Who would have thought when the schedule was released there was going so much hype about a Thursday night at the beginning of March? Well, that was the case inside Madison Square Garden on Thursday night March 2nd. It was the debut of Patrick Kane in a New York Rangers sweater.
Kane’s new team the Rangers were taking on the Ottawa Senators, who had a new addition of their own in Jakob Chychrun. But all eyes were on Kane. It was the hottest ticket in town.
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The city was buzzing as the anticipation built. Tickets on the secondary market were sky high ever since the trade happened and it was announced Kane was going to debut at Madison Square Garden. The building was packed as fans were ready for when the Rangers took the ice for warmups.
With the Rangers playing on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, the team held an optional skate where Kane took the ice ahead of the game. The former Chicago Blackhawk and three-time Stanley Cup champion was ready for a new beginning and was excited to put on his new sweater for the first time.
“The energy in the city and throughout the organization is pretty high right now,” Kane said during his introductory press conference before the game. “It’s great to be a part of that.
“I just think [the Rangers are] a great team. They obviously had a great run [to the Conference finals] last year. It seems like expectations are pretty high around here this year as well. So I think it’s a good thing. It’s good to have those expectations and have people thinking that you’re going to win.”
The fans greeted Kane with loud cheers and welcomed him to the team during warmup and pre-game introductions. As fate would have it, Patrick Kane was in the starting lineup for his first game in New York.
Patrick Kane takes to the ice as a member of the Rangers.
Video courtesy of @JimBiringer pic.twitter.com/m7tCJcBrYo— Full Press Hockey (@FullPressNHL) March 2, 2023
As for the game, well, the Senators led by former Ranger Derick Brassard, playing in his 1000th game spoiled the party for Kane and the Rangers faithful. Brassard tallied two goals as Claude Giroux picked up another three points. That gives Giroux 10 points over his last four games. The Senators have won four in a row being four points away from the final wild-card spot.
For Kane, it was an uneventful night. He had not played since February 22nd and he looked rusty. Not to mention, the Rangers changed a lot of their lineup for him. As previously mentioned, Kane started the game alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. It seemed Panarin and Kane were trying to rekindle their magic from the drop of the puck.
Head coach Gerard Gallant also put Kane on the first power play unit. There he saw 5:58 of the Rangers 11 minutes of power play time. The Rangers went 0-4 on the power play including a five-minute major power play in the first period. This was the difference in the game. Senators goalie Cam Talbot was excellent along with the penalty killers for Ottawa. The three straight penalty kills shifted the momentum in the favor of the Senators.
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In total Kane had 19:36 of ice time recording four shots and was on the ice for three Ottawa goals. It was not the best start for Kane in a Rangers sweater, but the Rangers did not do themselves any favours trying to feed Kane all night long.
Ottawa recognized that and did not give him much. Kane had a chance to tie the game in the third period with the Rangers trailing 4-3, but there was Talbot again. Earlier in the evening, he robbed Panarin on a one-time pass from Kane.
This was a big game for both teams. Again who would have thought that at the beginning of the season?
But the Senators are a hard-working, fast, and skilled team that has always been a pesky group. Their ability to forecheck hard and create chances wore the Rangers defence playing with five defencemen down. The addition of Chychrun has shored up their defence. If the Senators get into the playoffs watch up.
🚨🚨Night Cap Recap: Senators Spoil Kane’sDebut 🚨🚨#GoSensGo #nyr @FullPressNHL @Pammerhockey pic.twitter.com/CQhlC8t0tm
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) March 3, 2023
As for the Rangers back to the drawing board. The next game for the Rangers is against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, where Patrick Kane hopes he can settle in better for his teammates and get more of an expectation on what his role moving forward.
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