Rangers at Flames
THE STORY: The New York Rangers continue their halfway-'round-the-world, season-opening road trip when they face the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The Rangers, who played their first two games in Sweden, are playing the second of a four-game swing through Western Canada. Behind a spectacular 40-save performance from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, New York registered its first victory of the season – and first in Vancouver since 1997 – by scoring four times in the third period of a 4-0 win Tuesday night. Now the task is to win in Calgary for the first time since 2002. It will mark the only meeting of the season between the Rangers and Flames, who opened a six-game homestand with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TSN, MSG
ABOUT THE RANGERS (1-1-2): Lundqvist posted his 36th career shutout in the win over the Canucks, who had a 40-19 edge in shots, including 28-9 through two periods. New York snapped a scoreless deadlock when Michael Rupp, Ryan McDonagh, Brian Boyle and Marian Gaborik scored in the third period. The Rangers are the only remaining team that has failed to score on the power play, going 0-for-16 in four games. They managed to kill off eight penalties against Vancouver.
ABOUT THE FLAMES (2-3-0): Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Tanguay picked good times to notch their first goals of the season, scoring 89 seconds apart late in the third period to rally Calgary past Edmonton. Miikka Kiprusoff allowed only a first-period power-play goal and finished with 24 saves. Captain Jarome Iginla is off to a slow start with only one goal in the first five games. Olli Jokinen has picked up the slack with a point in every game.
OVERTIME:
1. Iginla will move past Calgary coach Brent Sutter and former Flame Lanny McDonald into 145th place on the all-time list when he takes the ice for his 1,112th game Thursday.
2. Ranger C Brad Richards, who had a point in all four games, has eight goals and 10 assists in 16 career games against the Flames.
3. A win over provincial rival Edmonton typical produces a hangover effect for Calgary, which went 1-4 following five wins over the Oilers last season.
PREDICTION: Rangers 2, Flames 1. New York finally ends its power-play drought to slip past Calgary.