NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 22: New York Rangers Goalie Antti Raanta (32) watches the video replay, after New York Islanders Winger Nikolay Kulemin (not pictured) scored during the third period of a Metropolitan Divisional match-up between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers on March 22, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 22: New York Rangers Goalie Antti Raanta (32) watches the video replay, after New York Islanders Winger Nikolay Kulemin (not pictured) scored during the third period of a Metropolitan Divisional match-up between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers on March 22, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
Antti Raanta had more than a handful of memorable moments during his two years as a New York Ranger. Here are his top five.
Antti Raanta turned into another Benoit Allaire success story as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup goaltender over the last two years. Raanta was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers on June 27, 2015, in exchange for forward Ryan Haggerty.
Raanta played in 55 games for the New York Rangers and started 44 of them. During his tenure in New York, Raanta posted a record of 27-14-4. He finished his time with the Rangers with a .921 save percentage and a 2.26 goals against average.
Raanta had a handful of memorable moments during his two-year stay with the Rangers. Here is a list of his top five moments with the New York Rangers in no particular order…
A quick start
Who would’ve guessed that one of Antti Raanta’s most memorable moments would be in his first start for the New York Rangers? On October 19, 2015, Raanta made his debut for the Rangers in glorious fashion.
It was the Rangers seventh game of the regular season and Raanta was given the nod to start. The Rangers were playing the San Jose Sharks at Madison Square Garden and Raanta didn’t let the fans down. Raanta stopped all 22 shots that he faced and earned the #1 star of the game as well.
The Rangers went on to win the game by a score of 4-0. This was Raanta’s first game as a Ranger and it was only the first of many memorable moments that #32 gave to the New York Rangers and their fans.
Die, Die my Darling
The reason the Chicago Blackhawks were able to send Antti Raanta away in a trade was because of the rise of Scott Darling. The Blackhawks decided that they were going to go with Scott Darling to back up Corey Crawford for the future and sent Raanta to the Rangers.
The story would continue as the Rangers and Blackhawks met on December 9, 2016. Antti Raanta would get the nod for the Rangers as would Scott Darling for the Blackhawks. He was back in the United Center in Chicago but he was walking into the visiting locker room.
Raanta finished the game stopping 26 of 26 shots and securing the 1-0 overtime win. With Raanta standing on his head against his former team makes this a memorable moment.
The Devils may care
Henrik Lundqvist did not play well during this stretch in December of 2016. Antti Raanta just earned a shutout against his former team. Raanta would be starting the next game for the Rangers as well.
This memorable moment came on December 11, 2016 when Alain Vigneault decided to sit Lundqvist in favor of Raanta for their game against the New Jersey Devils. This was new territory as Lundqvist doesn’t usually sit three games in a row. Raanta didn’t miss a beat as he helped the Rangers win 5-0 with 19 saves.
This was Raanta’s second straight shutout and third straight win. Raanta won three straight games in four nights and stopped 62 out of 63 shots during that time span.
Lightning in a bottle
This memorable Raanta moment came on March 6, 2017, when the New York Rangers visited the Tampa Bay Lightning. This time, Raanta stopped all 38 shots he faced to help the Rangers secure two points and a 1-0 overtime victory.
This was Raanta’s third shutout of the season and he scratched and clawed for every second of this victory. The Lightning kept peppering Raanta with shots and several tremendous scoring opportunities.
Raanta remained focused and battled through all of the Lightning shots and screens. During this time, some reporters were starting to wonder if Raanta was going to dethrone Henrik Lundqvist. With this shutout, it would be a career high for shutouts in a single season for Raanta. He would add one more shutout to his resume that season to set his career high at four in a single season.
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 22: New York Rangers Goalie Antti Raanta (32) watches the video replay, after New York Islanders Winger Nikolay Kulemin (not pictured) scored during the third period of a Metropolitan Divisional match-up between the New York Islanders and the New York Rangers on March 22, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
His Whole Tenure
This next memorable moment was his whole tenure with the New York Rangers. Antti Raanta was traded to the Rangers with some big shoes to fill. The Rangers had just traded away Cam Talbot and he was expected to produce Talbot numbers.
Credit to the Rangers and goaltending coach, Benoit Allaire. Raanta made special moments during his run with the Rangers. He fit right into the figurative shoes of Talbot and didn’t skip a beat. Antti Raanta earned a 27-14-4 record during his two seasons with the New York Rangers with five of those wins coming by way of a shutout. He posted a .921 SV % and 2.26 GAA in his 55 games played for the Rangers.
Antti Raanta has earned to be a starting goalie for an NHL team. The Rangers traded Raanta on June 23, 2017 along with Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes. I hope for the best for Raanta in Arizona and hope he turns into their starting goaltender for their future.
Thank you for all of the memories over the past two seasons, Antti!
