By Bruce Berlet
Connecticut Whale wing Mats Zuccarello did about everything imaginable to help the New York Rangers win Thursday night in his NHL debut on Broadway.
The Rangers lost in the bottom of the 11th round of a shootout and the rookie in North American was immediately returned to Hartford, but he made the two-hour trip after earning plenty of plaudits after a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden.
Zuccarello created several good scoring chances in 17:52 of ice time while subbing for Marian Gaborik (strained groin) on the No. 1 line with rookie center Derek Stepan and the Rangers’ leading scorer, former Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky. The trio threatened numerous times, with Stepan scoring the tying goal with 8:42 left in regulation and Zuccarello converting a “must-score-goal” in the third round of a shootout that the Lightning won on a shot off the crossbar by Ryan Malone, the son of former Hartford Whalers center Greg Malone who’s now a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I was pretty nervous, but I said (to myself), ‘I have to score on this because I might not get a chance like that again,’ ” Zuccarello told the New York media. “So I was pretty happy.”
Zuccarello went back to the Whale both for cap purposes ($1.75 million, including bonuses) and so he can play for the Whale on Sunday at 3 p.m., when the team visits Bridgeport for a tilt with the Sound Tigers. It was similar to right wing Dale Weise after his commendable effort in a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. But “The Norwegian Hobbit” showed signs of why he had been the Whale’s hottest player (22 points in 20 games after two points in 12 games) and was the leading scorer and MVP of the Swedish Elite League last season while playing for Modo.
“It is nice to get my first game,” Zuccarello said. “I got a lot of help from (Dubinsky and Sean) Avery and all of the guys. I came in pretty nervous and thinking a lot, but once the game goes on, you are just right there. It is a fast game, but I took it well and had a decent game.”
Gaborik is expected to return Monday night when the New York Islanders visit MSG, but Rangers coach John Tortorella wouldn’t immediately say if the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Zuccarello would be back on Broadway.
“There are so many different things that come into play, I can’t even speak on that right now,” Tortorella said. “The big thing is we want him to keep playing. We want him to play that game.”
Zuccarello played more than any call-up in years – perhaps ever – partly because of circumstances but mostly because of being an NHL-ready talent, at least on this night.
“It was a mindset I built myself up to,” said Tortorella, who used Zuccarello on regular shifts, the power play, 4-on-4 overtime and shootout. “We didn’t have Gabby, Ryan Callahan is out (broken hand), Michael Del Zotto (flu) was out. (Zuccarello) has some skill, and so I was going to play him.”
Zuccarello never looked out of place in all situations, especially the shootout when he skated in slowly, shuffled his hands twice, got Lightning goalie Dan Ellis moving the wrong way and then slipped a forehander into an open net.
“I was pretty lucky there,” Zuccarello said. “Lucky bounce, but it was nice.”
Tortorella thought it was more than just luck.
“He is an interesting cat, isn’t he?” Tortorella said. “He is an interesting guy. He made some plays I didn’t think he could make. You see his creativity, you see his skill. I try to temper myself because you never know, but give the kid high marks.
“It’s a hard thing for a coach when a kid comes up from the minors to put him in situations, but I went in with the mindset that we need skill. Our club needs skill if we are going to continue to build this, so I’m not going to hide him. So I wished him good luck when we sent him back down. He stood right in there and played really well.”
It was mighty heady stuff for a guy who finally seemed to be adjusting to the more physical play and smaller rinks in North America two months after he reportedly was leaving the organization to return to Modo.
