In many more words: this was brilliant. Kovalchuk’s first shot on the shift got deflected wide, but he kept it alive. Andy Greene and Anssi Salmela did well to keep the play alive while Kovalchuk circled back to the left side. A Ranger (Derek Stepan?) dropped his stick, opening the lane for Greene to make a pass to Kovalchuk. The pass itself wasn’t great, as Kovalchuk couldn’t unload a one-timer. But he collected it, fought through the check Vinny Prospal threw on him, and fired a laser over Henrik Lundqvist. Absolutely fantastic. What’s more, it came in the final minute of the first period, so it shocked the opposition going into intermission.