The Rangers had been able to find ways to win while attempting to find themselves through the first seven weeks of the season, but it wasn’t until the last 48 hours that the Blueshirts were able to put a stamp on 2011-12.
With Friday’s 6-3 victory in Washington and yesterday’s 2-0 triumph over the Flyers in an amped-up atmosphere at the Garden, the 12-5-3 Rangers established themselves as a distinct and legitimate force.
Too much time had been spent attempting to replicate last season. Though most of the roster remained intact, each season is unique. The Rangers used these last 48 hours to establish an identity of their own that should serve as a foundation going forward into the winter.
“I think as individuals we had to figure that out, we had to get going,” said Brian Boyle, who had a second consecutive imposing game between newcomers Carl Hagelin and John Mitchell. “We had that [seven-game] winning streak, but I don’t think we were particularly satisfied with the way we were playing.
“I think after we lost in Florida, we decided, ‘Screw it, we know how to play.’ ”
The Rangers played in-your-face, we-won’t-back-down hockey against a Flyers club diluted by injuries to Jaromir Jagr, James Van Riemsdyk and Chris Pronger, and they got in Philadelphia’s face off the opening draw when Brandon Prust and Zac Rinaldo dropped their gloves and threw haymakers at one another.
Rinaldo is the Flyer, not incidentally, who separated Michael Sauer’s shoulder when he drove the Rangers defenseman into the boards during a Sept. 26 exhibition match in Philadelphia.
“It was obviously in the back of my mind and was obviously a part of it, but doing that is my way of contributing and getting the boys going,” said Prust, who later in the period engaged in another fight, this time with Wayne (“I can’t remember what I said”) Simmonds. “I thought it was important for us to get our emotions up for this game.”
Just as moving Brad Richards off Marian Gaborik’s line onto a unit between Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky earlier in the season represented an important moment, shifting Dubinsky into the middle of a fourth line between Prust and Sean Avery on Friday was a key decision for John Tortorella.
Though it’s not really in the coach’s nature to give meaningful ice time to a fourth line, it is important for the Rangers to have a fourth line such as this one that plays with an edge and that Tortorella will trust. That was evidenced by the fact he had that unit on with 5:22 remaining with a 2-0 lead off a second period power-play goal from Richards and a third-period rebound score from Hagelin, the first of the Flyin’ Freshman’s NHL career.
Of course, the Rangers would not have been in position to protect that lead without an exceptional game from Henrik Lundqvist, who was not only sharp throughout but kept the game scoreless with a save on a Scott Hartnell breakaway just 1:38 into the match.
“I have to say that I think I was playing with a guilty feeling because I miscalculated the time, showed up an hour late and missed the meeting,” revealed The King, who had made a couple of brilliant saves that included one on a breakaway early in the first period of Friday’s victory. “I know how important the first few minutes are, both to me and to the group.”
The first few minutes turned into 60. And 60 minutes yesterday plus 60 minutes on Friday have turned the 2011-12 Rangers into something distinct.