Rangers lose to the Senators but last night was a celebration anyway (OTT 3 v NYR 0)

Apr 10, 2015
Lundqvist plays the puck (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The Rangers fans in attendance last night enjoyed a rare stress free game in April. Matter of fact, not even the 3-0 loss to the desperate Senators could wipe the smiles off the faces of the fans who came.

Senators 3 v. Rangers 0

Lundqvist gives fans a scare (photo:Anthony J. Causi/NYPOST)

Madison Square Garden began the festivities with a tribute video of the Rangers amazing regular season. NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly was present to award captain, Ryan McDonagh the President’s Trophy. McDonagh skated up to the table, shook Daly’s hand a momentarily held the trophy near the base for a photo.

Remarkably, the Rangers opened the first period in dominant fashion. They controlled play and actually had the MSG Broadcast crew questioning who the desperate team was. However, by the time the 2nd period rolled around, the Rangers simply couldn’t maintain that urgency level in a game that meant nothing to them in the standings.

There was one heart stopping moment when Henrik Lundqvist was bowled over by Mika Zibanejad. Lundqvist immediately went rolled over and started to writhe in pain holding his left knee. The King remained in the game and showed no ill effects for the remainder of the contest.

[su_quote cite=”Via Bret Crygalis (NYPOST)” url=”https://nypost.com/2015/04/10/sprawled-lundqvist-gives-rangers-momentary-heart-attack/”]“The first couple seconds, you’re not sure if it’s bad or not,” Lundqvist said. “After a minute or so, I didn’t really feel it, so that’s good news.” …“I’ve had that happen before, when you get your leg extended and it’s pretty painful for a while. But it seems like it’s pretty good. I didn’t feel it for the rest of the game.”[/su_quote]

Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello and Marc Staal were all given the night off to nurse injuries. On Saturday, expect possibly Dan Girardi or Keith Yandle to get a rest. Girard has played all 81 games this season and Yandle after coming over from Arizona has played in 83. Dominic Moore who has played every game this season could also be given a game off as well.

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By Anthony Scultore

Anthony Scultore has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL since 2014. His work also appears at... More about Anthony Scultore

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