Rangers-Panthers: New York Mauled by Florida

It was Kids’ Day at the Garden this afternoon, but the game turned into a nightmare as the Rangers were booed off the ice, losing to the Panthers, 4-0.

If the Rangers were hoping to recruit a new generation of hockey fans, this wasn’t the game to do it. They were lucky they weren’t pelted with Wiggles coloring books when they left the ice.

The first period saw a wide-open, back-and-forth game, and the Rangers had plenty of chances to score. Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Chris Drury all had great opportunities to put the puck in the net, but all failed.

In the second period, the game turned quickly and Florida took complete control. They scored their first goal on a breakaway when Marc Staal fell down and Michal Rozsival was left in the dust in the Rangers’ offensive end.

About five minutes later Florida scored two more goals in the span of 12 seconds. I didn’t even have time to finish yelling at the TV after the first goal, and that was pretty much the game.

Henrik Lundqvist was pulled from the game, but Tom Renney should have pulled the whole team. The Panthers out-shot the Rangers 16-7 in the second as they dominated the period.

The Blueshirts never got anything going after the initial burst of opportunities. Florida blocked just about every shot they attempted, and what got through, goalie Craig Anderson turned aside.

The Rangers' powerplay continues to be feeble, going zero for five in this one, and they managed to look pathetic on a five-on-three in the third. This one just got away from the Rangers.

Hopefully it’s just a blah, forget-about-it-and-move-on game. Did they eat too much turkey? Were they still upset they weren’t able to watch March of the Wooden Soldiers on Channel 11 on Thanksgiving morning? Were they too tired from their trip to Florida? Who knows.

The only excitement was when Aaron Voros dropped the gloves with Anthony Stewart. It gave the kids something to cheer about. What seven-year-old doesn’t like a good fight?

One kid had a fun afternoon, though. Colin Campbell’s son, Gregory. He scored a goal. The three-game winning streak is over. The Rangers get a chance to start a new one on Wednesday, against Pittsburgh.

Bag-O’-Knuckles-O-Meter

Colton Orr: 5

Aaron Voros: 5

Paul Mara: 3

Brandon Dubinsky: 3

Ryan Callahan: 1

Marc Staal: 1

Nikolai Zherdev: 1