Rangers Defeat Devils In Overtime To Start 2018

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Here is our recap of the Rangers 4-3 OT victory over the Devils.

Lias Andersson – Though just the first audition of the preseason, the 2017 first-round draft pick made a strong case for making the big club come October 4th. Andersson notched two goals, one shorthanded and one with the Rangers on the power play. But it wasn’t just his goal scoring that gives me such confidence in him being on David Quinn’s opening night lineup. Andersson was all over the puck, was engaged in the play, and played a 200-foot game which is very important for a center. The one negative in this one for the young Swede was his faceoff record, winning just four of the 12 draws he took.

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Pavel Buchnevich – In a year where Buchnevich needs to make his presence felt on the ice and on the scoresheet, the Russian did just that. Buchnevich was physical when he needed to be with his three recorded hits, battled in the corners and scored a PPG that tied the game at two in the second period. A very nice first impression for the new head coach David Quinn from the 23-year-old.

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Cody McLeod – The rugged forward, who re-upped with the Rangers during the offseason on a one-year deal, was noticeable on the ice for the wrong reasons. Aside from looking slow compared to his much younger and faster counterparts, a strong case could be made that McLeod’s poor backcheck led to the Devils first goal of the night. You can see it for yourself here.

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Personally, I was not a fan of the McLeod signing for numerous reasons, most notably that the team has younger players with size and speed that can be physical as well. But if McLeod is going to claim a spot on David Quinn’s squad, he will have to play better over the rest of the preseason.

Neal Pionk – Aside from playing 7:19 of shorthanded time, 2:22 of power play time and having the most shifts of any Rangers player, Neal Pionk started the 2018 preseason in the same fashion he did in 2017; by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. Following a fantastic defensive play by Jesper Fast, Fast worked the puck to Buchnevich who threaded a perfect pass to Pionk for a tap-in goal to give the Rangers the win.

Defense – Two players that stood out for me in this one were young gun Tony DeAngelo and veteran Marc Staal. DeAngelo was prominent from the Rangers blue line in the offensive zone registering four shots on net. He did take one penalty in the game, one which he should not have taken, but other than that he had a solid game. As for Staal, he also played over 7:00 of PK time, had one hit and took three shots on net. Staal seemed to have a bit of an extra jump in this one as he also put together a positive effort.

Next Game: The Rangers continue their preseason schedule on Wednesday when they host the Flyers at MSG. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

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