January 5, 2010, Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game story for Metro NY Newspaper
Published 13:36, January the 5th, 2010
Higgins makes himself at home
Rangers 3, Bruins 2
The smile on Christopher Higgins’ face stretched from Midtown to Smithtown.
The embattled Rangers' checking forward had just slipped a backhand shot between the post and Tuukka Rask’s pad for his first goal as a Ranger at the Garden.
About 10 minutes after the Rangers’ 3-2 win over Original Six rival Boston Monday night, Higgins held court while Alicia Keys’ “Streets of New York” blared in the jovial dressing room.
“It came at the right time. To contribute to feels good,” Higgins said of his goal that came with 1:29 left in regulation. “(He) started to move side-to-side a little bit and it squeaked in. Why not try it? Nothing else was going in.”
The Rangers improved to 20-17-5 and are tied with Montreal for seventh in the East with 45 points apiece. The Blueshirts’ next game is Wednesday night at MSG against Dallas. That game, a Mutual Loathing Society revival meeting between Sean Avery and his former team, will also provide the Rangers an opportunity to do something that they haven’t done much of this season: Win a game at the Garden. The home ice advantage has been a disadvantage for the Rangers, who have only won three of their last 14 games at the Garden.
“I think we’re 6-1-2. We’ve got some points along the way. It’s a tough month ahead of us; we’ve got to take one game at a time and we have another home game. We need to come back and be ready to play another home game, to try to solidify ourselves,” John Tortorella emphasized about a month in which the Rangers have seven games at the Garden and 14 games overall. The Rangers have won six-of-ten overall dating back to their disastrous December 16 2-1 home loss to the Islanders.
Should the Rangers make an upward move in the standings, last night’s win could be the blueprint. For the first 54:33, the Rangers played a smart, hard working game. They won battles along the boards and behind the nets. They skated through the neutral zone and peppered Rask with 35 shots. Defensively, the Rangers eliminated opportunities for second chance shots on Henrik Lundqvist, who finished the night with 26 saves.
Most importantly, on a night when Marian Gaborik did not score, the Rangers received scoring from Ales Kotalik, newly acquired Erik Christensen and the aforementioned Higgins.
Kotalik’s power play slapper at 9:58 of the first period gave the Rangers a 1-0 and it was his first since the Rangers’ 4-2 in Edmonton on November 5. Christensen increased the lead to 2-0 with a spectacular one-handed goal while holding off Bruins’ defenseman Dennis Wideman.
However, much like they did in the Winter Classic, the Bruins came back with two late goals to tie the game. In a span of 1:26 of the third period Matt Hunwick (at 14:33) and Blake Wheeler (at 15:59) potted goals that took the air out of the building before Higgins’ game-winner.
“We’re not going to talk about that. Bottom line we found a way to get two points. I thought we played a solid game. They’re a good team, too. They pressured us, had two opportunities and found a way to score in the third. Big play by Higgy to find a way to put the puck in the net and two points is two points. Especially at home where we’ve been struggling,” said Brandon Dubinsky, who assisted on Kotalik’s and Christensen’s goals. Dubinsky has nine points in the Rangers’ last seven games—a stretch that coincides with his reassignment to the left wing. “I feel like I’ve gotten more chances playing on the wing, more scoring chances. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or if it because I moved to the wing. But I feel comfortable there and I’m happy with the way things are going.”
And for the first time since their 7-1-0 start to the season, so are the Rangers.
NOTES:
Lundqvist left no doubt that he was irritated with Boston’s top center Marc Savard. Following a second period save by Lundqvist and subsequent frozen puck, Savard skated through the crease and delivered a cross-check to the head of the Rangers netminder.
As Lundqvist went down, Savard skated to the corner where he was met by Rangers, enraged at his act. Eventually Lundqvist skated to where both teams had congregated and talked to referee Tim Peel. According to Lundqvist, Peel said that he would “look after” of the goaltender.
“I had the puck and felt his fist right on my head. I was surprised. I guess the ref didn’t see it,” Lundqvist explained. “He was a little tricky there. It was close. He’s right in front of me and I felt his hand knock me off. Sometimes that happens.
“I don’t mind (a) physical game, but cheap stuff? I don’t like that.”
*
By all accounts, the Flyers-Bruins Winter Classic was a rousing success. Historic Fenway Park was an awe-inspiring host for the outdoor game, which, according to Sports Business Daily, the New Year’s Day extravaganza did a 2.6 Nielsen rating.
Certainly, the NHL and host Bruins should feel good about the show they put on, yes, Claude Julien?
“I’m at the stage where we’ve talked enough about Fenway. It’s now time to move it. It was a great experience, something you’ll remember forever. But we have to put our focus on the present and future,” Julien said after the Bruins’ early skate Monday at MSG.
Coming off an Eastern Conference best 116 point season, the Bruins have scuffled in 2009-10. Through 40 games prior to last night’s nationally televised Original Six rivalry revival, the Bruins were 21-12-7 for 49 points, good for fifth in the East.
The Bruins coach used the word “consistency” as the primary reason for Boston’s inconsistency. Boston finished 2008-09 with 270 goals, second in the league behind Washington’s 289. This season the Bruins have scored 100 goals. Only league worst Carolina has scored fewer with 99.
One of the Bruins that was counted on to provide scoring is second year forward Wheeler. The Robbinsdale, Minnesota, native has struggled with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) while having played in every game. He recorded 21 goals and 24 assists in 2008-09.
“He’s working hard, there’s no doubt about that. We’re helping him find the range. It’s not just scoring goals but getting yourself in the position to score goals,” offered Julien. “Sometimes he’s forcing passes and maybe he needs to take the puck a little harder to the net. He has a tendency to overpass sometimes. He’s a second year player. He’s a guy we need to be patient and keep working with.”
*
Escape From New York was a 1981 Kurt Russell action flick. While a lousy vehicle, the title may more than adequately reflect Derek Morris’ attitude about being in Boston. Morris signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Bruins in the off-season after playing 25 games (regular and post-season) with the Rangers following a trade deadline deal with Phoenix last season.
“Totally different coach,” Morris said after being asked to describe the differences between Julien and Rangers coach John Tortorella. “He’s not a screamer or yeller type coach. He’s very structured, very system (oriented). We’re not run-and-gun. We’re not a lot of pressure. We’re a lot on containment and wait for opportunities.
“Obviously our forwards do a lot of work, so it makes it a lot easier for our ‘D.’ Our forwards work their butts off. “
Partnered with Zdeno Chara as the Bruins’ top defense pair, Morris has three goals and 18 points this season.
*
Burgeoning Boston power forward Milan Lucic skated at the Garden yesterday, as did
Miroslav Satan. The Bruins signed Satan, a free agent winger Sunday, reportedly to a one year, $700,000 deal.
Lucic, who has missed the Bruins last 16 games with a high ankle sprain—Boston is 9-4-3 in that stretch—told METRO that he fell on his ankle, which had been bent behind him.
“It feels better every day. Today it felt better than yesterday, and everything is starting to get more comfortable, and whatnot,” said a chuckling Lucic. “Last two weeks have been real good skates, so that’s good.”
Lucic said that he and the organization are on the same timetable as to his return.
“We’re on the same page. It’s one of those injuries where you feel great but you don’t want to come back too early. Right now I could be back in as early as Thursday (at home against Chicago) or it could take two more weeks. It depends how it feels.”
Along with Lucic, Satan was not in the Bruins’ lineup last night.
*
Something called NHLSnipers.com posted a trade scenario Sunday that had the Rangers possibly trading their 2010 and 2011 first round picks, a 2011 second round pick, Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Rozsival, Chris Higgins and prospect defensemen Ryan McDonagh or Bobby Sanguinetti to Atlanta for free-agent-sniper-to-be Ilya Kovalchuk and late round draft picks.
There is no truth to that rumor as Atlanta is still trying re-sign Kovalchuk.
*
The Rangers are well-represented at the 2009-10 World Junior Hockey Championships. Forwards Ryan Bourque (son of Bruins Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque), Chris Kreider (the Rangers’ first round pick in last June’s Entry Draft) and Derek Stepan are key components for Team USA, which will play Canada tonight in the Gold Medal game.
Bourque, Kreider and Stepan have played in all six games for the Americans. Stepan leads the tournament in points (12) and assists (9). Kreider’s five goals has him in a five-way tie for second in the tournament, while Bourque has two assists. Forward Roman Horak had two points in six games for the Czechs, who finished the tournament in seventh place.
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 2:12 PM
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