Hank Blanks Caps For The Third Straight Time & It's Like The First 5 Games Never Happened
Considering the Blueshirts’ terrible 1-4 start & the Giants 0-for-the season, it’s been a long time since I’ve had any sports-related happiness. Yeah, the Rangers beat the Kings last week, but it was a game that could’ve gone either way without that fluky air hockey tally. Last night though was the tiny taste of dominance I needed to act like the past month or so of NYR/NYG sports never happened – even if it’s just for a little while. The King extending his streak of holding the Caps scoreless to 180 minutes was just the tip of the iceberg. The NYR showed a glimpse of what the expectations were when they swapped Torts for AV – especially in the second period. Impossible to dominate any more than they did. Relentless pressure that resulted in a pair of goals (including this classic Callahan finish), a 21-6 shots advantage & so much time in the offensive zone that Lundqvist could’ve stripped his equipment, taken a shit in the crease, cleaned it up with an ice girl’s shovel and anyone watching on TV wouldn’t have known.
The night almost took a bittersweet turn when Derek Stepan took what the league decided was an accidental shot to the head early in the 3rd. Luckily, he returned instead of joining Rick Nash as another top-6 forward on IR. I don’t think the hit was malicious, but I can’t imagine how Troy Brouwer didn’t see him. And if players are supposed to be responsible for their sticks to the point where accidents are penalties, you’d think they’d call it the same way when an unsuspecting player takes a forearm to the jaw. I’m not saying the game needs to be pussified any more, but if concussion prevention is all the rage, this seemed like a good time to reinforce responsibility. No damage done though. The Rangers returned to the East coast after a brutal road swing with vintage performances from Cally, Hank & Richards resulting in a much-needed victory. Next up – the potentially winless Devils on Saturday. Dare I say win streak?