Pre-Season Game vs Devils Update

Period 1
Opening face-off!! At center ice, MSG has a very nice looking 85th Anniversary Logo

• After the 1st period, score is 1-1.
• Rangers GOAL!! on the power-play. Gaborik chipping in Frolov's rebound after a feed from Stepan.
• Throughout the period, the Rangers looked really good on the power-play getting many scoring chances. (Going 1 for 3)
• Devils responded a few minutes later on a goal by Zajac (wicked shot, high glove side). Assisted by Parise.
• Gaborik is looking good. Sharp passes, and getting many scoring chances. 
• Rangers are 1 for 1 on the penalty kill
• Rangers applying the fore-check well
• Biron solid in net

Period 2

• After the 2nd period, score is 3-2
• Rangers take an early penalty, killed easily
• Rangers GOAL!! Frolov scores on a give away by the Devils off the face-off, beats Brodeur 1 on 1 with a  couple of dekes
• Brodeur throughout the game has made a handful of quality saves. 
• Fedetenko takes a penalty for goalie interference. Killed by the Rangers, with help by a couple of beautiful saves by Biron (one on Parise at point blank range)
• Devils score. Parise feeds Kovalchuk on a break away and rips it past Biron glove side, off the post and in. 
• Rangers GOAL!! Brian Boyle scores using his body to protect the puck from the blue-line in and beats Brodeur five hole. 

Period 3

• Game tied 3-3 at the end of regulation.
• Both teams change goalies to start the period. Johnson in for the Rangers... and I could care less about the new Devils goalie. haha
• Rangers had a 4 on 3 power play advantage for 30 seconds, but could not get anything going. 
• Rangers take a too many men on the ice penalty (only counted 5 guys on the ice. We all know refs are terrible anyway.)
• At the conclusion of the penalty, Dubinsky gets a breakaway, but hits the post. 
• Another power play for the Rangers results in NOTHING.
• Before a face-off Boogard shoves a Devil and gets a 10-minute game misconduct. (definitely undeserved, but once again, the refs ruin the game) 
• Dubinsky has a strong shift 16 minutes into the 3rd period controlling the puck and getting a couple of scoring chances
• Devils GOAL!! With 1 minute 30 seconds left in the 3rd period, Parise scores on a slap shot that went 5-hole through Johnson. One that Johnson would want back is the best way I can put it.  

Overtime

• Devils penalty 2 minutes into overtime
• Parise on the penalty kill blocks a shot and take it the other way for a good scoring chance. 
• GABORIK SCORES IN OVERTIME. POWER PLAY GOALLLL!!!! RANGERS WIN 4-3! SHOT BY GABORIK AT THE TOP IN BETWEEN THE CIRCLES. FROM FROLOV AND GIRARDI. 

Game Recap

You can say all you want about the Rangers, and pre-season is pointless etc. But tonight, the game vs. the Devils felt like a regular season game. And should we have expected anything less then it going into overtime?? Of course not, well battled game by both sides, but the Rangers came out on top.

        Although the Rangers blew a one goal lead 3 times, they rebounded nicely to score and never fall behind. All the scoring is in the period by period updates, so you can find it by scrolling up. Rangers top line of Gaborik and Frolov centered by Stepan performed as well as advertised. They got many scoring chances and the line registered 2 goals and 4 assists. Boyle and Dubinsky were also stand outs, as Boyle registered an unassisted goal, and Dubinsky was all over the ice. 

        Rangers power play went 4 for 4 on the penalty kill, but 1 for 5 on the power play. Despite being only 20% successful, the Rangers did generate many chances on the power play. Sam Rosen mentioned that the Rangers have yet to work on any plays as far as on the power play, because of the early conditioning tests.  Rangers out-shot the Devils 37-26, but there was no official count on hits. 

       This is the only pre-season game that I will do. Next game is Saturday vs the Devils in New Jersey. Remember Rangers open the season on October 9th vs the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo at 7PM. Until then I will try to update the blog on any important news.

New York Rangers vs New Jersey Devils

Pre-Season~Madison Square Garden~ Sept. 23^rd 2010~ 7PM

Starting Lines

                      Forwards                                                               Defense

      LW                     C                       RW                               LD                  RD

   Frolov             Stepan               Gaborik                         Staal              Girardi

Dubinsky       Christensen       Zuccarello                   Rozsival        McDonagh

Fedotenko        Kennedy             Prust                         Semenov          Sauer

Boogaard           Boyle                 Weise                       

Goalie: Biron & Johnson

Statistics

Hits:  ?                                          Shots:  37                                           Saves:  23

                Power Play: 1 for 5                             Penalty Kill: ­­4 for 4

Scoring Summary

Per.          Devils    -   Rangers

 1                    0      -      1         Scored by: Gaborik(1)

 Time: 6:43                                  Assists: Frolov(1) & Stepan (1)

 1                    1      -      1       Scored by: Zajac (1)

 Time: 13:11                                  Assists: Parise (1) & Kovalchuk (1)

 2                    1      -      2         Scored by: Frolov (1)

 Time: 5:15                                  Assists: Unassisted

 2                    2      -      2         Scored by: Kovalchuk (1)

 Time: 12:14                                  Assists: Parise(2) & Davidson (1)

 2                    2      -      3         Scored by: Boyle (1)

 Time: 14:20                                  Assists: Weise (1)

2                     3      -      3         Scored by: Parise (1)

 Time: 18:14                                  Assists: Zajac & White

OT                 3      -      4         Scored by: Gaborik (2)

 Time: 3:12                                  Assists: Frolov(2) & Girardi (1)

3 Stars of the Game

#1- Alexander Frolov (1G - 2A)

#2- Zach Parise (1G - 2A)

#3- Brian Boyle (1G)