Red Wings Ruin Ratelle’s Special Night; Handing Rangers 3-2 OT Defeat

Feb 26, 2018

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Here is our recap of the Rangers 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

JT Miller – After falling behind 2-0 in the second period, Miller brought the Rangers within one with a power-play goal in the middle frame. The versatile Rangers forward leaned into a slapshot from Jimmy Howard’s right and beat the Detroit goaltender over the glove, just inside the far post. The goal was the 13th of the year for Miller, and he will need to continue to produce offensively as the Rangers will seemingly look to rebuild around the 24-year-old forward.

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Jesper Fast – The always working Swede evened the score at two in the third period, finishing off a rebound chance from linemate Kevin Hayes. Hayes had his shot saved by Jimmy Howard, and the puck fell to an uncovered Fast who shot the puck into the half-open net. Fast got his tenth of the season in this one, tying his career best in goal production for a single season.

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Ryan Spooner – After being brought to Broadway in the Rick Nash trade, Spooner made an immediate impact with his new team. The 26-year-old C/W earned the secondary assist on each of his team’s goals, earning the admiration of The Garden faithful who chanted “SPOOOON” whenever he touched the puck later in the game. The deal for Nash was certainly a move towards the future, and seeing Spooner contribute immediately is certainly a welcome sight for the Rangers and their fans.

“He’s definitely a talented player that can do a lot of things for you,” general manager Jeff Gorton said of Spooner. “His point production over his career has been really solid. On a really good team with a lot of good players — tonight, he’s going to get an opportunity to play, and he’ll probably play more than he’s played in a while.” Newsday/Laura Albanese

Jean Ratelle Ceremony – Regardless of the result on the ice, although a win would’ve been nice, this was Jean Ratelle’s night. In a phenomenal ceremony put on by the Rangers, the team raised Ratelle’s #19 to the rafters at MSG. Former teammates, other Rangers legends, and the announcement of Vic Hadfield’s #11 joining his G-A-G linemates next season capped off a well deserved night for Ratelle.

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