The New York Rangers gained a hard fought victory over the Calgary Flames at home this evening led by the goaltending of Martin Biron and goals from Dan Girardi and Brian Boyle. It was a cap to an interesting day in Ranger land that will no doubt spill over into tomorrow.
The day started with my article on Brandon Prust and how he always seems to be someone who slides under the radar, goes without the headlines, but has become an integral part of the Rangers organization and is a big reason why this club this year is developing a team identity instead of the compilation of individuals they have been in recent years. I do not think anyone knew nearly ten months ago when the Olli Jokinen trade was made that the best part of it would be a guy who was talked about as an undersized fighter type. As frustrated as the Rangers fans were with Olli Jokinen they must always remember that Brandon Prust is the gift Olli gave them.
Later in the morning it was announced that in a previously unscheduled move Martin Biron would be the one in net tonight for the Rangers against the Flames and the Henrik Lundqvist would get the extra two days to work on his technique and be back in goal on Wednesday against the Lightning. I had no problem with using Biron as he had been the more consistent goalie this season and he would reward the coaches later with a spectacular performance. In previewing the game I talked about how the Rangers if they wanted to be a good team would need consistency, to beat the teams they are supposed to beat and to win at home.
In the game itself the story, at least during the game, was once again Martin Biron and his 31 saves to give the Rangers the 2-1 victory. The full game recap is here. The story from the game that dominated after the game and will surely spill over into tomorrow is the Marc Staal crushing hit on Matt Stajan during the third period. I posted the video of the hit along with my take on it, and some thoughts on it are in the recap as well. Tomorrow morning I will delve into a more in-depth analysis of the hit where my take on the actual hit does not change much but I will look at the bigger picture of the league and what I expect to come from it.
The only other post today was a spotlight feature done by Hockey’s Future on Rangers Prospect Ethan Werek, which shows another smart interview for Werek and is a fun watch for about six minutes in length.
