As Peter Laviolette would say “that was something.” Something indeed coach, something very special! The New York Rangers comeback win over the Islanders was the perfect cap on what was one of the most incredible days I have had as a sports fan in my life. I have been fortunate to go to many great sporting events but this one by far was the most special in my life, and it will likely be very tough to beat. This recap will not be some by the numbers or analytical take on the game, sure there were things that the Blueshirts could have done better, but frankly any negativity would dampen the euphoria of one of the best regular season contests in team history. I want this to be a celebration of a day that will be a lasting memory for myself and all Rangers fans that were in attendance on Sunday. Let’s dive in!

The Experience

Let’s start with a quick word on the event itself. I am extremely critical of MetLife Stadium (with good reason) in this blogs companion piece about the Jets and Giants. And while the concessions were an absolute mess and leaving was difficult as usual, “the big AC unit” looked pretty good all dressed up on a Sunday night. The NHL stages the Winter Classic and the Stadium series quite well and tries to mimic the indoor hockey experience as best it can. Sure, the league feels a bit clownish at times, but they put a strong entertainment product together at these events and deserve immense credit for it. I often wondered what the sightlines at these outdoor events were like, and in my opinion, they were honestly pretty good. It was difficult to track some pucks in corners, but on the whole, it wasn’t too difficult to follow the action.

Of course, the highlight of any Meadowlands experience is the tailgate in the parking lot surrounding the stadium. I have been fortunate in my life to enjoy many great Sunday tailgates in the MetLife lots with fellow Jets fans and those experiences were always a blast. But this particular occasion topped all of those parties in L7, which was ironically enough Sunday’s tailgate was held. We have to give a big shoutout to our friends at The Rangers Ed Podcast and the Hockey Night in New York Podcast for putting on one hell of a party for us all. We enjoyed the day with great friends, both new and old, and even some visitors from across the pond from the Islanders UK supporters club. While we would be enemies during the game, it was great company to share the day with our fellow hockey fans. It’s experiences like these that make sports special and I am extremely grateful that we got to have this one together. (check out some images of the fun in the slideshow below)

Before we move on, I wanted to include an interview I did with the Rangers Ed gang a few weeks back. This was an idea I had a while back and I have gone back and forth about how to present the piece. I ultimately wanted to share the audio of the conversation with you all as it feel it is much more enjoyable this way. As a fan of podcasts, I love an informal conversation and myself and the guys had a ton of fun on this one. We apologize for the technical difficulties, but we don’t have full production team here at the breakdown yet and I have a day job. Enjoy everyone!

The Game

Now to the magical night that was the game itself. I braved the balmy conditions with my girlfriend (and content creator) Briana and two of my oldest and most passionate Ranger fan friends Derek and Anthony. We were fortunate early on to be sitting on the sunny side of the ice and we got the blood pumping early after Erik Gustafsson’s blast beat Sorokin. The excitement of the opening goal was only enhanced from there as rookie Matt Rempe had an epic debut bout with Islanders goon Matt Martin. Rempe’s bruising reputation preceded him and he more than held his own against the veteran fighter, as they fought to a draw. My bias gives the win to the rookie, and his teammates gave him the broadway hat.

From there our joy was wiped out by an Islanders onslaught that eventually ballooned to a 4-1 lead for the orange and blue. I’ll credit them as they were the hungrier team from the start, winning every puck battle and just outworking the Rangers in the first period in particular. As the second period wore on the Rangers dug their way into the game as Vinny Trocheck’s terrific season continued with a pair of goals cutting the deficit to 4-3, a pair of goals I unfortunately missed as I was trying to “warm up” on the concourse.

I held out hopes of a comeback but those were quickly dashed by another Islanders goal and a Ryan Lindgren injury. I have to give Derek and Anthony credit as they still believed the boys would rally and led the cheering section when the Rangers went on the powerplay down by two with five and change to play. Despite not having played very well all day, the Rangers had plenty of urgency late and looked intent on not letting this one get away, and after getting the first goal back courtesy of Chris Kreider there was belief on the bench and in the crowd. The ensuing Islander penalty breathed even more life into the comeback and eventually set up Mika Zibanejad’s game tying goal with the extra attacker on.

Of course, the Breadman had to get his fingerprints on this one as he iced the game with a steal and finish, confirmed by officials review after the net came off. The initial euphoria of him scoring the goal was put on hold as we waited for the video review to finish. I won’t ever forget how you could hear a pin drop when the referee went to center ice to announce the decision and the incredible noise that soon followed.

The OT winner completed the Rangers 18th comeback win this year and ran their current win streak to seven in a row. To borrow an old Pierre McGuire term, this was pure “will” to win on display by the Rangers. In the summer there were plenty of doubts that this team was capable of putting it together this year as they were coming off one of their most disappointing eliminations of all time. To their credit they embraced the doubts and have proved from the get-go this season that they can play with and beat the best. They’ve even managed to put an ugly stretch from before the All-Star break behind them with this current winning streak.

They have done all of this in the face of adversity on the injury front and some struggles in net by star goalie. Igor Shesterkin has been better of late, despite giving up five to the Isles (though I don’t feel he should be blamed for them all), which should give Rangers fans some confidence that number 31 is righting the ship. As for the injuries, the Rangers suffered another blow this week as they lost Blake Wheeler for the season. His teammates were visibly shaken by the injury, and it creates another opening on the roster GM Chris Drury will have to address at the deadline. With the rumor mill buzzing about potential targets for the Rangers to acquire, it should be an exciting couple of weeks as we close in on the March eighth deadline. Keep an eye on Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Frank Vatrano and Adam Henrique as they have been the most frequently mentioned players.

As the list of targets continues to grow, we’ll get sense of what Drury wants this team to look like going into the playoffs. They’re already dangerous and hold first place in the weakened Metro division after their impressive work so far. With the Eastern Conference feeling pretty wide open now is the perhaps the best time to strike for Drury as he looks to load this team up for a run that will hopefully take them deep in the playoffs. Good solid depth will make all the difference in the world as this group continues down the stretch.

Wrap Up

As we put a bow on things, I’d like to make the argument that this was by far the best sporting event MetLife Stadium has hosted. Yes, that is a sweeping indictment of its two regular tenants but find me a Jets or Giants game that rivals that. You could maybe point to the Giants wild card win in 2011 or the Jets miraculous win this year against the Bills, but for the most part the stadium has been filled with bleak moments and blowout games (including the two I just mentioned). Even the Super Bowl it hosted was an awful watch. The Rangers and Islanders put on a show that will be talked about for a long time to come and will be celebrated as a big part of New York sports history. They play each other three more times this year, so let’s see if those games can match Sunday’s drama, odds are they won’t as the two squads go in opposite directions.

We’ll be taking a short pause here at The Breakdown as myself and Briana will be on vacation in California. While there won’t any new articles this week, keep an out for some fun social media content from the two of us as we take in Petco Park, home of the Padres on Wednesday. Next Monday we will be launching our 30 Clubs in 30 Days MLB preview series, which should be a ton of fun as Spring Training will be in full swing. I will also continue to bring you regular Rangers and NHL coverage, as Knicks recaps and an NCAA tournament preview. We’re even planning some special NFL Draft coverage with a friend of the blog. It’s a great time of year so stay tuned everyone! You can find me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Also, check out our new Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. We’ll be back with more soon.