Photo Credit: Brad Penner/ USA TODAY Sports
On Monday night, the New York Rangers took to the ice against visiting team Minnesota Wild to play a game that started out typical and then took an exciting turn, for the Rangers and their fans at least. The game started with Minnesota in control carrying a 3-0 lead into the third period and just when everybody thought the Rangers were going to walk away and let the visitors go home with a victory, the spark, that we all know is there deep down inside, came alive! The Wild held a 24-8 shots advantage but goalie Darcy Keumper, who only allowed four goals this season before this game, was rocked for five in less than one period.
The Rangers could have been counted out of the game at any time, including when forward Chris Kreider was ejected from the game in the first period, or even when John Moore was kicked out in the second period, but they had different plans when it came to the third.
New York stormed ahead of Minnesota in less than a period. Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein, with assists from Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash, started the comeback at 2:52 of the third period scoring the first goal of the game. Minutes after his assist, Rick Nash kicked it up a notch when he put in the second goal of the game, and his impressive ninth goal of the season at 4:48, assisted by Matt Hunwick and Derick Brassard.
They were flying past the Wild when Minnesota’s Jason Zucker restored his team’s two-goal lead only 47 seconds later, but with the way the Rangers were playing, everybody knew they weren’t going to end this game unless they had a victory.
It must have been a chain reaction because just as Nash did, right after assisting with the second goal, Brassard turned the score into 4-3 at 7:54 assisted by Chris Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello. At this point, the Rangers wanted it bad, and they were going to get it.
Just 37 seconds after 19 year old Anthony Duclair scored his first NHL goal of the season, ultimately tying the game with 3:48 remaining, a determined Mats Zuccarello, who had an assist minutes before, took the game to the top scoring the final, and winning goal.
Overall, the spark in the Rangers was there, and I can definitely say that they looked clean and tidy on the ice. The final score was 5-4, with a win by the New York Rangers.
