The seven-game road trip that the New York Rangers had to endure to open up their 2011-12 campaign was the lengthiest in franchise history, but tonight, at last, they will take the ice at the newly transformed Madison Square Garden for the first time. I think the start of the season was best described by Brandon Prust when he said "it feels like we've been on the road forever." Nearly an entire month sure does feel like "forever" when you look back on it, but I think after touring the newly constructed facility and practicing at MSG Wednesday morning, everyone on the Ranger team would agree that the wait to finally come home was well worth it.
Tonight not only holds the first of 41 home games for the Blueshirts this season, but it is also a night that will go down in the history books. The World's Most Famous Arena turns the page on a new chapter this evening, after undergoing a slew of renovations and transformations over the summer. From the locker rooms to the concourses, the entire bottom half of Madison Square Garden has been ripped apart and rebuilt. As you would expect, unimaginable amounts of money have been poured into bettering the experience for the players and most importantly, you, the fans.
Hey, we're worth it, aren't we?
The renovations will bring upon excitement of their own, but in addition to that our boys are finally home. The never-ending road swing took a larger toll on the fan base than it did the team in my opinion. There is nothing like opening night at MSG in front of the Blueshirt faithful, between the player introductions and (hopefully) the first stick salute at center ice, the fans will be amped up.
But all of the excitement aside, the Rangers still have a hockey game to play against a hot Toronto Maple Leafs team. In their first eight games of the season, the Leafs have posted a 5-2-1 record, grabbing 11 of a possible 16 points in the standings; that's good for third in the Eastern Conference. And forward Phil Kessel is not only leading the club in goals and points, but he leads the entire league as well. Despite it being their home opener, the Rangers are the ones entering this game as underdogs.
New York does enter the match on a high note, though, as they are fresh off Monday's 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. Again, the Rangers didn't come close to playing a perfect game in that one, but they came up clutch when they needed to and stole two points that they didn't necessarily deserve to leave with. That's sort of been the story of the season to this point, being that it's unfathomable that the team has a 3-2-2 record despite playing sub-par hockey in those seven games.
The Rangers will now play six consecutive games on home ice beginning tonight, giving them a prime opportunity to straighten out their game and get to playing the hockey they've intended to since the season's start. As the first step toward doing so, head coach John Tortorella has made some adjustments to the offensive lines (surprise, surprise).
The main swap to take note of has Ruslan Fedotenko on the top line with Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik. Fedotenko finished with a goal and an assist on Monday and skated very well in the eyes of the coach. Basically, whoever's going the most is who's been put on line one with Richie and Gabby. Also, Fedotenko has some history of playing with Richards from their days together in Tampa Bay.
That drops Derek Stepan to the second line, where Brandon Dubinsky has been moved to center and captain Ryan Callahan remans on the right wing. Their usual second line, which features Artem Anisimov at center, was not producing the way Torts wanted it to. That influenced his decision to move Stepan there in hope that he will bring some more energy to a trio that clearly needs a spark of some sort.
There's a negative side to this, though, as Anisimov is now stuck centering the fourth line with Kris Newbury and Mike Rupp/Erik Christensen. This is a major no-no and you'd think the coach wouldn't be capable of coming up with something so foolish. I guess you cannot put anything past the man at this point.
On defense, the Rangers will be getting Michael Sauer back tonight, which is a huge plus. Sauer hasn't played since the Europe trip due to a nagging shoulder, but he's now ready to go after two weeks of rest and workouts. His physicality and boldness on the blue-line is going to make a world of a difference for the Rangers on defense. Who will be scratched in his place, though, has not been announced. I'm thinking Jeff Woywitka.
New York Rangers (Probable) Lineup
If you will be at the Garden tonight like myself, feel free to say hi to the nut in the fly "Broadway Hat" because that will be me. Also be sure to follow my Twitter feed for pictures from inside the renovated arena. See ya there!
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