The first period was a feeling out process, as the Sharks were more than likely a little fatigued from playing the night before, and the Rangers had a little "rink rust" from not playing in three days. The Blueshirts thought they had broken through on Sharks netminder Alex Stalock with less than 4 seconds remaining in the period, as newly called up Chris Mueller banged away at a rebound, however referee Ghislain Hebert (yeah, I can't pronounce it either) ruled that the whistle had sounded before the puck crossed the goal line, so the first period ended as it started.....0-0. The Rangers did outshoot the Sharks, 7-5.
The second period started much the same as the first, but when it picked up, it picked up quickly, and in the favor of the home team. At 13:01, Carl Hagelin took a pass from Dominic Moore and sped up the ice, as he always does. Upon crossing the blue line, he fired a shot that Stalock had trouble corralling, and as the rebound lay there, the Swift Swede swooped in and deposited the puck past Stalock and into the net for his first of the season, and a 1-0 Rangers lead.
The Rangers kept the pressure on, and as the final minute ticked down, Martin St. Louis took the puck from the corner and fired at Stalock's feet. Two whacks at the rebound and the puck was over the goal line; however referee Hebert was positioned in front of the net, and not behind it, so it wasn't detected right away, and when it finally was, video review was used again. This time, the review confirmed the Garden Faithful's opinion. The goal was awarded and the Rangers had a 2-0 lead, and lke Hagelin, St. Louis had his first of the season at 19:16.
A whopping 4 seconds later - and stop me if you've heard this one before - Rick Nash scored again for the Rangers. Off of the faceoff, Nash poked the puck through the defense, bullrushed between them, saw Stalock whiff on a poke check, and one handed the puck through his legs and into the net. 4 seconds, 3 goal lead, and number 7 for Nash. Isn't it nice when the math works out?
Taking a commanding 3-0 lead into the third period, another Ranger recorded his first goal of the season - and the first of his NHL career, Kevin Hayes, the newly appointed center of the "Big & Tall" line between Nash and Chris Kreider circled around the net, was stopped on his initial shot, but rifled the rebound top shelf past Stalock for a 4-0 Rangers lead at 7:18. Henrik Lundqvist stopped everything he faced, and got a little help from his goal post on a Patrick Marleau shot to finish off the 51st shutout of his stellar career.
PLUS/MINUS
PLUS - Kevin Hayes. Aside from his first goal, Hayes wasvery good on the puck, making confident decisions - and, along with the other centers, was excellent in the Face Off circle.
PLUS - Carl Hagelin finally looked like Carl Hagelin and scored a very Carl Hagelin goal.
PLUS - Martin St. Louis again played like he forgets he's only 5'8". He took a whale of a crosscheck to the back of the head and neck on his goal.
PLUS - Rick Nash continued his torrid scoring pace and now leads the NHL with 7 goals through his first 6 games. While everyone around the league talks about Stamkos and Ovechkin hitting 50 goals, Nash is still leading the league.
PLUS - Henrik Lundqvist. Another game where he didn't have to be spectacular, but his first shutout of the season was needed...for his own confidence.
MINUS - Injuries. Dan Girardi blocked a shot that caused a laceration to his leg and is listed as day-to-day. Kevin Klein also suffered a laceration in the third period.
The Rangers head to Tony Soprano-ville for a Tuesday night tilt against the New Jersey Devils.
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