Rangers Close Out Garden Preseason with a Loss

by: Brian Bohl | Senior Writer - NY Sports Day | Sunday, September 28, 2008



NEW YORK - Henrik Lundqvist skated to the bench with his head down while boos crashed down from the Madison Square Garden rafters. The jeers came despite the fact the contest was a meaningless preseason affair that featured more than 30 scratches, including rivalry mainstays like Martin Brodeur, John Madden, Zach Parise and others who didn’t even make the trip into midtown Manhattan.

Luckily for the Rangers, the 4-2 loss to New Jersey will mean nothing once the regular season commences. But coach Tom Renney said the miscues needed to be curtailed before his team commences the NHL season with two games against Tampa Bay in the Czech Republic starting Saturday night.

Renney said his decision to pull Lundqvist at the 10:35 mark of the second was designed to do more than just relieve his All-Star caliber netminder.

“We cut his losses and maybe suggest to others that they better step it up,” Renney said about his decision to insert backup Stephen Valiquette.

The shakeup came following the second goal from the Patrick Elias-Brian Gionta-Brian Rolston line, as the trio combined for eight points. Elias opened the scoring 1:32 into the contest. Veterans Dainius Zubrus registered his first preseason goal just 1:36 later, converting on Bobby Holik’s pass for a 2-0 lead.

Elias tallied his second goal of the game, slamming home Zubrus’ feed to convert a power play opportunity 4:46 into the second. Gionta added the final total for the Devils, ending Lundqvist’s outing. New Jersey pulled starter Kevin Weekes, who turned aside all 10 shots he faced, at the time same time. Scott Clemmensen entered for the former Rangers and Islanders goalie.

The afternoon wasn’t a total waste for the Blueshirts. Prized free-agent acquisitions Markus Naslund and Nikolai Zherdev each scored goals for the first time in a Rangers uniform to restore some competiveness.

The Rangers played most of its starters, prompting Renney to say he was confident about his line combinations yet expressed frustration about the work ethic during the matinee.

“I liked the combinations before the game and I certainly liked the lineup,” Renney said. “If this lineup can jell and be more conscientious with the puck, I think this lineup will win. I like the looks of it. That’s why I want to avoid knee-jerk reactions.”

Naslund signed as free-agent this winter to help replace the scoring left by the defections of Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan. The former Canuck star scored his first goal as a Ranger 14:23 into the second, notching a power play goal that energized an announced crowd of 15,361 despite thousands of empty seats.

Following the exhibition, the Rangers were scheduled to fly to Switzerland later in the evening. After playing six games in eight days, the Blueshirts will play two more exhibitions there before heading to Prague to open the season against the Lightning.

“I expect us to get going here,” said Naslund, who has 452 career goals and is playing in an NHL uniform other than Vancouver for the first time since the 1995-96 season. “It will be intense. We have a lot of travel and a lot of games but I think at this point, we need that.”

Scott Gomez said traveling more than 4,000 miles can be a positive team-building endeavor.

“It’s a chance to get to know each other better,” Gomez said. “There are a lot of new faces. I think it is great. We are going to spend some quality time together and get to know the new guys.”