The New York Rangers dropped their fourth game of the preseason to the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-3, in OT. For a box score, click here.
Another night, another three goal deficit for the Rangers. Unlike Saturday night with the Rangers ‘C’ team, tonight was the closest lineup we’ve gotten to what the team will look like in 9 days.
However like Saturday night, this Ranger team let the game get away from them again in the second period, with poor Mackenzie Skapski coming into the game with the Rangers about to go 5 on 3 down after Jimmy Vesey took a phantom tripping penalty and JT Miller bloodied Jake Voracek. The Rangers allowed two goals here in 48 seconds with the Flyers on the power play.
Of course, the talk of the night was Radko Gudas’ boarding call on Vesey, which is par for the course on the Flyer defenseman. Depending on who you ask, Vesey did show Gudas his back for the entire sequence but Vesey put himself in a more vulnerable position by turning towards the charging Gudas. My gut is telling me here that Gudas avoids further discipline from the league. He seems to be the teflon man when DoPS comes calling.
The Rangers finally woke up in the third, with goals from Vesey who tied the game, Ryan Graves who finally got the Rangers on the board late in the second and off the magic stick of Brandon Pirri, who has 4 goals now in 3 games. I’m anxiously awaiting how Pirri somehow gets left off this roster opening night. There’s not much more he can possibly do.
Buchnevich easily had his best game so far this preseason with a couple of big chances off the rush which were turned aside by Mason. If you happened to follow him in Russia, this happened in his first few games after he was traded to SKA, where he was simply getting unlucky. His fortune has apparently followed him to America for now. He just needs the NHL experience. The smaller ice doesn’t really seem to affect him at all.
The Rangers have a quick turnaround with their second to last preseason game in Brooklyn Tuesday night against the Islanders.
Photo credit: (Elsa/Getty Images)
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