Well let's give this team some credit today. After all Christmas is coming. Down 2-0 after fifteen minutes of play, the Rangers could of folded and continued the disaster that had taken hold of them. Instead they rallied, rather quickly, to get back into the game. Derek Stepan scored 25 seconds after Calgary had taken a 2-0 lead. The goal, Stepan's 6th, put life into the team. When Carl Hagelin put in a wrap around the Rangers were back, at least for a while.
Monahan's goal gave the Flames a one goal lead which held up until Kreider's backhand tied it at three with about 8 minutes to play in the game. The Rangers had 1:21 of 5 on 3, but blew it and then gave Calgary 4 on 3 on a Kreider double minor in OT. But the Christmas Gods were on our side and it went to the shootout.
Neither goalie, Ramo for the Flames or Lundqvist distinguished themselves in the shootout. Both seemed to try to out guess the shooters. The Rangers won the contest 4-3. Colborne, Stempniak and Byron scored or the Flames. For the Rangers it was Zuccarello, Richards, Moore and the much maligned Benoit Pouliot with the game winner.
When the ordeal was over and after he had stopped Backlund to win the shootout and the game Lundqvist looked up to the heavens not in triumph but more of a sigh of relief. It was a much needed win, an early Christmas gift. The skid had ended. Finalmente!
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It wasn't pretty but it was needed. I thought I was going to sit down and watch the game and just say whatever ever happens - happens- who cares. Well that never works for me as I found myself praying for the win. You could just sense that it would have been a horrible crisis of confidence if this game slipped away. Instead they have something to be happy about. I've been tweeting about the lack of fight in the team. Their inability to handle adversity and dreaming of the days when a guy named Sean Avery used to run across the ice and start hitting guys wearing the oppositions uniform in a effort to wake up the sleeping Rangers. I still miss him tremendously but it was nice to see the current team fight back. I was happy with McIlrath's fight and Jeanine kept commenting on the game of Justin Falk. Falk was hitting guys and made some good plays and those little things kept us going. Also how good was it to see Stepan and Hagelin score on the same night? Two players the Rangers need to get going, lets hope this is the start of something for them. The player I am most impressed with is Kreider. I've been beating the drum for this kid for quite some time on here and it might just be my favorite result of the coaching change. The kid had 20:34 of ice time last night and he deserved it. I was perplexed at his absence form the shootout. I was also perplexed at the presence of others in the shootout such as Dom Moore and Pouliot but hey, glad the coach picked them now! Kreider did say after the game that he hasn't been good in shootouts since "back in high school" (when was that last year? ha ha) and AV said after the game that he decided in pre season that this was the line up he would go with- it gave me a heart attack but I am glad it worked.
I was glad Vigneault gave Henrik the start because he needs to work through these struggles and now that they fought through all that adversity last night I am REALLY glad Henrik was in because I feel that it is important for all of the players to work though this together. You don't want your MVP on the bench in a case like that.
So lots of work ahead but at least MSG got something to cheer for last night. An early Christmas gift. I hope the Rangers keep the gifts coming. I told Jeanine last night that if the Rangers beat the Pens AND the Islanders, I am going to buy an obscene amount of Christmas gifts this weekend ha ha ha!