New York Rangers highlights: Ryan McDonagh makes a nifty play at the blue line, leads to a goal (GIF)
Ryan McDonagh made a heady play at the blue line that led to the Rangers second power play goal last night.
You may be familiar with Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers top defenseman missed the team's last five games of the season after going down with a shoulder injury. But McDonagh was healthy enough to return for Game 1 of Rangers-Flyers Thursday night, although, after having not been in a game for over two weeks, McDonagh showed early signs of rust, including turning over a puck in the first that lad to Philadelphia's only goal of the night.
But like most McDonagh games, the rest of the night was played consistently on defense, and included some important offensive moments.
With the teams tied 1-all in the third period, the Rangers went on a double-minor midway through the frame, leaving the Blueshirts with an excellent opportunity to not just take the lead, but score twice and take a commanding edge.
New York quickly scored the first, after a Martin St. Louis shot took a fortuitous bounce of a Flyers' defenseman, and straight onto the stick of Brad Richards.
If the Rangers' first extra-man goal required a bit of puck luck, the second was certainly a no-doubter, and it was thanks in large to McDonagh.
The Flyers were upping their pressure on the power play, but after a slick stick handle by McDonagh at the blue line, pressure turned into chasing, and the Rangers' puck movement did the rest of the work, before Derek Stepan buried it.
Here's another angle of the play, which really lets you see how it develops, and how slick a pass Richards makes on the primary assist.
A big s/t to @PeteBlackburn for the GIFs
