The New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by the score of 3-2 in overtime. For a box score, click here.
3 Stars
1st Star – Overtime games this preseason. The Rangers are now 3-0 in the extra session.
2nd Star – Unity. After debating all day about National Anthem protests, it was nice to see Rangers fans unite behind their hatred of the Flyers tonight.
3rd Star – This tweet for making my night:
#Isles announce Barclays attendance today at 5,615. Again, it's preseason.
— Brett Cyrgalis (@BrettCyrgalis) September 26, 2017
Post Game Cocktail Recommendation
As I stated earlier this preseason, I’m saving my alcohol for when the games really count, so in honor of the Rangers youngsters having a solid night, let’s all have a Shirley Temple.
Gif of the Game
Obviously the highlight of Ryan McDonagh’s night was his game winning overtime tally, but for me his most impressive feat was his end to end sprint to break up a Flyers odd man rush…
Andersson & Chytil to Make Opening Night Roster?
Earlier in the day Alain Vigneault dropped a bomb on Rangerstown as he announced JT Miller will be going back to the wing after initially indicating the 2011 1st round pick would get a shot to start the season in the middle. AV added that his reversal was due to the strong play of other centers. (cough) Andersson/Chytil (cough).
And the rookies’ performances tonight made their cases even stronger. Especially Chytil who may have been the most noticeable forward on the ice. I mean just look at this play. He makes the steal along the boards, feeds his teammate, then goes to the slot for an outstanding scoring chance.
He’s got Top 6 talent right now as an 18-year old. Exciting stuff. Meanwhile, while not as flashy, Andersson continues to impress with his overall game which included FOUR blocked shots tonight. Right now, I think the Swedish product would be best served starting the season on the fourth line.
If the two 2017 1st round picks make the Rangers opening night roster, it would be very reminiscent of 1991 when both Amonte/Weight did the same.
The Fight for 13
With Andersson and Chytil all but assured a roster spot to start the season, the race for the 13th forward slot is on.
All along, I’ve assumed it was Puempel’s job to lose, and I think he’s lost it. Not necessarily due to his poor play, but more because of the surprising camp from youngsters such as Vinni Lettieri and Gabriel Fontaine, both who impressed with blocked shots and offense tonight. Here’s Lettieri:
AV has taken notice as well (On Lettieri):
“I’ve liked his skill set as far as skating, quickness of the shot, has been able to play more than one position, we tried him on the right and in the middle. He has been very effective and he is one of those guys that is making us look twice and think that these next three games, you look at these games and their importance and this is a young man who has come in and caught everyone’s attention.”
Lettieri has also provided the lefty dominant Rangers, a righty option on the power play.
AV on Fontaine:
“I’ve seen a very good skater. He’s been able to check well also in certain situations. There’s no doubt his skating ability has caught our attention. He’s made some good decisions with the puck.”
And don’t forget Boo Nieves, who’s still very much in the mix.
Buch Looking Comfortable
Last preseason the talk was about Pavel Buchnevich improving his core strength which ultimately led to a back injury that sidelined him early in the season. When he finally returned, he found himself fighting for playing time with none other than Tanner Glass. Not exactly how the Russian import drew up his rookie season.
But now that all those distractions are behind him, Buchnevich can relax and just concentrate on playing hockey, which he did pretty well on this ridiculous saucer pass to Zibanejad on the Rangers second goal.
https://twitter.com/JamesGuyFromLI/status/912488717742493697
Speaking of Zibanejad, he dropped his second single tonight. Give it a listen here:
[protected-iframe id=”4d325782739c0fd8b69c75bbdda3372f-114320562-46273279″ info=”https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6aoq7kOuxDTzulHhicS6Mc” width=”300″ height=”380″ frameborder=”0″]Mini Recap
– Not sure how Marc Staal plans on making the opening night roster when he continues to have giveaways like this…
– And sadly his turnover ways are already rubbing off on Shattenkirk…
Not sure what’s worse, the giveaway or the ill advised decision to step up on the play afterward. With how much he’ll have the puck on his stick this season, I expect Shattenkirk to have some turnovers, but man, he needs to do a much better job recovering than this.
– The New York Rangers: giving up goals in the final minute of a period since 1926.
– Good to see Nash picking up where he left off last season. Which is right in front of the net.
"Rick Nash, it's a power play goal!" 1-0 #NYR. The Captain with the point shot. pic.twitter.com/XCFPbe3oyv
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) September 25, 2017
– Zuccarello better have clinched an “A” on his jersey after defending Chytil by going after Guda.
– I’d say Lundqvist is locked and loaded for the season.
– With so much competition for the final few forward spots, this can’t be good for Dejardins’ chances of making the team:
NY Rangers’ Andrew Desjardins suspended two preseason games for an illegal check to the head on NJ's Miles Wood. https://t.co/W5PcOR5TUf
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) September 25, 2017
– Final preseason game Tuesday night in Philly, then it’s on to the real thing.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID8B1Vn3YWg&w=560&h=315&start=55&end=58]Remember to follow me on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or e-mail me at [email protected].
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