It may not have been like the last two opening nights when the New York Rangers scored on their first shift but nevertheless, it's been a dandy first game for the Blueshirts through two periods.

They're outshooting the Lightning 30-11 and thanks to a goal near the end of the second period from Ranger newcomer Markus Naslund, they lead 1-0 heading into the final frame.

This team is going hard to the net, throwing pucks on the net whenever they get a chance to and playing a sound defensive game against an explosive Tampa Bay Lightning offense.

The line of Naslund, Scott Gomez and captain Chris Drury has been especially good as they have drawn a number of penalties, have taken a ton of shots and look comfortable with each other. Hopefully, this line can provide lots of offense throughout the whole season.

Nikolai Zherdev has also been solid as he has shown lots of speed, has blocked a few shots and has skated hard every shift, something he was not known for doing in Columbus.

However, this game could be a lot closer if it wasn't for Henrik Lundqvist's sharp play in the first period as he stopped the likes of Vincent Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal and Martin St. Louis.

It's time to drop the puck in the third period so I'll be back with more later!