TORONTO — The Rangers couldn’t even get through the first weekend of the season without having their best-laid plans spoiled.
It would have been too easy for backup goalie Ondrej Pavelec just to waltz into his first regular-season action as a Ranger with his first scheduled start Sunday night at the Garden against the Canadiens. Instead, Pavelec was forced into relief duty, taking over to start the second period in his team’s 8-5 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night at Air Canada Centre.
Pavelec came in to replace Henrik Lundqvist, who gave up five goals on 17 shots in the first period, dropping his team into a 5-1 hole at one point. Pavelec stopped all 11 shots he faced in the second period to allow his team to come back to tie it 5-5. But with a disjointed third period in front of him, Pavelec finished with 21 saves on 24 shots.
Though it’s likely Pavelec still gets the nod against the Montreal, it’s far from a certainty. Coach Alain Vigneault said he needed to consult with goalies coach Benoit Allaire before making a decision.
“I’m going to talk to him right now,” Vigneault said, “and you guys [in the media] will find out [Sunday].”
see also
Rangers rocked again as Lundqvist gets quick hook
TORONTO — OK, so things are a little sloppy to…
Pavelec, 30, signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal as a free agent this offseason and follows in the steps of two backups who have gone on to be starters — Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta. Vigneault has said he hopes the Rangers are getting Pavelec at a time in his career when he’s trying to reestablish himself in the league, and Pavelec h opes the same.
“My job is to be ready anytime they tell me to play. That’s what I’m focused on,” Pavelec said Saturday morning. “Even if it’s back-to-back or not, it doesn’t make any difference.”
With his team down 5-2 after the first period, Vigneault made large-scale changes to his combinations. J.T. Miller went from wing to center, put between Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello.
That was where 18-year-old rookie Filip Chytil was, but Chytil got just two shifts (on the wing) in the second period and none in the third, finishing with 4:59 of ice time.
Chytil now has played two of his nine games allowed before the first year of his entry-level contract kicks in.
Marc Staal was bumped up to the first defensive pair, with captain Ryan McDonagh moving to the right. Anthony DeAngelo, who had an awful turnover resulting in the Maple Leafs’ second goal, went with Brendan Smith while Brady Skjei went with Kevin Shattenkirk.
For the first time since being named alternate captain, Zuccarello wore an “A” on his sweater.
The lineup was the same as it was for the season opener, with defensemen Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer scratched, while Jesper Fast traveled with the team as he recovers from his offseason hip surgery. All three extras skated with Pavelec on Saturday morning.
Forward Andrew Desjardins, who still is on a professional tryout, did not travel with the team.
The Maple Leafs put up a new sign outside the visitors’ dressing room, reading: “You are now entering enemy territory.” Vigneault said he hadn’t even noticed it.