Rangers vs. Bruins: Mr. Robertson's Neighborhood
The Rangers won a game at MSG, Matthew Robertson went coast-to-coast, and the kids flashed—but the lack of jam, odd deployment choices, and deadline vibes still loomed over everything.
- The "1991-04 Legendary Blueshirts" Centennial Season Theme Night began with Sam Rosen bringing out a mixture of some dudes and then some dudes onto the ice. I wondered what Adam Graves, Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, and Mike Richter think when they watch whatever it is the New York Rangers are doing these days. At least the team managed last night not to make Rosen sad while he was in the building.
- I also have to say, the crowd was shockingly into this game. I can't really bring myself to feel things about this team and the standings when I know they're burning it down, but the building was pretty alive.
- We were bound to have one of these games, where the New York Rangers play somewhat competently and win a hockey game. The Rangers actually came back in this game—scoring the only goal of the third period to tie it at three—and then scored on the only shot on goal in overtime, a Matthew Robertson (mostly) coast-to-coast goal.
- Hanging over the night was the impending Carson Soucy trade, which was finalized midway through the third period. The Rangers sent Soucy—who, you will recall, recently welcomed his third child—to the New York Islanders for a third round pick.
- One thing that was readily apparent to me was the lack of "jam" from the Rangers. The Bruins tried to start stuff most of the night and the Rangers just ... didn't respond. And not even in a "we have a game to win, we're above this" kind of way. More of a "yeah, whatever, we don't really care" kind of way. It's been like this almost all year, but I think this is the first time I truly noticed it—mainly because this was the first time I was at MSG for anything other than a loss by four-plus goals. Sort of alarming, but not as much when, again, you realize the Rangers are burning it down.
