The New York Rangers did all they could to get Jonathan Quick a win in his final game, but fell short 3-2 on Monday against the Florida Panthers. New York controlled play almost the entire third period, yet was unable to beat Daniil Tarasov. Florida tallied a late marker to send the Blueshirts and Quick, who was solid in his coda as a player, to defeat. With the loss, the Rangers clinched a bottom-four finish in the league heading into their final contest against the Lightning.
Game recap:
Rangers lines vs. Panthers::
Perreault-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Kartye-Miller-Sheary
Cuylle-Trocheck-Brodzinski
Sýkora-Laba-Chmelař
Gavrikov-Fox
Fortescue-Schneider
Robertson-Borgen
Quick
Shesterkin
Scratches: Garand, Vaakanainen, Raddysh, Iorio, Edström
IR: Rempe (thumb injury)
A few thoughts:
1) Quick: As good as all the honors, awards, and accolades accomplished by Quick, they pale in comparison to how he is viewed by his peers. Quick is held in the highest regard by teammates and opponents. Evidence of that can be found in the below quote by Vincent Trocheck, summing up how favorably Quick is viewed across the league.
Growing up in Milford, CT., Quick was a Rangers fan. After breaking our hearts in 2014 when he won the Cup with the Kings, we were skeptical about Quick, who had been let go by LA and saw minimal time with Vegas when they won the Cup three seasons ago. How wrong we were, as Quick was as good initially on the ice as he was off, helping New York make the ECF. Quick became beloved in the locker room while also earning the title as the US winningest goalie while a member of the Rangers, while also augmenting his career numbers and achievements. Here is a look at those accomplishments:
It’s become de riguer to send players off properly in their last game in an arena. Anze Kopitar, who will join Quick in the Hall of Fame when first eligible, is being feted in each final road game in an arena. Pittsburgh tried to do that Sunday in Washington for Alexander Ovechkin, but he waved it off. Yesterday, Florida called Quick out of the locker room after the game to give him his flowers (well done by the Panthers):
A good look at the goalies who recently returned. It’s like a Who’s Who:
If the Rangers are smart, Quick should be signed by the club as an ambassador of the organization similar to the role Adam Graves and Henrik Lundqvist have. Dylan Garard, right now the favorite to be the backup goalie to Igor Shesterkin next season, would greatly benefit from Quick’s mentoring. Plus, the franchise could use some positive publicity seeing how poorly the last two seasons have gone, coupled with the perception of the GM and organization, seen in the Athletic column.
2) Ping Pong Balls: the playoff teams in both conferences were finalized last night. Philadelphia grabbed the final spot in the East with their victory. Out West, Anaheim, due to Nashville’s loss, and Los Angeles, by virtue of their win, picked up those final two spots. Seedings remain to be determined, but the 16 teams vying for Lord Stanley’s chalice are now locked in.
In the battle for more ping pong balls and a better shot at a higher pick, New York’s loss Monday locks them into no worse than the fourth-best odds in the lottery. A Calgary win tonight or Thursday or a Rangers loss Wednesday keeps the Blueshirts in the third spot. We won’t know if this matters until the lottery itself.
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Tagged: New York Rangers, nhl