Live blog-esue coverage of the Rangers' true home opener:
[Via Yahoo! NHL / Getty Images]
Opening Ceremonies:
An eighteen-man, NYPD drum corps walked out onto the ice and a spotlight shone on them--the rest of the Garden shrouded in darkness. As each player was announced this squad of drummers played a roll and a loud, crisp snare hit--prrrr, prrrr, WHACK! [I'm new to onomatopoeia, what do you want from me?]
A surprisingly loud cheer for Tom Renney. It makes sense to me, but I thought at The World's Least Patient Arena that Tom wasn't looked upon too favorably by most. Hmm...
For once that sound was accompanying Petr Prucha's name was not a Pruuuuu but a resounding chorus of boos for his being a healthy scratch.
The loudest cheer thus far was reserved of course for Henrik Lundqvist.
[Via Yahoo! NHL / Getty Images]
But, wow. One just as loud, if not louder, for Chris Drury
For the Hawks, the C of course belongs to Jonathan Toews. A surprise, for me at least, is that Duncan Keith has got one of the A's. Good for him. He's a solid, young player and one of the earlier pieces of that promising Chicago puzzle to come together. Noticeably, no letter sewn onto Martin Havlat's jersey though wouldn't want to waste the cash on an A when he'll probably be in surgery before warm-ups are over. Uhh... He's fragile.
FIRST PERIOD:
0:00: We're under way from the Garden.
1:38: A wild chance in front for the third line. Callahan just missed stuffing one in on Huet's right and, on the other side, a sprawling Korpikoski came tantalizingly close to jamming one in on the other side of the net. Solid effort.
1:51: Coming the other way, however, Korpikoski put a hook into a Blackhawk driving the net and will sit for two
3:00ish: 32 CHI Versteeg cruises through the slot, spins and sends a shot wide
3:52: Nice play by Staal behind the net, fights off two Blackhawks and moves the puck to a waiting Brandon Dubinsky
4:01: Colin Fraser (who?) and Ryan Callahan drop the mitts at center. A quick, clean win for Callahan who tackled Fraser to the ice while peppering his face with punches
4:36: Gomez sprung in on goal with a long feed from the NYR end, skates in toward the circle and lets go a wrister that Huet eats up with the glove.
6:00ish: A productive shift, though shotless, by Dawes, Korpikoski and Sjostrom
6:50: Drury glides down the right wing boards, sends a low wrister low to the far side that Huet kicks out right into Wade Redden's wheelhouse. Redden lines it up and lets loose a slapper from the circle. Buried it.
G: Redden (2) A: Drury, Naslund
CHI 0 - NYR 1
8:35: Good work gets the Hawks the puck in the Rangers end and Lundqvist fights off a Byfuglien shot from the high slot
10:18: Havlat and Sharp hook up on a pretty play on a 2-on-1 for the Hawks. Sharp somehow corrals the saucer pass to the slot and flips it toward the goal in one motion. Lundqvist makes the stop.
11:15: Drury coughs it up to Toews behind the net who works it back to the point for a wrister than Lundqvist easily snags. Little bit of poor puck management.
11:45: Rozsival tries to pound in a rebound of a Voros shot but is denied.
12:22: A little of the rough stuff after the whistle. Ryan Callahan took a late knock from someone or another on the Blackhawks. Nigel Dawes, though valiant for his effort, isn't probably the first guy you'd look to for help in a barroom brawl. Nevertheless, good on him for hopping into the fray.
13:00: The Rangers' 4th line gets a little sloppy with the puck and the Hawks get a golden chance. Lucily for the boys in blue the shot is ripped wide.
13:35: Havlat with a solid backcheck, turns play the other way and the Hawks wind up with a real nice scoring chance on the 2-on-1
14:00: Nik Zherdev's first bit of Garden magic. Quick little drag, an "ooh" from the Garden crowd, but sadly not even a shot on goal. Preview of what's to come though, believe you me.
15:20: Again, no shot on goal, but the trio with Dawes, Korpikoski and this time Callahan create another chance.
15:45: Girardi sent in a wrister from the right point and after finding its way through a maze of legs it gave Huet a little scare. He's able to kick it out however at the last second.
17:00: Restless Garden crowd already. Booing as the Rangers got hemmed in their own zone a bit. Early isn't it?
17:18: Maybe it wasn't too early. After the Rangers finally did manage to clear the zone, Brian Campbell goes coast to coast but, with few options open, clinks one off the side of the net. The puck unfortunately caroms to a wide-open Patrick Kane who hammers the rebound home..
[Via Yahoo! NHL / Getty Images]
G: Kane A: Campbell
CHI 1 - NYR 1
19:53: In the period's closing seconds Drury puts a little move on at the Chicago line that forces Colin Fraser to trip him up. Fraser to the box, Rangers to the powerplay.
46 CHI - 2 min TRP
2ND PERIOD:
1:14: PP having a bit of trouble setting up. Gomez with another nonchalant rush up ice gives the puck up at the Rangers line and skates off dejectedly at the end of an unprodutive shift.
2:03: Zherdev floats a pass cross ice for Mara who lets fly with a booming one-timer. Kicked out to the corner deftly by Huet. Couldn't have been easy either with Voros camped out in front.
2:57: Kane and Toews had a bit of a rush going up the ice, but Staal angled off Kane into the wall in the Ranger end and quickly ended the threat.
4:15: Rangers up ice with numbers and speed. Gomez flies in down the right wing and sends a hard wister on goal which Huet must fight off.
5:15: Solid work by the Rangers 2nd line; twice they kept the puck in the zone. Voros and Dubinsky pt some physical pressure on Duncan Keith, forced him to cough it up. Dubi works the puck to Voros who jams it home
G: Voros (1) A: Dubinsky, Zherdev
6:30: Redden starts the rush with a risky, but effective pass to Callahan who comes up the wall, sends one on which is blockered to the corner. After a bit more good work, Cally curls around the net and sends a feed through the crease for Wade Redden cheating in from the point. He didn't miss on the rebound bid by a whole lot.
6:47: Andrew Ladd trips up Rozsival in the most egregious bit of tripping I've ever seen
16 CHI - 2 TRP
9:30: After a bit of of pressure by Chicago, Henke keeps a Duncan Keith point blank blast out of the cage. Marc Staal took a stick to the face on the play. He's having a heck of a game. What a man.
9:40: Lundqvist save through a sea of bodies in front. Again the Garden crowd is frustrated at the Rangers inability to get the puck out. This time I'll keep my mouth shut; Who was the forward crew out there for this shift?
10:14: Oh shizzle... Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame is in the house. I knew I made the right decision when I chose to be a Rangers fan. In honor of George Oscar Bluth:
11:40: Nik Zherdev does a neat little flip of the puck to himself at center ice to get by but ends having his pass defended away
12:14: The line creates another chance the other way. NZ dishes for Marc Staal whose shot is kept out by the shaft of Huet's stick. Chances don't come much closer than that to going in. In any event, nice rush by the Rangers.
12:50: Staal doles out two little servings of punishment in the Rangers end. He's having quite the game so far.
13:50: Naslund powers by a defender, and whips a surprisingly strong backhander on net from the right circle. It sails wide but was attention-catching nonetheless.
14:40: Colton Orr may or may not have just smushed his own teammate Sjostrom and a Blackhawk into the boards. Whatever works, man.
15:36: Dubi corrals the puck in at the Chicago blueline, streaks in and rips one blocker side high past Huet. Girardi took some punishment in the Ranger end to move the puck up ice, Voros did a bit to knock the puck away from Duncan Keith and Dubi finished it off. They didn't get assists on the play, though, but they certainly created the chance with their efforts.
[Via Yahoo! NHL / Getty Images]
G: Dubinsky
16:00ish: Mara and Skille square off after a scrum in the corner. Good for Skille, a young guy trying to make a statement with this Chicago team, but I'd give the decision to Mara on points.
16:35: 19 NYR - 2 TRP
16:50 ish: Blair Betts, who broke a stick on the Rangers PK, made a rare decision and flew off the ice. This probably makes more sense than flailing around out there without a twig. While he was gone Brian Campbell let go from the point and Lundqvist had to make some nice stops on the original shot and rebound. Why don't guys do that more often? He went off for someone else and no harm, no foul.
17:45: Dubinsky and Callahan with good PK work, get the puck up ice and burn some precious seconds off the Chicago advantage.
18:13: Another shorthanded rush and Blair Betts is robbed by the catching glove of Huet. A single tear streamed down his cheek as he headed to the bench. Blair Betts doesnt get those chances often.
18:55: Jonathan Toews slinked around the net and tried to stuff a wrap-around into Lundqvist's cage but Henke is equal to the task.
THIRD PERIOD:
The Rangers scored three goals in a game. Praise Jesus. Or Allah. Whoever. But they finally managed to put more than two pucks into a net not guarded by a Shooter Tutor or Steven Valiquette.
0:48: After an early chance for the Rangers on the rush that they failed to cash in on Redden ends up taking a well-deserved penalty.
6 NYR - 2 INT
1:55: Rozsival finds Callahan with a accurate stretch pass and sends him in. He bears down on goal but fires one wide.
2:25ish: Another long pass, this time to Sjostrom, and another Ranger chance. Sjostrom races for the puck, spins below the goal line leaving his defender in the dust and slips a backhander just wide of the net.
3:45: Ry Cal picks off an outlet pass and tees one up from the top of the slot. It's juggled and held by Huet for the whistle.
5:25: Staal with another heads-up play in his own end to take a puck away and calmly works the puck around the boards. Dubinsky hauls the mail up ice and really could've drawn two penalties--one for a hook and one for a hold--but he gets neither call and the Rangers really don't get a chance
7:00: Trying to work the puck out Redden gets blasted. Absolutely blasted. Rangers can't escape their own end.
7:13: Thirteen seconds later they pay for it. A wide-open Duncan Keith was fed in the slot and fires one past Henrik Lundqvist.
G: Duncan Keith A: Byfuglien, Sharp
9:49: Lundqvist fights off a point shot through the typical wall of humanity before him.
9:33: That magic from Zherdev. It didn't take long for it to make another appearance. Nikky Slick lights the lamp. Voros collects a long outlet, moves into the Hawks' zone and flips a pass cross slot to a waiting Nik Zherdev. He loads it up and buries his first goal as a New York Ranger.
[Via Yahoo! NHL / Getty Images]
G: Zherdev A: Voros, Dubinsky
CHI 2 - NYR 4
10:29: A little post-whistle fiestiness from Girardi. Takes a few swipes at a Hawk he felt too close to Lundqvist.
11:43: Martin Havlat skates down the left wing and sends on a wrister that Lundqvist is just able to clutch to his body.
12:25: Lundqvist comes up big again thwarting Jack Skille's bid from the left side
13:00ish: Kalinin makes an appearance at tonight's game putting a shoulder into the attacking Hawk trying to gain entry into the Ranger end.
16:30: Drury gets set up for a chance but fires the puck wide. The Rangers haven't had to depend on the top line all too much tonight. Depth. Imagine that.
17:13: Fourth line draws a slashing penalty.
18:00ish: Kane had a chance on the Ranger powerplay. As the puck came back up ice, Kane hung out in the neutral zone. Left his mates to defend as if they were on a 5-on-3 and wait for a breakout.
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