle on his opening attempt and Nylander was stopped by Boston's no-name back-up netminder, Petr Prucha tied up the three-man phase of the affair with a great shot. Weekes continued to hold fast through every Bruin shooter's multiple dekes (he also stopped Zdenek Blatny on a first period penalty shot) while Straka hit a goal post and Rucinsky slipped in the winner during the sudden death portion.
Weekes was gracious afterwards about his treatment by the fans, saying the correct things about what a great city, arena, and fan base he now plays for. Renney said he will play two more complete pre-season games, and that Lundqvist will get one complete game. The other remaining game will be split between two goalies, with Montoya probably being on of the two.
Renney also said that Dominic Moore could do well in a third or fourth line role for the Rangers, a situation in which "expectations could be reasonable" and therefore easily met. Moore again flashed his speed in this game, and along with Pock showed that NCAA players also know how to play without the red line factoring into the two-line pass. Both teams were able to take advantage of the new rule -- the Rangers at first looked unprepared to defend against it, but when they got their heads into the game, they became the ones to utilize it to generate several breakaways.
Although the 4-2 comeback win pleased the fans in attendance, it should be pointed out that the Rangers had their top five forwards (Lundmark did not play) and most of their top defensemen (Malik and Tyutin did not suit up), while the Bruins played without Joe Thornton, Sergei Samsonov, Glen Murray, Alexei Zhamnov, Andrew Raycroft, Brian Leetch, and three or four other regulars.
The morning papers are almost all about Blackburn calling it a day -- the News, Journal News, Newsday, and Star Ledger. The Post has the story too, but only after Larry Brooks wonders about the role of enforcers in the new NHL. He asked Renney about that, and about Peter Worrell, who is in Hartford camp on a try-out -- Renney came up with two more entertaining ways to say, "I'm not really sure."
Comments