Quick Hits Recap: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes 12/1/17

Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

This is the Quick Hits recap of the New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, as the Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 5-1 at Madison Square Garden.

First Period Woes

Watching this game, I could only think one thing: they did it again. They came out in the first all disjointed with no cohesive play and let Carolina set the pace. Turnovers in the defensive and neutral zones kept the Rangers pinned while Carolina sustained pressure. Fortunately, Lundqvist was on his game tonight and only let in one goal in the first period, which turned out to be Carolina’s only goal for the night. One thing that we’re always talking about is how the Rangers have to play a full 60 minutes, and so far it’s been few and far between that they have. When you’re more than a quarter of the way into the season, you don’t expect to see these consistent issues.

Ryan McDonagh

Watching McDonagh skate tonight, you could tell that having 4 games off was just what the doctor ordered. He was skating much smoother, his speed was there, and he probably had one of his top games this season so far. It only raises the questions: why wasn’t he given time to heal before this, and how long has it been an issue? His play this season so far has been far removed from what he is actually capable of, so it’s nice to see him back in the swing of things.

David Desharnais

Desharnais once again filled in on the top line in Mika Zibanejad’s absence as the center recovers from a concussion. He’s definitely gotten the short of the stick when it comes to analyzing his play. He’s proven that he can step up and be a role player when he’s called upon. Tonight he scored the first goal for the Rangers on a power play in the second period.

Michael Grabner

I continually refer to Grabner as Mr. Empty Netter because most of the time when they have an EN goal, it’s Grabner walking it in. Tonight, he not only banked one, but two EN goals, and he scored the go-ahead goal as well, making it a hat trick night. This was Grabner’s 5th career hat trick. For his work, he earned the Broadway Hat and the first star of the night.

Other Notes

Lundqvist let in a soft goal in the first period, but stood solid after that with 32 saves on the night, including a penalty shot from Jeff Skinner. It’s also worth noting that he’s now tied with Tony Esposito for the second highest number of wins with a single team at 418. Paul Carey scored goal 5 with 40 seconds left to go in the game, just padding the win. While the end result was favorable, the Rangers’ performance was average and they need to develop more consistency if they want to go anywhere past the regular season.

The Rangers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, December 5th at 7:30. Follow our Twitter game day account @4BNYRGameday for live tweeting during the game and important news/updates as we get them.

LET’S GO RANGERS!!

 

Christina is an avid hockey fan and a great writer.

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