Well, the Rangers dropped the preseason opener to a Fatty-less Devils, who still had a majority of their NHL roster playing tonight. As for the Rangers, well, it looked sloppy, but all signs point to the ice being a mess, which may account for a few miscues. Ice should never be an issue, as the Devils dealt with it too, so a loss is a loss. I think I’m going to try a bullet point review for all games, so let me know what you think of this instead of the usual game summary types.
- Cam Talbot played his tail off during his time. He made great saves, and it wasn’t really his fault on the OT winner, it was just a bad giveaway.
- That turnover was the result of a bad pass from Steve Eminger that was fumbled by Dale Weise. It happens. No use crying over spilled preseason milk.
- Dale Weise did have a good game though, scoring a goal and dropping the gloves as well. I have pretty much written him off for the preseason, but more games like this and he may just crack that roster.
- John Tortorella said that Sean Avery was part of a line that was most impressive this game. That’s funny, because I didn’t see Avery after the first period.
- Dylan McIlrath had some early jitters, but settled down as the game went on. Being paired with Traverse City partner Tim Erixon likely helped.
- Ryan Bourque continued his strong play.
- Erik Christensen continued his “WTF am I doing here” play. He’s gone. You heard it here first. No, seriously, you did. I said it last year.
- Michael Del Zotto…oh boy. This spot is yours to lose and you’re doing a good job losing it. You must be better. Stop forcing passes, just make the simple play that comes naturally.
- In the Bourque vs. Hagelin battle, Bourque took round one. Carl Hagelin is fast, but he didn’t do much else.
A loss is a loss, but it’s preseason. The first cuts come after Friday’s game. Expect the kids in Juniors to be sent back, and maybe a few others to the AHL.
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