NHL: New York Rangers Improve Preseason Record With Victory Over Red Wings

Today the Rangers played their fourth game of a so-far impressive preseason,  hosting the Detroit Red Wings in the second game of a home-and-home series. For anyone who missed the game here is a goal-by-goal box score:

First Period:

1:00- Marian Gaborik sniped a shot past young Red Wing goalie Jimmy Howard, giving the Rangers a 1-0 goal. The power-play goal was assisted by Michael Rozsival.

4:39- Not too long after the Gaborik goal, Sean Avery controlled a pass from Derek Stepan and beat Jimmy Howard on his short side to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead. The goal was assisted by Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko.

19:01- With time running out in the period the Rangers began a 3-on-2 rush down the ice. It started with a cross pass from Marian Gaborik to Erik Christensen, followed by a drop pass from Erik Christensen to Michael Sauer, finally ending in a goal for young defender Michael Sauer, giving the Rangers a 3-0 lead.

Second Period:

8:21- Red Wings finally score a goal, a shot by Brian Rafalski deflected off of Michael Rozsival's stick, which cut the Rangers lead to 3-1.

Third Period:

1:38- Young Derek Stepan received a kick-pass from veteran Ruslan Fedotenko and shot the puck past Jimmy Howard, increasing the Rangers' lead to 4-1. Assists to both Fedotenko and Pavel Valentenko.

7:34- Michael Del Zotto collected a cross pass from Alexander Frolov and ripped a shot into the back of the net, giving the Rangers a commanding 5-1 lead. The Rangers would win 5-1.

My "Star Of the Game":

Ruslan Fedotenko- The veteran try-out played extremely well in tonight's game and has given Glen Sather a reason to sign him. Fedotenko has had an excellent training camp and preseason, and a one-year deal may be offered to him very soon.

Next Roster Cuts:

It is expected that the Rangers head coach John Tortorella will make his third set of cuts sometime tonight, but it is not definite. Every single bubble player in today's game played very well, and that may lead to a delay in roster cuts. If the next cuts do come out tonight, I hope to get them out to you as soon as possible.

Pavel Valentenko Injured:

Steve Zipay is reporting that young defenseman Pavel Valentenko broke his nose on his first shift of the game. Early on in tonight's showdown with Detroit, Valentenko took a high-stick to the nose, which was never called, and skated to the bench bleeding. X-rays show that his nose is indeed broken.

This may hurt his chances at making the team, but then again it may help his chances. The Rangers coaching staff knew he was tough before this injury, but now just wonder how tough he seems after playing three periods with a broken nose.