NEW YORK, NY – The most concerning factor for the New York Rangers following Friday nights 4-3 overtime defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs will be the long-term injuries sustained by captain Chris Drury and top goalscorer Marian Gaborik.
Drury, two periods into his return following a pre-season shot-blocking incident that lead to a broken index finger, ironically managed to fracture the same finger once more after a seemingly harmless collision with the far side boards. He’ll be on the shelf for a minimum of six weeks. Gaborik, on the other hand, was hit hard from behind by the Leafs’ Colby Armstrong and will miss at least three weeks of action with a separated shoulder.
Dan Girardi also hobbled from the ice during the third period after blocking a shot, whilst Sean Avery’s lumberjack swings to Mike Komisarek’s ankle were lucky to escape any kind of suspension.
So, was it all bad? Not quite. Down 3-1 and playing some of the most uninspired, sloppy hockey of the young year, the Rangers managed to drag themselves level thanks in part to fourth-line pivot Brian Boyle. Boyle scored twice during an inspired five minutes for the born-again centre, whilst the second line of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan continued to be the Blueshirts best line out of the gate. Sean Avery also played a strong game after taking a couple of swings at Komisarek, drawing a cross-checking call from the big Toronto defenceman that helped the Rangers late push for parity.
Frustrating, though, will be the needless penalty taken by Marc Staal during overtime. It was the second game running that a late Staal penalty has cost the Rangers valuable standings points, and with a lethal 4-on-3 setup resulting in a Phil Kessel winner the disdain on coach John Tortorella’s face was all too evident to see. The Rangers fell to 1-1-1 on the season whilst the Leafs improved to a league-leading 4-0-0 record, the teams best start to a campaign in 17 years.
In terms of the Blueshirts sudden injury crisis, it looks to be a case of square pegs and round holes for coach Tortorella over the next few days. The teams options are severely limited given the lack of NHL-ready depth in the organisations system (yes folks, ‘depth’, not cap-rotting bench-warmers). Mats Zuccarello Aasen and Evgeny Grachev were correctly deemed to need seasoning in Hartford this year, whilst ex-Sabre Tim Kennedy – perhaps the Rangers best option for an ‘everyman’ role – would probably fall victim to re-entry waivers given his league-minimum cap hit. Avery’s avoidal of an expected suspension saves the Rangers at least one headache as they head into a busy period of the league schedule.
It was a week that started so well for the Blueshirts after an excellent 6-3 road win in Buffalo on October 9. Rookie Derek Stepan became just the fourth player in National Hockey League history to score a hat-trick on debut, whilst Brandon Dubinsky excited expectation with a pair of his own. Henrik Lundqvist was solid, whilst Dubinsky’s linemates Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan laid the foundation for what’s been a strong early season for the team’s second line.
Unfortunately – and, as has become customary for the Rangers of late – they followed up a delightful high with a miserable low, dropping a 6-4 matinee decision to the rival New York Islanders on Columbus Day afternoon. The Blueshirts led 4-3 after Anisimov scored from the slot off a Gaborik feed only to be called for consecutive penalties in the dying minutes, leading to a tied game on the resulting 5-on-3 and a disasterous defeating strike on the 5-on-4 powerplay.
With the likes of Colorado and New Jersey soon to come on the Rangers fixture-list, it’ll be very interesting to see just how the Rangers handle their offence minus Gaborik’s goals. Sure, he may not have hit the back of the net through three games this season, but it’s an undeniable fact that his very presence on the ice makes the Blueshirts a better, more effective unit. Now we’ll get to see if the kids really are alright. Contact the author comment@prohockeynews.com
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