Recapping the Rangers/Devils 4/9/11

The Rangers closed out the 2010-2011 with a victory on Garden ice against the New Jersey Devils to the score of 5-2.

I did not sleep a second last night. I was too busy thinking about last year, and which ending of the season will hurt more: this year or last? I was considering not watching the game, I was too scared to see what could possibly happen to this team. But I am very, very glad I decided to tune in and see the end to the regular season, but possibly not the entire season.

The game began rocky, with the Devils getting an early deflection from Nick Palmieri two-minutes into the game. However, a minute and eleven seconds later, the Rangers tied the game back up coming off the stick of a player probably many people didn't even know was an option for today's game: captain Chris Drury. Drury scored his first goal of the season sliding it backhand five-hole on Martin Brodeur, underlining why he has been given the title of "Captain Clutch."

The Rangers lost the lead late in the 1st period after Ilya Kovalchuk snapped a bullet past Henrik Lundqvist, but did not waver in the face of intimidation. Nearly two minutes into the 2nd period, Wojtek Wolski scored his first goal in 18 games to tie the game at two. The trend of dark-horses scoring for the Rangers would continue in the 2nd as rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored his first goal of his NHL career to give the Rangers the lead for the remainder of the game.

Brandon Prust would chip in one more goal after collecting a rebound off of a Brandon Dubinsky shot. And finally, Vinny Prospal would get the Rangers their final goal to tuck in the win half way through the 3rd period.

I would like to give credit to the Devils, though. The Devils looked dead in the water at the half-way point of this season, but showed a lot of heart and determination to try and pull something positive out of a dismal start. The fact that the Devils were once in a position of being four points away from the Rangers this season after the start they had is very commendable and I tip my hat to their perseverance.

Now, the Rangers need some help. The Rangers have put some pressure on the Carolina Hurricanes, who play the Tampa Bay Lightning later on tonight. If the Lightning win tonight, in either regulation, overtime, or shootout, the Rangers will lock an 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers end this season with a 44-33-5 record. They scored 233 goals, and allowed 198, finishing with a +35 in the goals for/goals against ratio. Henrik Lundqvist set a career-high, league-leading number of shutouts with 12. The Rangers had five separate twenty goal scorers, and the young defensive core for the Rangers managed to hold their own when faced with so many injuries to the lineup. In all, the Rangers did a very commendable job this year. Whether Carolina wins or loses tonight, I will still be proud of the Rangers team. This Rangers team showed grit, determination, and guts all season long, and played an honest, hard-working game all season long, and for that, I thank them. I am proud to be a Rangers fan, and I hope that this is not the end of their season. Tonight, we cheer for the Lightning to give the Rangers a little help in the standings!

Lets Go Rangers! And just for tonight, lets go Lightning!