Detroit loses for the first time all week.

4-2 Rangers

J.J. FromKansas

• 4 min read Front Page

Wings back in action and so are the Rangers, but we don’t like the Rangers so screw them!

Congrats to Tyler Bertuzzi on his engagement as well.

First Period

The Rangers’ top line puts two quality scoring chances through Jimmy Howard’s crease in the first 30 seconds of this game. The Wings do manage to clear their own zone and even see a couple nice chances of their own a couple minutes in as the line of Erne-Filppula-Fabbri makes noise in the Rangers’ zone.

Things settled from there with nothing really of note outside of Panarin and Zibanejad being good at hockey and the Wings not doing a real good job transitioning the puck up ice as a five-man unit. The Wings take the first penalty as Filip Chytil skates into the Wings’ zone with speed, drawing a hook from Valtteri Filppula. Luke Glendening and Patrik Nemeth spend the first 40 seconds of this power play working along the boards behind Howard to kill time. It’s honestly kind of neat to see. The next 1:20 is a bit scarier but Howard stops the two chances and we go back to even.

On the follow-up shift, the Rangers get back into the Wings zone and a bank shot from Brady Skjei comes to the back door and would be a surefire goal ifnot for Jimmy Howard making a gorgeous reaching save to deny Chytil.

On the first shift out of the 2nd commercial break, Artemi Panarin does a whole lot of hockeying and the Wings’ defense does significantly less hockeying, but Jimmy Howard hockeys effectively enough to counteract the Panarin hockeying for the time-being. After that, Jonathan Ericsson sets up Kaapo Kakko for a nice shot attempt from the slot that he puts over the net.

The next noticeable event is Trevor Daley plunking Robby Fabbri in the ribs with a slapper. After that the Rangers continue to dominate play, spin the Wings’ defense, and put shots towards the goal. A combination of sticks in the lane, a well-placed goalpost, and Jimmy Howard’s gumption keeps the scoreboard showing goose-eggs.

The Score: 0-0
The Shots: 15-7 Rangers
Standout Players:  Fabbri, Howard
The Period All Summed Up: Still on break.

Second Period

This time the Red Wings only allow ONE quality scoring chance in the first 30 seconds, so progress! In fact, it took almost two more minutes before Howard had to make another big save on a cross-ice pass to the front of the crease.

The Wings finally get some time in the Rangers’ zone nearly five minutes in. The best look generated is a Jonathan Ericsson wrist shot from the top of the circle that Igor Shesterkin gloves. After this we get into another of those long sequences of back-and-forth play where nothing particularly dangerous happens but at least the clock is ticking.

This ends at the 9:23 mark as Pavel Buchnevich takes a cross-ice pass from Mika Zibanejad on a 2-on-1 rush to make it 1-0 Rangers.

Coming out of the next break, Dylan Larkin takes a Tyler Bertuzzi slapshot to the back of the knee and hobbles off the ice. While we’re all consternating about that injury, the Rangers make it 2-0 on a faceoff win and a floated shot from Adam Fox at the point that’s tipped over Howard in front by Chris Kreider.

After the push-back shift without any push-back, Larkin skates to the zamboni doors and heads to the locker room early. Not looking like the third period recap is going to be very involved here, folks. Stay tuned.

Panarin scores with 41.9 seconds to go. 3-0 Rangers.

It’s a nice individual effort, but it’s also against Biega and Howard so give whatever credit for that you feel is due.

The Score: 3-0 Rangers
The Shots: 27-15 Rangers (12-8)
Standout Players:
The Period All Summed Up: zzzz

Third Period

No high-danger chances for the Rangers to start the third. Mickey and Ken start the period in amazement that a guy in a Rangers jersey put a puck in the net tonight like the first 40 minutes (and the November game) never happened or something.

Howard made a good save on Kakko.

Howard made another good save on McKegg

Abdelkader takes a penalty for getting mad at Brendan Lemieux. During the delay, Larkin also trips Panarin, but the refs let him get away with that one.  Probably because they know Zibanejad is going to make it 4-0 Rangers.

Good screen on that one by Kreider.  (Also I’m pretty sure that tweeter is being sarcastic about Zibanejad but I’m not looking to fight him either way)

20 seconds later Biega is defending another 2-on-1 rush and Howard has to come up with another big save on Howden.

Fabbri makes it 4-1 at 5:59. Larkin forechecks and feeds Fabbri sneaking in for a quick snapper under the blocker.

Neat.

Filppula hooks Lemieux and takes another penalty.  The Wings kill this one.

A few minutes pass after this but then Filppula makes it 4-2 from the slot. Cholowski makes a good move in the zone, but the real beauty of this play is a pass from Fabbri.

Zadina tips a shot just wide on the next shift and then HE takes a shot off the ankle.

I’m suddenly reminded that the Wings haven’t gotten a power play chance at this point. It might be because around this time is the only time I can think the Rangers actually got away with a penalty. At least Cholowski is up to play on the nonexistent advantage.

Howard heads off for the extra skater with about 90 seconds left. Shesterkin gets a shot at the empty net with about a minute but can’t get it past the Wings’ defenders.

Final Score: 4-2 Rangers
The Shots: 39-24
Standout Players: Fabbri

Next up: same opponent, different building, tomorrow night.