By BRETT CYRGALIS
This is why the Rangers signed Chris Drury. He may not have put up gaudy numbers all year, and may not have been the prominent point producer Rangers fans longed for.
But he is built for the clutch – for games like tonight. He just happens to be there when the time is right. When the puck comes to him, he converts. For some reason, he just knows how to get it done.
And he got it done tonight, scoring the game-tying goal in the Rangers 2-1 shootout victory over the Devils in Newark. It was a goal that the Rangers seemed destined not to score against the stingy Devils defense. But he scored, and then Mr. Shootout, Nigel Dawes, finished off the first-place Devils with the only goal in the shootout.
Drury’s goal was really a culmination of the excellent hockey he played all night. And it seemed that tonight was a culmination of the excellent hockey he has played for the last couple weeks.
Just as his game dictates, Druryâs best hockey isnât directly correlated to his points total. Tonight he played excellent on the penalty kill, he was one of the only guys to shoot the puck on the (still nauseating) powerplay, and he moved the puck with enough efficiency to set up his fellow linemates. His game is a complete game and itâs something that everyone else should try to emulate.
I think the only other person worth mentioning as having an above average game is Henrik Lundqvist. Really, with the way heâs playing now, itâs not even above average. This is whatâs expected.
What is disconcerting is the play of the captain. Jaromir Jagr was a non-factor. I watched the majority of the game on MSG+ (it was the one in HD) and all I kept hearing Mike Emrick say was, âJagr carries into the zone . . . and holds.â That was it. When he has played well this season, he goes to the net. Not very many defenders can stop him when he takes the puck straight to the goal. But he just decided not to do that tonight.
Another thing Iâm conflicted about is Martin Strakaâs presence on the penalty kill. I know, he has blocked shots with no fear and great skill all year, but when a player is out there on the PK that canât throw a body check, I find him to be a . . . liability? I wouldnât go that far, but when he got pushed off the puck tonight on Danius Zubrusâ goal, I wished anyone else was out there. He has such offensive talent, I donât see the upside of him consistently taking pucks off his ankles when another player could be more physical.
It also has to be mentioned that it looks like both Dan Girardi and Fedor Tytuin are getting tired at the end of their first full seasons. Tytuin had a really tough game tonight, looking like his legs just werenât beneath him. He took a bad interference penalty in the second period because he wasnât moving his feet and it was a call that could have been made on him on more than one occasion.
Which leads to the question of why isnât Marc Staal even getting a sniff of the powerplay? You know Renney has enough confidence in him, as he played a good amount of the 4-on-4 overtime. He has shown some real offensive talent, and to put Christian Backman out there while a man up tonight just didnât make any sense to me. Staal has been with the team all year and has earned that spot.
In the last two games the Rangers have shown some real moxie. They played a tremendously gritty game tonight against the current first-place team in the conference â a team the prides itself on defense â and came back from a 1-0 deficit that seemed to be a lot bigger.
If the playoffs roll around and Jagr starts playing up to his ability, this team has shown the determination and ability to make a splash.
bcyrgalis@nypost.com