New York Rangers' Top 5 Detroit Red Wings Rivalry Moments

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Detroit Red Wings moved to the Eastern Conference of the NHL in 2013, the Original Six rivalry between them and the New York Rangers has only gotten stronger over the years. It’s common knowledge, the more often teams play, the more intense the games become. Here’s a look at the best moments of those matchups.

The New York Rangers have had some great moments when they play against Detroit. Some have come at home, while others have come on the road. Some have come in regulation, while others have come in overtime thrillers.

However they happened, they are a part of the entertaining history between two teams that truly represent “old-time” hockey, as some have coined the phrase. As the Rangers look ahead to their game against Detroit on Sunday, we look back at the best moments in recent history. These are the top five moments since the Red Wings joined the Eastern Conference in 2013.

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5.) 3-2 Win at Home 4/9/16

In a playoff-seeding deciding game, and the last game of the regular season, the Rangers decided to put their all out on the ice and won the game on a late goal by Kevin Hayes by a final score of 3-2. In the end, that win was a big reason why they played the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Many thought it was a bad decision to win that game because, had they lost, they most likely would have played the less-hot Florida Panthers.

When the Islanders went on to beat them, it proved their point even more. In any case, though, this win proved determination on the Rangers part, as they tried to prove they were up to the challenge of facing the Penguins. Although they fell short when the playoffs came around, this win showed grit, and that’s why it’s earned a place in the top five.

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4.) 1-0 Win at Home 1/16/14

In the 2013-2014 season, the New York Rangers made the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in twenty years. Naturally, that season included a lot of spectacular wins, but this one in particular was a beauty. With 5:58 left in the third period in a highly competitive, but scoreless game, Mats Zuccarello snapped a shot just over the shoulder of the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltender, Howard, as the Garden erupted around him.

To that point, it was Zuccarello’s 12th goal of the season. However, the big story of the night was the goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist earned a shutout with 38 saves, but on the other side of the ice was Howard, who needed 48 saves and only came up with 47, as the Rangers improved their record to 25-21-3.

This game came on the backend of another loss for Detroit in their previous game, and Jimmy Howard stated after the game that he thought Zuccarello was going to pass the puck, not shoot. He played a phenomenal game, but it was the Rangers coming out on top with a thirteen-shot third period.

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3.) 3-2 Win in Detroit 10/26/13

Due to renovations at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers were forced to go on a nine-game road trip, which up until this game, hadn’t proved to be very successful. The Red Wings had taken a 2-1 lead into the third period of play, but it wasn’t long before the Rangers found the equalizer.

Mats Zuccarello found the twine just two minutes into the period, putting Dominic Moore’s rebound between Howard’s legs and tying the game at two a-piece.

Ending the night with 37 saves was Detroit’s goaltender, Howard, while across the ice, former Rangers’ goaltender Cam Talbot, came up with 32 saves to secure the victory.

The highlight of this game was the dramatic fashion in which the Rangers found a way to win. Derick Brassard received a great stretch-pass from former Ranger, Benoit Pouliot, as the puck escaped the reach of Danny DeKeyser with thirteen second to go in overtime. Brassard slipped it past Howard to give his team a much-needed win at that point in the season.

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2.) 4-3 Win at Home 11/5/14

It was a back-and-forth game that ended with an overtime goal by none other than Derick Brassard…again. Former Ranger, Marty St.Louis, forced Pavel Datsyuk to take a tripping penalty with a little over four minutes to go in the five minute overtime.

Brassard took advantage of the power play opportunity when he cashed in on a juicy rebound from Dan Girardi’s hard shot from the point.

The Rangers had taken the lead early in the game on Rick Nash’s tenth goal of the season and doubled their lead on a goal by St.Louis in the second. However, they allowed the Red Wings to come back when they scored two goals in under thirty second to tie the game.

Despite taking a 3-2 lead in the third, the Rangers couldn’t hold the opposition off entirely, as they tied the game with eight seconds left in the third period.

This win showed an incredible effort by the Rangers because they were able to fight back every time they started to take their foot off the pedal.

Games like these truly embody the reasons why other NHL teams have to admit that the recent New York Rangers’ teams are undeniably resilient.

Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

1.) 1-0 Win at Home 2/21/16

It was a hectic, hard-fought game with a favorable result for the New York Rangers. The first period was rather quiet, with both teams playing a cautious game at a pivotal point in the season. The second period saw more action, as the two teams traded chances all throughout even strength and man-advantage situations.

The third period was the most intense, however. With 14:06 to go, Kevin Hayes celebrated what he and his teammates thought was the go-ahead goal for the home team.

After a careful review of the play, it was determined that Oscar Lindberg’s skate made contact with and jolted Jimmy Howard’s mask, such that he couldn’t stop Hayes’ shot from a sharp angle. Later on, Jesper Fast had a chance on a penalty shot to put his team up, but his nifty moves were tracked well by Howard.

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