Battle of Hudson Part I tonight at MSG

October 13, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

Before the puck is dropped, the home club will arrive at center ice from their locker room to loud cheers while the road team will hit the ice from the corner to thunderous boos. Ah. What’s an intense hockey rivalry game without warmups? It’s one of my favorite aspects of a Devils-Rangers game or when the Islanders, Flyers or Penguins visit the Garden.

There’s something about the thrill of seeing these two teams which hate each other to death come out during the pregame skate as rock music blares over the loudspeaker to “Let’s Go Rangers” chants. There’s an appeal to a diehard fan who if schedule permits will try to get there just to see the teams warmup.

I can’t really put a finger on it. Only that I know I love watching the two combatants get ready for battle which really applies when you talk puck. Especially against a hated division rival.

I know I can’t be alone here. I’m sure Hasan and other teams’ fans know exactly what I’m referencing. There’s a beauty behind it kinda like when Summer drifts away like a dying wave in the ocean becoming Fall with cooler windier conditions and leaves changing reminding you of what’s around the corner. It didn’t seem that long ago that it was September and camp was hitting.

Now, here we are a few games into a brand new season full of endless possibilities. Heck. Even after two games, Islander fans can dream but wouldn’t be nice if company man Rick DiPietro is in net instead of capable backup Joey MacDonald? Especially for your home opener. Yikes. Perhaps in their annual Columbus Day (Canadian Thanksgiving) matinee versus the upstate Sabres with a special 2 ET start.

Heck. You can even call that a rivalry kinda. Two New York teams doing battle. Well. Not really. But hey. It’s another decent game to catch.

Most of the focus will be squarely on the new look Devils with their 1995 time machine rolling out Back To The Future teammates Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik. So far, so good for them as they’ve helped the team to a 2-0 start with consecutive 2-1 wins on the strength of stars Patrik Elias, Zach Parise and Martin Brodeur.

Meanwhile, the Rangers also come in having gone four for four after holding off the Flyers spoiling their season home opener before Sarah Palin, who received the royal treatment from those lovable creatures they call fans in Philadelphia.

Now comes another early test for a new look Blueshirt team which is the sixth youngest in the NHL thanks to additions like Nikolai Zherdev and rookie Lauri Korpikoski. Thus far, two of the more experienced pieces Wade Redden and Markus Naslund have given good accounts.

So, will the club be up to the task against an older more physical Devil team who wants nothing better than to pound the living Hell out of them like the last preseason match? We’ll see. Tom Renney hasn’t been totally satisfied with his team’s overall play despite their best start in 25 years.

Truth be told, they can play better with only the second win over Tampa Bay their most sound effort. Glaring mistakes can’t be made against a very detail oriented Devil club waiting to pounce. How will the new Malik Dmitri Kalinin hold up? That remains to be seen.

Since I likely won’t be around later to put together a preview due to some personal business before heading out to the big city for the game, let’s give three keys to a Ranger win.

Three Keys:

1.Get the jump- Coming out quickly with energy can set the tone. Especially when you’re up against a well schooled defensive team like the Devils. Some strong shifts early along with a lead can only help.

2.Discipline- This word was one being tossed around by Renney Saturday night referring to silly penalties a couple of his players took in the third to make the chore tougher. It also refers to lazy turnovers which didn’t help them build a four-goal lead before hanging on. They must stay focused executing the small details which win games.

3.Attack- The best defense against any opponent is offense. This team has improved speed and counterattacking ability with better transition. They must use their legs and get in behind the Devils working slow footed D like Colin White and Bryce Salvador. Forecheck with vigor and force them into mistakes. That also means get as many shots on Brodeur as possible along with the continued screening tactics they’ve been using. Something which wasn’t a Ranger characteristic the past three years.

Aside from that, the Rangers should have the fresher netminder with Henrik Lundqvist returning to the net after a game off with Stephen Valiquette continuing his ownage in Philly. This is another busy week for the club featuring four games in six nights. Let’s see if they get it kickstarted in the right direction.

Enjoy the game!