3 Things To Watch For In NY Rangers Opener

The New York Rangers will start off its season tonight against the Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks. The Rangers have enjoyed a lot of success in the past four seasons, reaching the conference finals twice and the Stanley Cup Finals once. Yet this team still has underachieved feeling surrounding them. Tonight the Rangers will have to stand there and watch the Blackhawks raise a banner that many felt was going to be theirs.

The Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault is coming in with a strong core group of elite players including; goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist defenders Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, and fan favorite Matts Zuccarello.

The three biggest things to watch for in the NHL season opener come from both teams including--

1. Unfortunately this game could be overshadowed by the Buffalo, NY native Patrick Kane's  investigation on suspicion of sexual assault from an incident that allegedly occurred in early August at his Hamburg, New York, home.

2. The Rangers are going into this game with no pressure, and if they can get off to a good start this team could put away the Blackhawks early. The Blackhawks have a lot of new faces on the team, and the Rangers have a group of guys that have been playing with one another for a few season now.

3. The Rangers pace is something that will be under a microscope all season. This is an aging team, with a few young bucks sprinkled throughout the ice. The team is known for pushing the pace throughout the game, and it will be interesting to see if these veterans throw a bunch of adrenaline haymakers to start out the night.