Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

After what seemed like a never ending banner ceremony, celebrating what the Rangers fell short of achieving last season, Vigneault and his squad spoiled the party.

The Rangers came out guns blazing, quickly jumping out to a lead and never looking back, ultimately topping the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks by a final score of 3-2.

For the most part, this was a very encouraging performance from the new-look Blueshirts, especially from the back end of the lineup. Henrik Lundqvist was excellent between the pipes, the third line was electric throughout the night, and Kevin Hayes fit right in with Stepan and Kreider.

New York have been good during the first game of the year, posting a 7-3-1 record in their last 11 season openers dating back to the 2005-06 season. They’ve also won back-to-back road season openers for the first time since 1955-58, when they won three straight. Read the rest of this entry →