The New York Rangers lost 3–2 on home ice Thursday night to the team coming into the game with the worst record in the NHL, the New Jersey Devils.
The win got the Devils out of the cellar; they’ve been playing good hockey of late, now with an 8–1–1 record in their last 10 games.
The Devils jumped out to an early lead when Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 15th goal of the season by beating Henrik Lundqvist high stick side with a perfect shot that hit the inside of the post.
The Rangers played sluggishly for a majority of the first half of the game. The Devils were shooting the puck at every opportunity, really having changed the way they played from earlier in the season when they were looking for that perfect shot and being too tentative.
Lundqvist wasn’t his usual All-Star self on this night. After his team was down 3–0 coach John Tortorella replaced him with backup Martin Biron. Lundqvist had faced a total of 12 shot and let three in.
On the Dainius Zubrus goal, Lundqvist had the shot go through his pads and trickle out the back. Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi attempted to clear the puck out but bounced it in off the back of Lundqvist.
When Lundqvist left the game there was definitely a momentum shift for the Rangers—mission accomplished for the New York coaching staff.
Ryan Callahan broke the ice for the home team, putting them on the board with about three and a half minutes left in the second period. Callahan’s shot was similar to the Kovalchuk goal, where precision was the key.
New York came out in the third period with some reenergized determination. Vinny Prospal brought the Rangers to within one goal with a power play marker. It was Prospal’s first goal since April 7 last year. Prospal had been on the injured list for the first half of the season.
With about a minute and half left in the game, Tortorella pulled Biron. There was only about a second left in the game when the Rangers hit the post, much to the relief of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.
The Rangers will now leave the comforts Madison Square Garden for a three-game road trip. First on their list is the Montreal Canadians on Saturday afternoon. The Rangers recently lost two games to the Habs and have now fallen behind them.
The win got the Devils out of the cellar; they’ve been playing good hockey of late, now with an 8–1–1 record in their last 10 games.
The Devils jumped out to an early lead when Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 15th goal of the season by beating Henrik Lundqvist high stick side with a perfect shot that hit the inside of the post.
The Rangers played sluggishly for a majority of the first half of the game. The Devils were shooting the puck at every opportunity, really having changed the way they played from earlier in the season when they were looking for that perfect shot and being too tentative.
Lundqvist wasn’t his usual All-Star self on this night. After his team was down 3–0 coach John Tortorella replaced him with backup Martin Biron. Lundqvist had faced a total of 12 shot and let three in.
On the Dainius Zubrus goal, Lundqvist had the shot go through his pads and trickle out the back. Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi attempted to clear the puck out but bounced it in off the back of Lundqvist.
When Lundqvist left the game there was definitely a momentum shift for the Rangers—mission accomplished for the New York coaching staff.
Ryan Callahan broke the ice for the home team, putting them on the board with about three and a half minutes left in the second period. Callahan’s shot was similar to the Kovalchuk goal, where precision was the key.
New York came out in the third period with some reenergized determination. Vinny Prospal brought the Rangers to within one goal with a power play marker. It was Prospal’s first goal since April 7 last year. Prospal had been on the injured list for the first half of the season.
With about a minute and half left in the game, Tortorella pulled Biron. There was only about a second left in the game when the Rangers hit the post, much to the relief of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.
The Rangers will now leave the comforts Madison Square Garden for a three-game road trip. First on their list is the Montreal Canadians on Saturday afternoon. The Rangers recently lost two games to the Habs and have now fallen behind them.
