With two other games covered from Sunday night, the sweep focuses on the New York Rangers’ win over the Calgary Flames Sunday night, 4-1.
The Rangers are now 6-2-2 and though it feels anything but good, it is still enough for 14 points in the standings.
standard which we’re used to playing, but we’ve figured out ways to win hockey games and that’s what you have to do early on here in the season while you’re finding your way to get to the point where you’re consistently playing solid hockey for 60 minutes,” Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. “It’s something we’ll keep working at as we go along.”
Antti Raanta, made another home start and despite giving up an early goals, his efforts kept the Rangers close until the offense was able to kick into gear.
Raanta had 22 saves including one on a breakaway in the first period.
“There’s no doubt that breakaway save, where he makes a save and they get a rebound, that’s a turning point in the game,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “We need those timely saves for guys to find their rhythm and we got that tonight.”
The Rangers offense came from Oscar Lindberg, Dan Girardi, Kevin Klein, and Derick Brassard.
“Our game revolves a lot on defending well because our ‘Ds’ have good gap, because of the back pressure, which leads to turnovers,” Vigneault said. “But those turnovers can only be executed if we get that first pass most of the time tape to tape or indirect, and that helps us with our pace and it helps us with our speed game. We’re not there yet. We’re coming, but we’re not there yet.”
Jiri Hudler‘s goal in the first was only blemish on Raanta’s record at home so far.
‘We’re talking about secondary scoring, we’re talking about capitalizing on our chances; that’s where the game is [won],” Flames coach Bob Hartley said. “If you capitalize on those chances you’re giving yourself a chance to build a lead. A one-goal lead in this league is not a very big lead, especially against a team like this that throws four lines at you and six Ds that move the puck very well.”
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