PWTRPWR
Buccaroo
User is Offline
Joined: 27 Sep 2007
Posts: 992
 6434
|
| Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:38 pm Post subject: Bolts lose 2nd game |
|
|
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP)—Wade Redden needed only two games to make his presence felt for the New York Rangers.
The defenseman had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 and swept their two-game, season-opening series in Europe.
“It feels good to chip in the goal,” Redden said. “It’s going to be my intention to keep building throughout the season.”
Redden, who signed a six-year, $39 million free-agent deal with the Rangers during the summer, tied it with a power-play goal 3:47 into the second period when he blasted a shot past goalie Olaf Kolzig off a pass from Markus Naslund.
“Wade is a very calculated player, he’s a very poised player,” Rangers coach Tom Renney said. “He’s got a lot of patience. He can process things quickly and yet make it look almost too calm. He did it tonight.”
Redden said the long trip overseas, which included exhibition victories over Swiss team Bern and European champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk in Switzerland, was a total positive for the club that went 1-5 in preseason games against NHL teams in North America.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We used the time well to get to know each other,” he said. “It was good for everyone to get away and just focus on what we’re going to do and what the team is all about.”
The Lightning had only three shots on goal in the opening period, but went up 1-0 when Adam Hall scored after Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist partially blocked Andrej Meszaros’ drive with 1:43 remaining.
Scott Gomez scored into an empty net 12:12 into the second period after Rangers winger Aaron Voros deflected a shot by Redden. Lightning center Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, hit the crossbar late in the period and both teams missed a number of scoring chances.
“We’ve got to pick up some things,” Gomez said. “We get so many shots and we want to put more goals in. But the bottom line is we took four points and we’ll keep it that way.”
Kolzig made 37 saves, and Lundqvist stopped 18 shots.
_________________
 |
|
