Tonight, the New York Rangers fell to the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in overtime. The Rangers did have 41 shots, but ultimately weren’t able to solve Jimmy Howard. Here is a full recap:
FIRST PERIOD:
Early errant passes started to add up for Detroit, as they were unusually sloppy in the neutral zone. The Rangers started beating the Red Wings to those loose pucks in the dirty areas. Jesper Fast was stopped on a 2 on 1 opportunity after a long stretch of limited scoring chances. At 6:12, a broken play ensued after a fanned shot by Jonathan Ericsson(11). Henrik Zetterberg(35) scooped up the bouncing puck and whipped it over to Justin Abdelkader(14) in front who registered the game’s first tally. Soon after, on the fourth odd man rush of the period for New York, Mats Zuccarello airmailed a wrister but a penalty behind the play was called on Stephen Weiss at 11:03 for holding Derick Brassard. The Wings’ 11th ranked penalty kill was able to kill off the minor with minimal scoring opportunities. Minutes later a sprawling save by Cam Talbot with the pad on Tomas Jurco (not once but twice) kept it a one goal game. After a disciplined shift by the Rangers’ fourth line, featuring gritty forecheck work by new acquisition James Sheppard, Fast was pulled down behind the cage by Marek Zidlicky, resulting in a penalty at 15:06. At 17:02 Dan Girardi(3) dove to guide the puck across the goal line after it ricocheted off Kyle Quincy’s skate to tie the game. Zuccarello, who sacrificed his body to keep the puck alive, didn’t get an assist but both Rick Nash (22) and Brassard (38) did. Shots were 11-9 in favor of the Rangers.
Eyes On Isles
SECOND PERIOD:
Around the 15 minute mark, the Rangers put on a clinic after a turnover from Danny DeKeyser. They circled the puck around, exhibited composure and discipline especially along the boards. The closest they came to lighting the lamp was a shot by Marc Staal that rang off the post after Kevin Hayes made an alert play to keep the puck in the zone. It was an onslaught by New York, and Detroit was lucky to come out of it unscathed. The Wings then applied intense pressure of their own, but the Rangers were able to stymy the work of Pavel Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and company. Rangers fans got a good look at what Keith Yandle can do when he got on his horse to join Nash on a 2 on 1 opportunity. He didn’t get the puck, but his skating ability and sense of when to join the rush were beautifully demonstrated. Soon after, the Red Wings found themselves on an odd man rush, where Gustav Nyquist skated deliberately into the slot only to hit the glass with an attempt at going top shelf on Talbot. The scoreless, penalty-less 2nd period concluded with a minor scrap in the corner after Brassard continued to forecheck after the whistle. The Rangers accounted for 16 shots, compared to the Wings’ 7.
THIRD PERIOD:
Yandle had a early turnover that turned into a buttery fly effect of chances. Nyquist tried to out wait Talbot and slide the puck in front like the first goal, but it skittered wide. The Red Wings dictated play from there forward, testing Talbot with difficult shots from the point through traffic. Yandle was called for hooking after a gorgeous move by Tomas Tatar at 5:57. The Wings’ #1 ranked power play then got its first opportunity of the evening. The Rangers’ 9th ranked PK was up to the task however, killing the minor. The Rangers rallied with a very solid shift featuring a myriad of finesse passes. Nash squandered a Grade A scoring opportunity thanks to a nifty feed, uncharacteristic of him. DeKeyser committed what could have been a crucial penalty at 12:59, after he took down Martin St. Louis in the crease. The Rangers wasted their chance however, after some decent scoring bids by St. Louis, Yandle, and Ryan McDonagh. Talbot made an incredible acrobatic save on Datsyuk, moving to his right and reaching back to his left to deny the Russian sensation with about 4 minutes to go. Abdelkader and Brassard committed offsetting minors with 2:04 left to play, resulting in a 4 on 4 situation for essentially the rest of the way. Derek Stepan then committed a very foolish penalty with 46 seconds to play, giving Detroit a 4 on 3 opportunity at an extremely pivotal time. Talbot flashed the leather on Kronwall, channeling his inner Henrik Lundqvist with 10 seconds to go. Shots in this frame were 13-12 favoring New York.
OVERTIME:
Stepan’s penalty lingered over to OT, and the Red Wings were able to capitalize after a bunch of outstanding saves from Talbot. After a juicy rebound from Datsyuk(30), Zidlicky(5) came down from the point to chip in the GWG. Zetterberg(36) got the secondary assist on the goal at 1:09.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
1. Jimmy Howard: 40 saves
2. Marek Zidlicky: GWG goal, 17:44 TOI
3. Rick Nash: 7 shots, 15:58 TOI
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