Unlike several NHL teams who fear the word rebuilding as the plague, New York Rangers endorse the reconstruction announced and started last year without the least embarrassment.
Of all the BlueShirts that gave the NHL’s best team a hard time when the Tampa Bay Lightning needed overtime to score a 4-3 win.
Ironically, the Lightning relied on more former Rangers who took part in this final in 2014 than the Rangers themselves with Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Anton Stralman and J.T. Miller. Girardi and Miller each scored a goal against their former club on Wednesday.
In addition to these four former BlueShirts now with the Lightning, Ryan Callahan was also playing in Manhattan in 2013-2014. He missed the final, however, because of the deal that sent him to Tampa Bay in return for Martin St-Louis.
“After living this final, we were far from knowing that such a mess was waiting for us. We wanted to keep this group for a long time, but in today’s hockey, with pay ceiling considerations,” veteran defender Marc Staal said.
“It’s not always possible. It is not easy to cope with so many changes, but you have to keep up the morale, roll up your sleeves and come to work every day to compete as much as possible against the best teams.” he added.
New York Rangers head coach David Quinn and his players. (Source:www.sportsillustrated.com)
In the first half on Wednesday, the Rangers really looked like a club in full reconstruction. In fact, they looked like a club completely stunned by the upheavals that followed one another at an infernal pace over the last year, the last weeks, the last days.
“Our players started the game on the heels. They gave the impression of wondering what they would look like on the ice after all the changes, especially when we were seeing the best team in the NHL.” Rangers head coach David Quinn said.
“I knew Lightning players fast, but they were so much more so when we were very slow in our actions and reactions. They are very fast, but we helped them to be more. They took the opportunity to score twice.
“We started second with a quick goal that put us back in the game. Even when they took the lead with two goals, we kept our pace. We played good hockey in the last two periods.
Considering all that our guys have been through in the past few days, we must be happy to have taken a point in Washington – losing 6-5 in overtime – Monday night and taking another one out tonight. We fought very well against two very big league teams.” Quinn added.
Just prior to the game, the Rangers’ Rrookie head coach indicated that despite the ups and downs of all starts and starts his players had to take advantage of the challenge before the end of the season.
