Matt Gilroy, perhaps nervous playing his first game on his native Long Island, was extremely shaky with and without the puck all night. Indeed, it was Gilroy who allowed Matt Moulson to get behind him for the breakaway on which the Islanders took a 1-0 lead 55 seconds into the match. Gilroy, who had been on the point with the second power play unit, did not get on the power play last night. Michal Rozsival replaced him.
“I’d like to have that breakaway goal back,” said Henrik Lundqvist, beaten along the ice.
P.A. Parenteau became the fourth Ranger this season to score his first NHL goal, joining teammates Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto and Artem Anisimov. But the 26-year-old winger probably shouldn’t begin house hunting in the area. “He is an offensive guy and he has a nose for the net, but I worry about his skating at this level,” said head coach John Tortorella.
Rangers had won five straight at the Coliseum since last losing on Nov. 6, 2007, all of them with Lundqvist in nets. Lundqvist came into the game with a lifetime 9-3-1 record and 1.53 goals against average at the Coliseum. Last night marked the second time in 14 starts that he surrendered more than two goals in the building.
Blueshirts, 8-4-1, are in Minnesota tomorrow night before facing Bruins at the Garden on Sunday afternoon. They follow that match with a three-game trip to Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.