NEW YORK — New York Rangers fans roared whenever Patrick Kane appeared on the Jumbotron. They cheered when he was announced in the starting lineup. The gasped when he would stickhandle through the Ottawa Senators defense.
Kane appreciated those reactions on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, making his Rangers debut after they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. He just wishes the results could have been different, for himself and the team in their 5-3 loss to the Senators.
«My first game as a Ranger was a pretty cool experience. Obviously, I would've liked to play a little bit better and come out with the win. But hopefully it'll come. I haven't played in a little bit. Maybe a little bit rusty,» said Kane.
It was Kane's first game since Feb. 22, when he left a Blackhawks' road trip in preparation for a trade to the Rangers, for whom he waived his no-movement clause. He played 16 years and won three Stanley Cups in Chicago, arriving in New York with a wave of expectations and hype. Retail stores inside MSG had sold out of adult-sized Kane jerseys nearly an hour before puck drop.
The 34-year-old star winger didn't tally a point in 19:36 of ice time. He took four shots on goal and was on the ice for three Ottawa goals. Perhaps the most glaring example of his rust and inexperience with his new teammates was on the power play, where Kane played 5:58 of the Rangers' 11 minutes with the man advantage. They went 0-for-4, including a 5-minute major power-play in the first period.
«They haven't given me too much. Just telling to go out there and play. It'll be nice to settle in and play a little bit better for my teammates,» said Kane, who said his nerves disappeared quickly once the game started.
Kane noted
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