Postgame: Rangers Close Out 2009 with Bounce Back Win Over Hurricanes

So the Rangers bounce back with a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes after being blown out by the Philadelphia Flyers the night before. Sound familiar? Yes it does, as that was the same case when the Blueshirts where embarrassed by the Islanders, but came back and won big on the Island. Sure it is a satisfying comeback win, but again, it does not solve all of their problems. However, when comparing the overall performance, much better than what we saw last night.

The Rangers originally scored first to begin the game when Dan Girardi’s slapper hit the twine behind Ward, but the goal was waived off as the refs ruled that Erik Christensen, who was moved to the first line, interfered with the goalie. Shortly after, Joni Pitkanen put the Hurricanes on the board on a 5 on 3 powerplay when his slapshot that hit the post was put in by the swinging blocker of Henrik Lundqvist. The Blueshirts have now surrendered the first goal in five straight games.

The Rangers then got their opportunity with the man advantage, a 5 on 3 in fact, and capitalized. Marian Gaborik rifled a slapshot from the point which ricocheted off the pads of Ward and onto the tape of a wide open Christensen, who buried his first as a New York Ranger. That is the way it would stay through the second period as both goaltenders where great in the stanza. The Rangers were outshooting the ‘Canes 15-7 at that point.

With less than ten minutes to go in regulation, Marian Gaborik again sent a shot towards the net, but this time it was Brandon Dubinsky who picked up the loose change and what would be the game-winner. That tally would be Brandon’s third in the past three games. It was all defense and goaltending from there, as Carolina poured it on late. Henrik Lundqvist, with the help of the iron behind him, stood strong, as did the defensive squad in front of him.

I said in the pregame that the Blueshirts did not crash the net hard in last night’s loss to the Flyers. Well, they did just that tonight and both goals were scored on rebounds right outside of the crease. Let’s face it; the Rangers are not going to be scoring many pretty goals unless they are coming from Marian Gaborik, so if they want to score goals and win games, they have to be willing to get into the dirty areas of the ice and bang those loose pucks home.

That starts with their battle level, which was drastically better than it was against the Flyers, especially on defense. The defense, while they made some mistakes, clogged the middle and forced Carolina to take outside shots. Funny enough, I remember saying the exact same thing in last week’s win over the Hurricanes. Coincidence? Maybe, but nonetheless the D was not as porous as they were on Wednesday.

Marc Staal and Dan Girardi came out and played great. While the other four blue-liners were not standouts, Staal and Girardi carried the load in the back end for the Rangers. The way in which these two specific individuals are going to be effective is if they play a physical game. That is when we see the best of Staal and Dan, and that is what you saw tonight. Also, Marc always seems to step his game up a notch when he sees his brother Eric at the opposite end of the rink.

I must say that I was a bit surprised when I saw Christensen on the top line, but he played very well. In his 15:38 of ice time, by far the most he has seen since coming to New York, Christensen registered a goal and an assist, and was also strong on the puck. I really liked his game, but I highly doubt he will continue to play like this on a consistent basis.

I was a bit disappointed in Marian Gaborik. Yes, he had two assists but the amount of times he missed the net was quite unusual for him. Luckily, Dubinsky, Callahan, and Avery all had strong games so what Gabs lacked did not hurt the team. It is not like he played a bad game, but he didn’t meet expectations in a way. I guess we have just been spoiled with his talent this season.

So that will do it for 2009 and the decade. Hopefully the Rangers can build on this win, and they will get a chance to do that on Saturday when they host the Hurricanes back at Madison Square Garden. Until then, I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!
(Images courtesy of AP Photo and Reuters)