Notes: Pre-Season Game 2 New York Rangers Vs New Jersey Devils

What an exciting game! Towards the beginning of the game, the play was neutered because of the refs, but thankfully that changed as the game went on. It's great to see a physical, offensive, rivalry game. Hockey is back. And thankfully for Ranger fans, that's not the only thing that's back. Ladies and gentleman, Sean Avery is back. Tonight, he played with the flair, intensity, and agitation that originally got him a cult following among Ranger fans. He got Clarkson to drop the gloves, even though he wasn't called for a penalty which he should've been. He drew Ilya Kovalchuk nuts all night, and didn't stop yapping at him for a minute. He suckered Kovalchuk into a penalty. Kovalchuk even went as far as punching Avery while on the ground and being held back by the refs. He sent Clarkson around chasing him all night, taking multiple penalties in the process. Love him or hate him, Sean did his job tonight and he did it very well.

The great thing about this game is that so many players are fighting for spots on their respective NHL clubs so they are going all out and trying to make names for themselves. Dane Byers stepped in and fought David Clarkson, although he got his ass handed to him. Kris Newbury tried to fight Elias, but defenseman Bryce Salvador stepped in, which I admire greatly. Even though Salvador got beat very badly, I respect him for stepping in for Elias who isn't a fighter at all.

Personally I love the constant Avery-Clarkson feuds. They are really entertaining, especially when the chirping extends to the bench. What I found hilarious is that once Boogaard stepped up, all the Devils shut up and sat down. It feels good to finally have an enforcer who will keep the other team in check. I also find it funny that Leblond will pick on smaller players, but wants no part of the Boogey Man. I don't want to seem like I'm ragging on the Devils, but one act I didn't like was when Pavel Valentenko was lining up a hit for Clarkson, Clarkson saw it coming so he just dropped. This to me is a gutless move. I like Clarkson's game a lot, but this shouldn't happen. Now, to not seem like a biased Ranger fan, I'll write some positives about the Devils. I've been extremely impressed with Anton Volchenkov. He's big, physical, and great positionally. This seems to be a very good signing and will definitely add fuel to the fire that is the cross-river rivalry. Between that, and the solid play of Tallinder, losing Paul Martin shouldn't hurt too badly. Also, the Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk is simply astounding. One of the funnest lines in the league to watch, for sure.

I was very impressed with Anisimov, Callahan, Fedotenko, Valentenko, and of course Avery tonight. Anisimov collided with Clarkson, and sent him flying. He finally learned to keep his head up. He bulked up over the summer. If the two collided last year, Clarkson would've sent Artem flying. Also, his hand-eye coordination is simply amazing. Callahan never stops working, and made some excellent plays tonight. He scored the first goal, and made Kovalchuk look like a clown while on the Penalty Kill. Fedotenko had a 3 point night, and is making it hard for Sather to not sign him. At first I was totally opposed to the idea of Ruslan making this team, but if he keeps this play up combined with his edge and size, this signing might make sense. Valentenko is making a name for himself, and looks to be earning a spot on this team. As of now, I want him on the opening night roster. 

What the NYR d-corps will look like is completely up in the air. Right now, there are 4 locks for the roster. They are Marc Staal, Michal Roszival, Mike Del Zotto, and Dan Girardi. I see 4 defenseman that could definitely take one of the probably 3 spots. They are Matt Gilroy, Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko, and Alex Semenov. Eminger and Exelby should be nowhere near this team. They were horrid tonight. Only God knows what was going through Exelby's head on Rolston's goal. He's just awful. Also, someone who was really disappointing was top-prospect Evgeny Grachev. Many expected lots from him, but he looked lost on the ice tonight.

Anyway, it was great to see so many players working their tales off for NHL spots, even players who are locks for their team like Callahan and Parise. It's just great hockey to watch.