Everyone
new today was going to be a big day for New York Rangers goaltender Henrik
Lundqvist as he returned home, not only to Sweden, but to his former club
Frolunda. Before the game the Frolunda
franchise did themselves extremely proud with a moving tribute to their former
netminder that Lundqvist himself said after the game nearly had him in
tears. Lundqvist entered to an ovation
fitting of a king and he played like it with 32 saves in the Rangers 4-2 win.
The
Rangers got on the board when Ryan Bourque sprung Kris Newbury for a goal over
the shoulder. It was another play by Bourque
to make the Rangers coaching staff take notice of his all-around game, but it
still likely won’t be enough for him to be on the roster for opening night.
After
taking and killing off numerous penalties to start the second period, Michael
Del Zotto would put the Rangers up when Mats Zuccarello found him pinching to
the slot. The goal for Del Zotto had to
feel good for him, but the play was made by Zuccarello who shined in this game.
Zuccarello was not done with Del Zotto’s
setup as he had another brilliant pass for Erik Christensen who scored on a low
shot to make it 3-1 New York. If he was
not already a lock to make the roster before the game, Zuccarello’s performance
in his return to Sweden should clinch it for him. Maybe Zuccarello was more comfortable on the
bigger ice surface, but the plays for the goals were not a product of that
difference. With playmaking skills like
that he can be a huge contributor for New York this year if paired with Derek
Stepan again.
Lundqvist
was beaten in the third with Del Zotto in the box, but Mike Rupp would seal the
game with just 3:12 left off a feed from Brendan Bell.
- Lundqvist is the easy choice for standout player today as he was brilliant in keeping the team alive when they took far too many penalties. Great move by the organization giving Lundqvist the “A” for the game.
- Zuccarello as I mentioned earlier continued his excellent showing this year and just looks more confident in what he is doing this season.
- Hopefully Christensen’s goal does not become an excuse to keep him around
- Erixon was much better today, but the question remains if it was too late for him
- Del Zotto is getting his offensive instincts back, which is certainly good news, but there is still work to be done.
- Bell continues to keep his name in the conversation
- As a team the penalties need to stop as this has been a trend in their preseason games. Yes, a lot of young players were in the lineup today, but it is ridiculous the number of penalties and 5-on-3 advantages they are giving against.
