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New York Rangers Game Notes

Rangers vs. Red Wings: Garand Larceny

Dylan Garand went from the waiver wire to an NHL shutout in one week, and the Rangers took a 2-0 win in a messy Detroit home opener.

Roberto Solis-Byxbee

Roberto Solis-Byxbee

— 6 min read
Rangers vs. Red Wings: Garand Larceny
(Image credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
  • As the New York Rangers took the ice and the commentators came onto our screens, strangely enough, things felt good for the Blueshirts. Maybe it's because we're still riding the high of Igor Shesterkin's goal, or because this is a rare instance of the Rangers facing off against a team that has recently endured even more turmoil than they have in the last two seasons.
  • I'm not trying to punch a man when he's down, but the Detroit Red Wings are a mess, and I'll post evidence as to why throughout these notes. On paper, this should be a game the Rangers hope to take without too much of a challenge.
  • Exhibit A: the former captain getting healthy scratched and booed after his trade request. He waved and walked down the tunnel, and for some reason, this was a tough reaction to watch.
  • The J.T. Miller, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Oliver Bjorkstrand line started off hot, getting several high-danger chances. Similar to what happened against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, the play was whistled down when the goaltender knocked the net off its moorings.
  • Exhibit B: With the Red Wings outshot 6-0 only five minutes into their home opener, the fans wasted no time voicing their collective opinion.
  • I'm not sure whether this was the experience for everyone watching, but there were a few instances during the national broadcast where there were long periods of silence after the officials stopped play. Like the two teams early in their seasons, the broadcast team is working out its own kinks too.
  • In the Blueshirt Banter Discord server (yes, that's a thing—come join us), one of our contributors, 84Jorts, posed a fun exercise: How many goals will the Rangers get this season from players who have never scored a goal for the team before? This includes everyone from Dorofeyev to Shesterkin, and with Sean Durzi's first-period power-play goal, the count is now at four.

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