Photo Credit: rangers.nhl.com
For some people this holiday weekend was all about eating leftovers and taking advantage of every sale they could find, but for the NY Rangers, and their fans, it was all about completing a home-and-home sweep against the Philadelphia Flyers two afternoons in a row. Not only did the Broadway Blueshirts come out on top, but they also had some exciting things happen.
On Friday, the Broadway Blueshirts made their way to Broad Street, hoping to give themselves a win after just coming off of a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning two days prior, and they did just that. With the “return of the Mac,” three memorable goals, a milestone being made, and a shutout that led to a victory, the Rangers came out on top, yet again past the Flyers, with a 3-0 win. Below is a compiled list of all of the exciting things that happened within two days for the Blueshirts.
- Captain Ryan McDonagh made his return after an 11-game absence due to his separated shoulder. It was the “return of the Mac,” as they call it.
- Dan Boyle scored a goal in the first period on a power play, with an assist by Martin St. Louis, giving St. Louis his 999th NHL career point.
- Early in the second, St. Louis took the momentum from that assist, turned a rebound shot into a goal, and went on to achieve his 1,000th NHL career point, joining other Rangers members and iconic NHL players, by becoming the 81st player to do so.
- Rick Nash, the infamous #61, continued to show his improvement this season when he scored his 16th goal of the season.
- Young and impressive goaltender, Cam Talbot, recorded his fifth NHL career shutout, and his second shutout against the Flyers in just nine days.
Next came Saturday, and the continuation of the exciting home-and-home rivalry. While Flyers fans were hoping that their team could retaliate back against the Rangers and win on New York ice, as the Rangers won on Philadelphia ice, NY fans knew the Rangers weren’t going to let that happen. With the momentum still high from the win the day before, the Rangers put in beyond their best effort in order to make sure they could take the win again. Though the Blueshirts were missing key teammates, Dan Boyle, Chris Kreider, and Tanner Glass in their lineup, they still kept it together and managed to come through. The game ended with a score of 5-2 and a home win for the Rangers. Check out the compiled list below of memorable moments from Saturdays game.
- Derick Brassard scored two goals, the first gave the Rangers a head start and was assisted by Rick Nash. The third goal of the game was scored during a power play, which put NY back in the lead by the final period.
- Rookie Jesper Fast scored his first NHL goal, and also added an assist to his record. In this game, he became the third Ranger rookie to score his first NHL goal this season.
- J.T. Miller, who had just been recalled from Hartford to fill in for Kreider, went on to impress with a goal and an assist, which gave him his first two NHL points this season.
- Lee Stempniak scored, which contributed to their big win.
The Rangers had two great games back to back this holiday weekend and succeeded in winning both home-and-home games against the Flyers that they of course, have an ongoing rivalry with. Though they played great, they still have to keep themselves up, keep the momentum high, and keep the chemistry on the ice strong when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning again tomorrow night at the Garden!
