I went to the game with my father, and while it was a nice win for the Blueshirts, it wasn't without struggle either. The pesky Islanders just would not go away.
While the score ended at 4-2, the Isles outplayed the Rangers in two of the most important statistical categories, hits and shots. Besides the stats, it seemed like the Islanders had just as many, if not more scoring opportunities as the Rangers, but struggled to capitalize.
The Rangers looked terrible in the defensive zone. They seemed helpless at times, and I found myself constantly holding my breath as the holes in the defense grew larger and the Islanders scoring chances multiplied. I'd imagine this will become a trend under Tortorella's high octane offensive attack.
To quote my father, "Tortorella would rather rely on an All-Star calibur goalie like Lundqvist to make more saves, if it means scoring more goals down the other end; completely opposite of Renney's mentality."
I couldn't agree more, and this theory seemed to work to perfection last night.The Rangers forecheck was aggressive, and the offense found it's way into several high-quality scoring opportunities. Unlike the Isles, they were able to capitalize on those chances.
Two of the Ranger's goals were on power plays, one was on a 3 v. 1, and the other a clean-up in front of the net. Besides the goals, there were a handful of shots that rang off the posts as well. Zherdev, Gomez, Dubinsky, and Drury accounted for the scoring on the night.
As for the much-anticipated return of Sean Avery, although putting together a solid game in the end he seemed very timid to me. This is to be expected for a guy who hasn't seen NHL ice in several months.
The Islanders made it their priority to rough Avery up every single time he was out there. Unfortunately for Avery, they pulled this act off with flying colors.
I followed his play very closely last night, and every single time he was near the puck an opponent was there to hit him. Unlike the Avery of old, he didn't retaliate once. Perhaps, Avery knew thats exactly what the Islanders wanted him to do.
It wasn't until the third period that #16 looked comfortable and confident on the ice. He had a few nice hits, handled the puck well, and even set up a couple of scoring opportunities. His first game back in the NHL after the "sloppy seconds" ordeal, Avery just needs some time to shake the rust off. I believe we'll see the '07/'08 instigator back in no time.
A solid effort overall from the Blueshirts last night, and a good road win over their bitter cross-town rivals.
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