Henrik Lundqvist can’t stop Curtis Glencross during the Rangers’ 4-1 preseason loss at Calgary.
Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

It was a total flame out for the Rangers in Calgary. Only kidding. It’s still preseason. In their first game in what felt like a month, the Rangers lost to the rebuilding Flames 4-1 at The Saddeldome. It was nice to see hockey back there following serious flooding damage. Speaking of which, kudos to the Rangers for holding a golf charity event to help raise money to help Calgary. That’s one area they always do well. As for the game, it was a mixed bag. Some good. Some bad. And some ugly. Let’s get to the good first.

The Good: Marc Staal looked great. He wants more games to get his timing back and so far so good. Staal was strong defensively, making some excellent recoveries. And he scored the lone Ranger goal, which actually came on the power play. He made a great read jumping in and buried one past Karri Ramo. Rookies Jesper Fast and Marek Hrivik set it up with some good work in front. Along with Danny Kristo, who saw a late shift with the top line and was out in the final minute, they were active. Kristo led in shots with four. But was minus-two. However, that was more on the defense.

Henrik Lundqvist played well in his first full start. Minus Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, Hank was under siege at times. He made several big saves. That’s what we should expect from the league’s best goalie. This is the biggest year of his career. A new contract awaits. Hopefully, they’ll be able to turn their attention to that once Derek Stepan is signed.

John Moore continued to impress with his ability to jump into the rush. Alain Vigneault will love this guy. He can fly and isn’t hesitant to take his shot. He did make a mistake on the Flames’ first goal. Let’s not forget he’s only 22 entering his second full season. Aside from the great skating, Moore stood up for himself by beating Curtis Glencross in a fight. He landed a couple of rights. The blueline can definitely use more snarl. A good characteristic that’s been lacking since Mike Sauer went down.

Darroll Powe also had a strong game. His hustle was noticeable on the forecheck and nearly resulted in a goal. So far, he’s looked okay at center going even (4 of 8) on face offs. Taylor Pyatt also had a couple of good shifts playing on the checking line. He works hard. I wonder if he’ll be an odd man out due to salary cap. At some point, Glen Sather has to make room for Stepan. Pyatt and Arron Asham are likely candidates. Brian Boyle still has more of a role. I’d keep him around.

The Bad: The top line struggled again. Not to beat a dead horse. But Chris Kreider hasn’t looked good. He’s been outplayed by Kristo and the other kids. I get that he has a lot of talent. He’s one of the fastest skaters and has a good shot. But when exactly is he going to start showing it? He hasn’t been consistent. Hopefully, Vigneault will get in his ear the way Tort did. He seems to need that kick in the ass. Brad Richards was meh. He went minus-two and lost 14 of 20 draws. That can’t happen. All we’ve heard is how this year’s different. Hopefully, he’ll prove it.

Rick Nash always has moments where you sit back and enjoy the special talent. At times, he dominates shifts. But there are others where he leaves you wanting more. During one shift, he passed up an open shot from the slot. After recovering the puck, he got too cute at the blueline trying to stickhandle around two Flames. The end result was a turnover with the D bailing him out. Nash is a high risk, high reward player. Sometimes, I wish he’d simplify his game. You don’t have to put on a show.

Dave Maloney keeps talking up Justin Falk. I’ve yet to see it. Sure. He’s an upgrade over Steve Eminger. But enough with the direct shots at the former coach. Falk isn’t exactly Coffey in skating terms. He got caught out of position and took a penalty. At least he looked better in the third getting a shot through. It looks like the defensive depth isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Anton Stralman made a mistake on one of Calgary’s goals. He was caught scrambling while Matt Stajan snuck in and rifled one home. At least Stralsy had better moments. His defensive improvement makes him a valuable commodity. As we discovered, you can plug him anywhere.

Did Oscar Lindberg even play? According to the Yahoo boxscore which isn’t always dependable, it says he took 16 shifts (12:06) and lost six of nine face offs. Next stop. Hartford!

The Ugly: Mike Del Zotto continues to struggle. It’s no coincidence that he was on for three goals against (minus-3). He’s never in the right position. Too often, he either gets caught or is chasing behind the net. That’s not what you want to see from a defenseman entering his fifth year. But he’s only 23. I get that. Del Zotto has talent offensively. He had a shift where he made a great outlet that led to a chance. He’s just not consistent. Either he gets it under AV or bye bye.

Stu Bickel is hideous. The try is there. It’s just that he’s a tortoise. There are too many instances where he’s caught scrambling. He did have a scrap. Nobody can deny the man’s character. It’s just that he’s not NHL caliber. Sorry Stu.

Sather’s remarks in that ‘MSG Exclusive’ left a bitter taste. Maybe if you weren’t always overpaying middling free agents, you’d have gotten Stepan done already. What a hypocrite. He left no margin for error. I’m not saying Stepan is right here. He’s not getting $3.5 million. Come down to $3 million and I think it gets done. Two year bridge contract for $6 million is more than fair.