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Klein Lifts Rangers Over Anaheim, 2-1

Kevin Klein's first two-goal game means two points for the Rangers

The Rangers started their western road trip by shooting down the soaring Ducks, 2-1. Kevin Klein had a hand in all the scoring, even Anaheim's. After getting stripped of the puck by Corey Perry in a turnover that led to their lone goal in the first period, Klein notched two for the Blueshirts, giving them a lead they actually managed to maintain until the final whistle.

It didn't look good in the first, when the Rangers barely stumbled across the Ducks' blue line. They simply couldn't hold on to the puck, and the team's only real chances came on two attempts by the 4th line. A power play at the 5 minute mark saw a couple of nice shots from Derick Brassard; then Keith Yandle fumbled a pass and got his face shoved in the ice by Ryan Getzlaf. Maybe it was going to be one of those nights.

But it wasn't. The second period started slow, with a turnover by JT Miller that led to yet another chance for Anaheim. But then the Rangers started to liven up. Tanner Glass's shot from the left circle left Klein with a smooth rebound and a wide-open net, and he tied it up. Then Getzlaf went off for slashing Kevin Hayes after punching Dan Boyle in the face. The resulting power play was unremarkable, except for the shorthanded chance by the Ducks that led to this ...

... followed by this, because Annti Raanta is a human sunbeam:

After that the teams took a brief break to decapitate a linesman (who returned to the game shortly after), and then John Gibson robbed JT Miller with a glove save short side. After getting pummeled in the first, the Rangers managed to keep the Ducks from shooting at all for 11 straight minutes in the second.

The Rangers maintained pressure in an increasingly-physical third period. Kevin Hayes cleared the puck along the boards and out of the zone to Eric Staal, who centered it to a breaking Klein, who tipped it in for the game winner. Check out Staal's pass through the legs ...

For a change, the Rangers managed to hold the lead. Even in that deadly last minute, when two attempts at ENGs turned into icings, they held on.

The good news? The Rangers stayed out of the box completely, avoiding Anaheim's power play, which is second in the league. Rick Nash didn't score, but he had a couple of decent looks and back checked like a beast. Raanta had 22 saves, and has won 5 of his last 6 games.

The ... other news? Tanner Glass was MSG's second star of the game, and, barring injury, he is on that 4th line to stay.

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