Photo Credit: foxsports.com

Photo Credit: foxsports.com

The excitement of a hockey game is like no other. But the feeling of watching a hockey game where your favorite team is playing against the same team they lost the Stanley Cup to last season is absolutely untouchable. Nothing can compare to that. It brought on anxiousness, excitement, tension, all different kinds of feelings and emotions, not just during the anticipation of the game, but during it, and a little bit after. 

Last night, the NY Rangers took to Tinseltown ice to battle it out for the first time since the cup against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the LA Kings. While this game could be considered a re-match, or a second round of the Stanley Cup final, one thing is for certain that the team that played last season, and the team that played last night, were two totally different teams. Last night they were not only faster and cleaner with their plays, but they were all around on their A game, and I don’t think that anybody in LA at the Staples Center expected that.

Early in the first period, I’m talking just minutes in here, starting goalie Cam Talbot, in for Henrik Lundqvist who had the night off, allowed two goals, and though it may not have felt like it, this really set the momentum for the Rangers. Both goals by Tanner Pearson and Justin Williams were minutes apart, and I think at that point the Rangers realized that this game belonged to NY. Finally, something had to give, and Dan Boyle scored a power play goal, and it looked like it instilled a higher confidence in the team and especially the fans.
With the score at 2-1 in the start of the second period, I just had this gut feeling that the Rangers were going to come out on top. A little bit over two minutes into the period, and Kevin Klein managed to tie the game, followed by Lee Stempniak who brought the Rangers up by one. At this point, Jonathan Quick, goalie for the Kings, definitely wasn’t “quick” enough for the Rangers, and it showed when he allowed a fourth goal to enter the net by Martin St. Louis, who’s shot from the first period just didn’t cut it. It was great to finally see St. Louis’ determination to score a goal during the game pay off.
The third period began, and personally, I thought it had to be the longest third period I’ve ever seen in hockey. I felt like I was watching play-offs all over again, but like I mentioned previously, this Rangers team was definitely different than their last meeting with LA. So now, here we are with a two goal game, with the Rangers in the lead by four. If there’s anything I’ve learned about the Kings from watching them in play-offs, it’s that they love to retaliate after the opposing team scores, and Justin Williams finally found a way to get the puck past Talbot and put it to the back of the net.
With just a little bit left in the game, the anxiety was high, and nobody knew wether or not the Kings would tie the game and force it to go into a stressful over time, or fall short. I was certain it was going to go into over time and I will be completely honest, I had to leave the room because I couldn’t handle it. I finally came back in to find that the Kings had a power play with just under 40 seconds left. My heart was beating faster than it was during the finals! My palms were sweating, my breathing was heavy, and I had the image in my head of Alec Martinez scoring a goal on Henrik Lundqvist during the final Stanley Cup game, and just as I pictured it, the period was OVER. The game had finally ended. You could hear the Ranger fans in the Staples Center celebrating their victory quite loudly and I cannot even imagine how intense it must have been to have watch that happen live and in person.
All in all, the game was full of excitement and energy, and did not have one moment that could leave any fan bored. Both teams do have their own playing style and their own qualities that make them play the game the way that they do. While the LA Kings do have height, strength, and size to their advantage, the NY Rangers have speed, stamina, and exceptional chemistry that can lift them above and beyond in games like last nights. Whether or not you considered it a Stanley Cup re-match, or you’re adamant about the past being in the past, one thing that’s for sure is that this seasons Rangers team proved last night that they are not the same team that they were last season.
Congratulations to the NY Rangers!

 

Valentina Casamento
Carrie Bradshaw meets a modern day PR girl.

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