On Tuesday night, the New York Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time to take on the Boston Bruins in the preseason. After leading 4-1, they blew a three-goal lead to fall to the Bruins 5-4 in overtime at 33rd and Seventh Avenue.

Prior to the game, the Rangers paid tribute to Eddie Giacomin on the video board. The Hockey Hall of Famer passed away on Sept. 14. Number 1 certainly deserved the recognition with former Rangers captain Dave Maloney narrating the voice over before his first official telecast with Kenny Albert on MSG Networks. The former radio signal callers are now the new TV announcers calling games, replacing Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti.

As part of their tribute to Giacomin, the Rangers will wear a No. 1 decal with Eddie on the back of their helmets during the Centennial season. It’s a nice touch to honor what the Rangers legend represented to the older generation.

Similar to the first exhibition game against the New Jersey Devils, none of the Rangers’ big stars played amongst the forwards. Outside of Will Cuylle, who’s projected to start with new captain J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad on the top line, it was another night to catch a glimpse of the future. Here’s how they lined up for tonight’s game:

Igor Shesterkin played the first half. He was sharp making 10 saves on 11 shots. The only one that beat him was a perfect Casey Mittelstadt setup for Matej Blumel in front to give the Bruins a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first period.

Trey Fix-Wolansky (try saying that name fast 3 times) answered back 44 seconds later to tie the score. Noah Laba won a board battle to keep the play alive for Brett Berard, who made a nice pass that sent Fix-Wolansky in for a sweet finish. Both Laba and Berard played well. Laba had a pair of assists, giving him three points in two games thus far. He certainly hasn’t hurt himself. Berard is always noticeable due to his willingness to get dirty. He makes up for his lack of size with speed and hustle to make things happen.

If there was a positive from the first, it was getting to see the debut of Vladislav Gavrikov with Adam Fox on the number one pair. The Rangers paid Gavrikov handsomely this summer for a big reason. He sure looked the part playing alongside Fox to give the Blueshirts a huge upgrade on the left side. The duo spent the majority of the opening period keeping pucks in the Bruins zone. They really controlled the possession when put alongside Cuylle, Juuso Parssinen, and impressive rookie Gabe Perreault. Gavrikov scored a shorthanded goal during a strong second period. Wearing No. 44, he finished with a goal and plus-3 rating in 23:51 of ice time.

In a dominant second, the Rangers outscored the Bruins 3-0 and outshot their Original Six rivals 18-7. Boston didn’t dress any notable regulars aside from Mittelstadt and third-year pro Matthew Poitras. Nikita Zadorov was the one starter on the blue line. Backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo got the entire game.

In another eye opener, Perreault scored his second goal in two games. He took a Cuylle feed, skated in and beat Korpisalo with a good wrist shot to put the Rangers in front. Perreault was flying most of the night. His speed and skating are elite. The skill is obviously there. It’ll be interesting to see if he can play his way onto the roster. That’ll largely depend on how he fares playing against NHL regulars in another game. He’s only 20. So, the Rangers have options. They also boast depth thanks to the interchangeable Jonny Brodzinski, Taylor Raddysh, and veteran Conor Sheary, who can always clear waivers at this late stage of his career.

Fourth line center Sam Carrick scored unassisted to increase the lead to 3-1 halfway through the contest. He took advantage of a Bruins turnover. Picking up a loose puck, he faked out Korpisalo and went to a forehand deke, burying it for a nice goal.

With Parssinen in the box for roughing, Laba made a very smart play to set up Gavrikov for a shorthanded goal. Showing a lot of patience coming down on a three-on-two, Laba waited for the perfect moment to find a cutting Gavrikov to make it 4-1. In two games, Laba has three assists. Even better, the 22-year-old has shown the ability to play both sides of the puck and win faceoffs (5-for-10 tonight). While he probably will start with Hartford, Laba could be an early recall if Parssinen gets off slowly. Parssinen remains the favorite to begin the season as the number three center. He’s winning draws (9-and-7), but hasn’t put up any points yet.

With Talyn Boyko taking over in net for Shesterkin, the Rangers had a Groundhog Day moment in the third period. Coincidentally, it started with a lousy Fox turnover that resulted in Michael Eyssimont scoring shorthanded to cut it to 4-2. Fox didn’t have a good period, turning over pucks and struggling defensively.

Over four minutes later, Jackson Dorrington lost the puck in the corner to Jordan Harris. He moved it across for Eyssimont, who rifled home his second of the period to cut it to one.

The most disappointing aspect of the third was how the Rangers backed up. They had a healthy edge in shots at one point. But the pesky Bruins kept coming in waves. Preseason or not, it was a reminder of last season. The only difference is most of these guys won’t be playing on Opening Night. They still should’ve done a better job.

With Korpisalo on the bench for a six-on-five late, Eyssimont set up the all too predictable tying goal, with his pass getting past Scott Morrow right to Marat Khusnutdinov for an easy put away with 1:05 left.

That was followed up by Carrick having to take a cross-checking minor on Eyssimont after he blew past Fox with 15 seconds remaining. Fox is supposedly healthy and motivated to play better following last year. He can’t get beat like that during the season. Gavrikov will help. Hopefully, Fox gets the rust out of the way.

After an uninspired Bruins four-on-three power play in overtime, Khusnutdinov sent Zadorov in on a breakaway. At the last split second, he was forced wide by Matthew Robertson. But Zadorov had enough time to recover and beat Boyko top shelf for the overtime winner.

Perreault and Laba Bright Spots

In the defeat, both Perreault and Laba stood out as bright spots. Each made things happen. Perreault with his beautiful goal on a quick wrist shot from Cuylle. He had four shots on goal in 17:43.

Laba with his heady all-around game, which is eerily reminiscent of Mike York. He isn’t the fastest skater. But he’s very smart. You can see why he spent three years at Colorado College. He knows where to go on the ice and makes things happen. Even though Parssinen is effective on the forecheck, so is Laba. He really has impressed so far. We’ll see what happens.

As for Brennan Othmann, it was another relatively quiet game. While he was more active blocking a shot and getting in on the forecheck with three shots, he hasn’t distinguished himself. I can’t imagine playing with Devils reject Justin Dowling helped. That’s like being a castaway.

What is Dowling even doing here? He adds nothing. They have plenty of proven veterans who can be plugged in. Plus Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe are likely starting with Carrick on the checking line. There’s Brodzinski, who scored double digit goals last season. He’s as versatile a forward as they have. Raddysh can play in the bottom six. Dowling seems like overkill. Devils fans rejoiced when he signed with the Rangers.

In his second outing, Morrow was more quiet in over 21 minutes. Robertson finished minus-3 for the night. Why did they even bring him back? Dorrington looks like he has potential. A very smooth skater, who keeps pucks in at the blue line, his offensive game looks up to par. Like most young defensemen, he needs work in his end.

A Future Third Line?

At the moment, it looks like they’ll start with Parssinen in the middle centering Berard and either Perreault or one of Raddysh or Brodzinski. While that doesn’t excite anyone, it’s understandable why they could go that route. As long as they read the room early enough to make changes when they’re needed. Similar to the New York Giants actually realizing how washed up Russell Wilson is. It’s Jaxson Dart time.

My ideal third line would eventually be Laba between Berard and Perreault. All three forwards are young, and combine speed, skill, and grit. That’s the kind of line many Blueshirt fans can get behind.

How soon can it happen? Only Mike Sullivan knows the answer.

Isle Be Seeing You

Next up are the New York Islanders on Thursday night at MSG. Hopefully, top pick Matthew Schaefer plays. Until then, see you later.

Derek