The Rangers were a tired team tonight. I’m not using that as an excuse (do winning teams need excuses?), but you could tell this was a team that has played more games than any other team in the league, and really could use a break. That’s pretty much the way I explain the 2nd period, in which the Rangers looked to revert back to Tom Renneys B.S. defensive system instead of playing the up tempo aggressive system that has really looked quite superb for the previous 3-5 games. Thankfully the Rangers got a 2nd wind in the 3rd to take over the game and seal the deal. They weren’t great, but they definitely were the better team, they definitely deserved the 2 points, and Henrik definitely deserved another shutout.
There were positives abound, as the Rangers PP looked quite good despite not scoring, and the Rangers 3rd line looked superb accounting for all the offense, and creating countless other chances. It’s quite interesting that the 2 players playing the worst (arguably) are the 2 highest paid Rangers in Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, whereas the kids of Zherdev, Dubinsky, Korpedo, Prucha, Dawes, and Callahan all look superb.
Speaking of superb, the defense was again quite good. With the exception of 2 terrible early turnovers by Redden, the Rangers played a very strong positional game, with none of the defenseman looking out of position, or scared of joining the offense.
Again, dare I say it, is this team turning the corne…..errr, nevermind.
Rangers get a day off, they are going to need it. Rest, Recharge, and get right back out there. That’s all for me for today! I’ll have a small announcement during the all star break to make, but other than that, there isn’t much else to say.