Battle Of Hudson

There’s No Place Like Home or so we thought.

“There’s no place like home.”

Those were the infamous words of Dorothy played by Judy Garland from The Wizard Of Oz. Or at least so we thought. The Rangers returned to their brand new renovated Madison Square Garden chalk full of former players and celebrities geared towards Page Six. The only thing that matters to Dolan. I’m guessing getting shutout by a backup goalie wasn’t what they had in mind. Indeed, they managed to lose 2-0 to Montreal, who got away with starting Peter Budaj. He stopped all 27 shots making it the third time in 10 games our team has been shutout.

That isn’t supposed to happen in a home opener. Especially one as highly anticipated as tonight. Our heroes were supposed to come out and put in three or four and chase Budaj. Instead, he was strong early stoning Brad Richards and getting some help from the post on Chris Kreider. Instead of getting to him, they managed to let Budaj settle in. I still can’t believe they got shutout. Granted, I missed the game for a glorious work shift. I kept waiting to see some excited tweets from the Garden Faithful. Instead, there was plenty of disappointment by the end of the second period, which sounded like a real gem.

By then, refs Gord Dwyer and Dave Jackson erred by calling Brian Boyle for a dubious rough. Unfortunately, it led to the only goal the Habs needed. A power play tally from Tomas Plekanec. He took full advantage of a coverage miscue between Marc Staal and Taylor Pyatt, who for unknown reasons is still killing penalties. He’s not good at it nor good at much else. But Alain Vigneault keeps sending him out. He basically collided with Staal. They fell on Michael Bournival’s pass to Plekanec, who cut in and deked Henrik Lundqvist going to the backhand for his sixth at 16:34. Brian Gionta added an assist. Despite outshooting Montreal 21-18 through two, they trailed on the scoreboard.

I was still thinking they’d comeback. After all, it was at the Garden. A home opener to boot in front of former legends Rod Gilbert, Ed Giacomin along side ’94 Cup members Adam Graves, Sergei Nemchinov and cult hero Stefan Matteau. Even if I am pessimistic by nature, I had hope they would win. Get things started the right way. It never happened. Instead, I got to my car and heard radio team Kenny Albert and Dave Maloney lamenting the officiating with seven minutes left. Apparently, they whistled Kreider for another softy. He sounded like he was our best player. He hit the post and was flying. In fact, he nearly set up Derek Stepan but our struggling top center shot it into Budaj. From catching the replay now, I can tell it wasn’t a good night for the refs. I’m not going to blame them. Boyle didn’t despite a call that sounded like it was influenced by a whiny Montreal bench. Surprise surprise.

If you’re going to win in this league, it’s still your job to score goals. We know they haven’t provided much offense so far. It doesn’t help that Ryan Callahan remains out and Rick Nash was a no show for intros. I guess we won’t see the latter until God only knows. Carl Hagelin sounds like he’s ready for tonight’s visit to the Islanders. They sent down Jesper Fast. Something quite a few fans aren’t happy with. Especially with AV pet Pyatt staying. Fast does need to play more. But come on. It’s the same story with this franchise. Vets over kids.

As fate would have it, I got to hear Albert call Alex Galchenyuk’s controversial goal off a Lars Eller feed. On a two-on-one, Eller had the presence of mind to backhand a pass across for a cutting Galchenyuk, who had the puck go off his skate. It was ruled a goal on the ice. Both Albert and Maloney felt after watching replays it might be overturned. It went to Toronto. We all know how reliable they are. The same crack committee who waived off a J.T. Miller apparent tying goal at Phildelphia didn’t reverse the call. Either because they couldn’t or wouldn’t. That didn’t sit well with Lundqvist, who basically called the league out- indicating that if it wasn’t a kick, he didn’t know what was. Good for Hank. He deserved a better fate stopping 25 of 27 in his return. The lack of support continues to haunt them.

It doesn’t matter who’s in and out of the lineup. As Boyle said during a good postgame interview, it’s their job to create more offensive pressure and score. By the sound and looks of it, they didn’t do a good job generating enough chances on Budaj. That’s unacceptable. It doesn’t look like they’re getting Nash back anytime soon. Our worst fears could be realized. Callahan probably will be back in a couple of weeks. Hagelin probably is a go later tonight which should give them a boost.

The Islanders will have brand new acquisition Thomas Vanek in their arsenal. He’s playing on the top line with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. Unlike us, they can score. That doesn’t matter. It’s time for our team to Step up. No pun intended. No goals in 10 for Stepan. He has to pick it up. Everyone does. Isn’t that why Vigneault was hired? No more excuses.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (25 saves)

2nd Star-Peter Budaj, MTL (27 saves for shutout)

1st Star-Tomas Plekanec, MTL (6th of season-game winner)

It’s been a long road with a lot of travel. Finally, the Rangers return to fully renovated MSG for the home opener when they host the Canadiens in a classic Original 6 match-up. It’ll be exciting for the players and fans to get reacquainted. Alain Vigneault will also finally get a taste of what it’s like to be behind the home bench at The Garden.

In what’s the 20th Anniversary since they won the Stanley Cup, the Rangers will roll out the red carpet for their brand new updated arena that features the Chase Bridge along with a new scoreboard. What should be an exciting night hopefully can result in a second straight win. It’s no secret that they have struggled out of the gate losing six of nine games (3-6-0). They’re hoping to build upon a 3-2 overtime victory over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The franchise’s first road win in Detroit since ’99. They earned it climbing out of two one-goal deficits with Benoit Pouliot setting up Derick Brassard’s OT winner. Three different Blueshirts scored their first goals including Pouliot, who had his best game. Mats Zuccarello also notched his first forcing extras.

If they can come out with another ‘W,’ it could be the springboard to a turnaround. Playing in the league’s worst division helps. Even though they only have six points, other teams’ struggles have allowed them to stay close. Including tomorrow’s visit to Nassau Coliseum for Thomas Vanek’s Islanders debut, the Rangers don’t leave the metro area again until a Nov. 7 road match at Columbus. They conclude October hosting the Sabres on Halloween with Carolina, Anaheim and Pittsburgh visiting MSG in November.

They’ll be minus captain Ryan Callahan, who resumed skating but is still a ways away. Carl Hagelin could be activated for tomorrow’s match at the Islanders. The speedy third-year Swede should inject needed energy. He plays a similar hard nosed style getting in on the fore-check. He also kills penalties, which might spell the end of the Taylor Pyatt experiment. One can only hope.

The Rangers are hoping some home cooking can provide a spark. They haven’t scored much with 15 goals in the first nine. The D hasn’t been any better allowing 33. However, new rookie backup Cam Talbot played well in his first two starts permitting two goals in each game. Defensively, they were steadier. With Henrik Lundqvist returning for the home opener, Garden Faithful are looking to see the kind of caliber goaltending he’s spoiled us with. Maybe the secret injury explains the rough start. They need him to be at his best. With no timetable for Rick Nash, the Rangers have scaled back.

All that matters is they start winning consistently. Home is where the heart is.

An excited Rangers bench celebrates Derick Brassard’s overtime winner marking the first time they beat the Red Wings in Detroit since last century.
Tim Fuller/USA Today

If ever there was a character building win, it was this one. Against a team they never beat, the Rangers earned a hard fought 3-2 overtime win over the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Derick Brassard’s breakaway goal with 12.9 seconds left gave them their first victory in Detroit since Jan. 30, 1999. Bill Clinton was still President and the new millennium hadn’t begun. Neither had Facebook or Twitter. Gas was cheaper. And there was no such thing as IPhones or Androids.

Indeed, a lot has changed since. Not always for the better. At least for one night, the Rangers resembled a determined hockey team whose lunch pail work ethic paid dividends. They concluded a long nine-game road trip by winning for only the third time. And not a moment too soon. It feels a lot better bringing a 3-6-0 record into the first home game Monday against the Canadiens. Hopefully, they’ll be able to build off an emotional win.

It was the first of rookie goalie Cam Talbot’s NHL career. In his second consecutive start, he gave the Rangers solid goaltending allowing two goals again. Against the Flyers, he took the loss. This time, his teammates came to the rescue making a 32-save effort stand up. They did it by rallying from two one-goal deficits. That included Mats Zuccarello’s first of the season that forced overtime. He was one of three Ranger forwards to finally light the lamp for the first time. That included Benoit Pouliot, who set up Brassard’s winner with some extra hustle. He dove to poke the puck ahead to spring Brassard, who beat Jimmy Howard five-hole.

”I only had to scoop up the puck. It was kind of bouncing, so I just closed my eyes and shot,” Brassard said.

It was that kind of effort that put a smile on their faces. They ended a challenging road trip on a positive note. It wouldn’t be a Ranger victory without some nervous tension. They played a good first only to trail thanks to a mistake. Zuccarello turned the puck over leading to Drew Miller beating Talbot short side. It wasn’t a good goal. But Talbot redeemed himself with steadier play.

Pouliot scored his first on the power play late in the second. Off a wild scramble in front, he got to a loose puck and snuck a backhand into an open side with Brian Boyle screening Howard. It wasn’t the prettiest but didn’t have to be. A gritty goal which is what sometimes works. However, an undisciplined Taylor Pyatt penalty led to the Red Wings going back in front before the period ended. Pavel Datsyuk set up Daniel Alfredsson with 11 seconds left. A back breaking goal that should’ve resulted in Pyatt being benched. He wasn’t.

Despite the setback, the Rangers persevered. Zuccarello got the game tied once more when he got to a Dominic Moore rebound in front and buried his first. A nice reward for the Norwegian who was reinserted by Alain Vigneault for Brandon Mashinter. It was good to see Zuccarello redeem himself. He went to the net and got rewarded. For the most part, the team fore-checked effectively forcing Howard to come up with some tough saves. He finished with 37. That included a leaping glove on a Boyle try. He also got a piece of an earlier Brassard breakaway. The American hopeful is a strong goalie who should represent Team USA.

Now, they finally return home for the home opener at the fully renovated MSG Monday.

”As a player, it (home crowd) gives you so much energy on the ice. You play with more emotion,” Brassard said. ”We want to get back and see our fans.”

”It’s going to be good for us. It’s been a challenge,” Vigneault added. ”We don’t have the record we want but we made some strides in the right direction.”

HARD HITS

–Chris Kreider had a second straight strong game finishing with three shots and three hits in 26 active shifts (18:23). What’s most different about him is he’s using his size and speed to get in on the cycle. One of his shots was a quality chance that Howard stopped. Kreider is coming back defensively and finishing checks. So far, he looks more confident. Hopefully, he’ll get one soon.

–J.T. Miller also had a solid night. Though he didn’t register a shot, he was noticeable on both ends. For a 20-year old, he has a lot of poise and is responsible defensively. Miller also takes the body.

-The other kid Jesper Fast received 14 shifts (9:38) on the fourth line. He had a shot, hit, takeaway and blocked shot. He doesn’t shy away from physicality and has stayed aggressive despite a smaller role.

-Against a strong face-off team, the Rangers did okay. They won 32 of 66. Boyle led them going 13-and-7 while Brassard went 9-and-6. They held Datsyuk to .500 (7-and-7) and Henrik Zetterberg to 9-and-10.

-Overall, I liked Boyle’s game. He was good on the fore-check and helped set up Pouliot’s power play goal. He also nearly had his first if not for an acrobatic save from Howard. The thing with Boyle is while he may not be the most gifted, fastest or smartest, the effort is always there. That’s why he stays in.

–Anton Stralman paced Ranger skaters with six shots while continuing to play steady D. While some of our better guys are still rounding into shape, Stralsy has been a rock. Probably one of Slats’ most overlooked moves a couple of years ago.

Rick Nash celebrates Brad Richards’ goal with Derek Stepan.
AP Photo/Gus Ruelas

When Rick Nash isn’t in the lineup, the Rangers struggle to win games. Acquired by Team President And General Manager Glen Sather in 2012, the All-Star forward was supposed to be the missing ingredient to a Stanley Cup. Instead, he’s been anything but due to injuries. In the same calendar year, he’s suffered two concussions. The first one kept him out four games at the end of February 2013. Not surprisingly, the team struggled posting an 0-3-1 record without him- getting outscored 12-6. When he returned, their play picked up immediately winning four in a row.

Despite a playoff disappointment in which he scored only one goal and totaled five points, Nash led the Rangers with 21 goals and 176 shots on goal in his first season. His 42 points ranked second behind Derek Stepan (44). In fact, the Rangers’ record was 13-4 in games he scored. An interesting correlation to the team’s success. Half their wins (26) came when Nash lit the lamp. In games he didn’t, they lost 14 times in regulation. A notable contrast.

Nash has played only three games this season registering three assists. In a win over the Kings, he was strong notching two assists and had six shots. He went down in a blowout loss in San Jose and hasn’t been back since. Not coincidentally, the Rangers aren’t winning. Last night’s 2-1 loss in Philadelphia made them 1-4-0 without Nash. They’ve been outscored 17-6 and have been shutout twice and held to two goals or less four times. It hasn’t helped that captain Ryan Callahan is also out with a broken thumb. He was off to a decent start scoring three goals in his last two games against St. Louis and Washington. Two came on the power play. In two games since his injury, the Rangers have been outscored 6-1 by the Devils and Flyers. Each rival has also struggled out of the gate but came away with victories.

Here is a closer breakdown of the team’s play without Nash in his first two seasons:

         MISSING NASH 

GP           Record         GF    GA      Diff.

2013       4              0-3-1              6       12       -6

’13-14     5              1-4-0              6       17       -11

Total       9              1-7-1             12      29      -17