New York Rangers: About Last Night 9/27/14
By Kenny Belvin
Last night the New York Rangers faced the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago for what turned out to be their first win of the preseason with a 4-1 victory over the home team. We at Blue Line Station are going to offer our thoughts on last night’s game and what we felt some of the big story-lines were.
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Anthony Duclair: I knew this kid was good but I was blown away by the 19-year-old last night. His first professional game ever and he did not look out of place at all, it looked almost as if he had been playing for years. He scored the game-winning goal off of a feed from Rick Nash that seemed to be almost impossible to catch the way it was bouncing; but Duclair caught it and put it past Corey Crawford.
J.T. Miller: The youngster once again showed up to play. He parked himself in front of the net to deflect the third Rangers goal past Crawford. He used his size and tremendous speed to help him all game long and he looked exactly like he did on Monday night where he was one of the team’s best players for the game. If Miller is finally looking for a permanent spot on the Rangers line-up he’s off to a fantastic start in trying to achieve that goal.
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Henrik Lundqvist: This shouldn’t be a surprise for anyone, but Lundqvist played very well last night; he looked like he was in mid-season form with some of the saves he was making. Although he allowed one goal at the midway point of the second period after a scramble in front, he still played well. Lundqvist was relieved at the halfway mark by Cedric Desjardins who also played very well under heavy pressure.
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Haggerty, Dylan McIlrath, John Moore, and Marek Hrivik. Haggerty quietly had a very good game, he didn’t look overly he just played solid hockey. He moved fast and when he shot the puck he had VERY quick releases. McIlrath played well and we know the youngster is attempting to edge his way onto the Rangers roster; although there probably isn’t a place for him head coach Alain Vigneault said he is looking for the 7th defenseman. McIlrath got into a fight in which he held his ground and he skated well and had some good shots too. Moore isn’t really a surprise to me but he continued to look like he’s just getting better and better, he arguably skates better than anyone on the team and showed his quick shot again last night. Hrivik was responsible for quite a few goals, he screened Crawford on the Rangers first goal and he scored the fourth goal himself. He used his big body to get in front of the net and wasn’t afraid to work behind the net or in the corners to make a play.
Well, those are our thoughts on last night. Let us know what you think! Comment below!