LOS ANGELES — Dan Girardi is not the only player who will be seeking redemption for the Rangers when they take the ice for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Kings on Saturday night at Staples Center.
Girardi is the Rangers defenseman who turned the puck over, leading to the Kings game-winning goal in overtime of Game 1 on Wednesday night.
Though he surely will be looking to pay his teammates back for their support, so too will John Moore, the Rangers defenseman who will return from the two-game ban he received for his high hit on Montreal’s Dale Weise in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
For most of his 23 years, Moore has dreamed about playing in a Stanley Cup finals. When he finally got to one, the dream did not have him sitting in the stands watching Game 1. But that’s exactly where he was Wednesday night, helplessly watching in street clothes, serving the second of the two-game ban that began in Game 6 against the Canadiens.
“It stinks watching,’’ Moore said. “It’s tough to watch no matter what time of year it is, but the Stanley Cup final … it doesn’t get any bigger than that. It’s a tough pill to swallow. But you make your bed and you’ve got to sleep in it.’’
Moore said his “immediate reaction’’ after the Rangers won Game 6 without him was “relief, because these guys battled back and gave me a chance to come back and play some more hockey this year. I’m proud of the group for that.’’
Though Moore is a quiet kid, he burns to pay his teammates back. You can see it in his eyes. Though his teammates know he was trying to ignite the team with that hit on Weise, Moore said he felt like he let them down.
“It’s something I addressed with the team right after the game,’’ Moore said. “They know it wasn’t my intent to hurt the team.’’
It was an impressive moment for Moore, a grown-up moment for a young player, and one his teammates took note of. Defenseman Ryan McDonagh said “the team rallied around’’ Moore’s heartfelt apology.
“He’s a solid kid who just wants to help the team as much as he can,’’ McDonagh said.
“I wasn’t surprised all that he did that. That’s the type of kid he is,’’ winger Brian Boyle said. “It might not have been an easy thing to do for him, but it was what he wanted to do. He’s very conscientious, very much committed to the betterment of the team.
“He tried to make a play to give us a spark in a game that we didn’t have a whole lot going for us. We didn’t look like it like he was selfish in any regard. … Obviously, it didn’t work out. He served his time and now he’s back. He’s been a big part of our team all year. He wants to be a part of it still, and we need him.’’
The Rangers need Moore as much as he needed them.
Now that he’s back, Moore needs to be careful of three traps he might face in Game 2:
Being a marked man by the referees. “You hear about that with suspensions,’’ Moore said. “But I really don’t think it’s part of my game to be reckless out there.’’
Not becoming passive for fear of being penalized again. “I certainly don’t see that affecting the way I play,’’ Moore said. “It’s unfortunate what happened, but I don’t see what happened changing my style.’’
Avoiding trying to do too much in an effort to make up for his lost time. “Adrenaline is obviously going to be pumping and I can’t try to do too much,” Moore said. “It’s a team game with the other guys on the ice.
“I’m sure my nerves are going to be to be pumping right after puck drop. It’s the Stanley Cup. You dream about this your whole life, so if you can’t have fun with this then you’re in the wrong spot. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid and now I get a chance to do it. I’m going to have fun with it.’’