Henrik Lundqvist pulled after rough night in net vs. Bruins
Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist skates back to the net after a break in action against the Bruins during the second period at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Henrik Lundqvist had a frustrating Sunday night. He was bowled over by Bruins forward David Pastrnak on a goal by Patrice Bergeron in the Rangers’ 7-4 loss and later was given a roughing penalty for body-checking Pastrnak.
The teams played four-on-four after that penalty, as Brad Marchand also was penalized for roughing. Marchand scored seconds after stepping out of the box.
Lundqvist left the game after two periods, having allowed four goals on 31 shots. The Rangers were outshot 31-12 in the first 40 minutes.
“I felt sharp in the first period,’’ Lundqvist said. “In the second period, it was just tough. They were moving pucks side to side and that exposed us in the middle a little bit. But that call [allowing the first goal to stand] set the tone for the period. I’m not going to blame the refs. They have people upstairs looking at it, and it is what it is. I was just hoping for another outcome.’’
Fast misses game
With Jesper Fast a last-minute scratch from the lineup for what the Rangers said were personal reasons, Micheal Haley, who initially was not scheduled to dress for the game, was a late addition. Rookie Kaapo Kakko was promoted from the third line to take Fast’s spot on the top unit alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.
Greg McKegg was bumped up from the fourth line to the third line, with left wing Brendan Lemieux and center Brett Howden, and Haley filled McKegg’s spot on the fourth line, skating with center Lias Andersson and right wing Brendan Smith.
Haley scored the game’s first goal, backhanding in the rebound of a shot by Smith at 10:19 of the first period. It was his first goal as a Ranger.
Blue notes
Zibanejad played in his 500th NHL game … Before the game, the Rangers and Bruins Alumni played in a charity fundraiser at the Garden, with the Bruins Alumni winning, 5-3.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
