Jason Akeson’s pain paved the way for Brad Richards’ redemption.
One year after Richards was made a healthy scratch in the playoffs by former Rangers coach John Tortorella, the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner found his old form, scoring the winning goal in New York’s 4-1 series-opening victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Richards’ tally came with Akeson serving the first two minutes of an ill-timed high sticking double-minor just before the midway point of the third period. With Philly still short on the back end of Akeson’s penalty, Richards sent a beautiful pass to Derek Stepan to make it a two-goal game. The victory was salted when No. 19 registered his first three-point night in nearly a full calendar year, setting up Carl Hagelin to put the contest out of reach.
The outbreak was a huge departure from the minimal role Richards was playing last spring, when he had a single point in 10 post-season contests and barely saw the ice before Tortorella sat him down entirely for a pair of games during the Rangers’ second-round loss to the Boston Bruins.
Richards had to be affected by speculation the Rangers would buy out his nine-year, $60-million contract last summer, so one can only imagine how much better he’s feeling in the aftermath of game one. And he’s not the only former member of Tampa Bay Lightning who had one of his best nights as a Ranger on Thursday.
Martin St-Louis registered just his second multi-point outing since coming to Broadway in the early-March trade he asked for. If the points put up by Richards and St-Louis are a harbinger of things to come, look out. With the line of Derek Brassard between Derek Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello already being one of the Rangers’ most threatening, the team would have tremendous scoring depth if Richards, who centres Carl Hagelin and Jesper Fast, and St-Louis, a right winger beside Stepan and Rick Nash, get rolling.
The third stellar forward from Tampa’s championship 10 years ago didn’t have nearly as much fun in game one as his former teammates. Vincent Lecavalier played just 7:42, while skating on Philly’s fourth line. The Flyers couldn’t muster any sustained pressure and the team—particularly the trio of Lecavalier, Adam Hall and Zac Rinaldo—was demolished in the puck-possession battle by their Ranger counterparts. It’s going to take a lot more than good fourth-line shifts for Philly to bust its nine-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden in game two, and having a night like his old Bolts buddies did in game one will be tough for Lecavalier given the company he’s keeping. Mind you, Lecavalier is still seeing power play time, and that was all it took for Richards and St-Louis to show us a little of that old magic.