Well that went well, didn't it?

Yesterday I listed five key players the Rangers need to perform in order to be successful. New captain Jaromir Jagr scores on his first shot and adds an assist; Henrik Lundqvist was great when he needed to be; Brendan Shanahan scores two; Prucha was all over the place with steals and assists. Kasparaitis didn't play, but really wasn't needed against the mostly AHL level Capitals. (By the way, I have always been a Rico Fata fan.)

Shanahan has played exactly 60 minutes of official hockey in MSG. Yesterday he received a reception worthy of a player who has been here for a decade.

I was happy for all of the guys. They were welcomed back by the MSG crowd with thunderous applause, top to bottom. The fans were into it beginning 30 minutes before the puck was dropped, and continued through the stars being announced.

I can't make any negative comments about anyone really. It was a very solid performance by all involved, except for maybe one or two spots during the game.

The real test will be Saturday night against a Flyers team that is going to be pretty agitated following a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Dom Moore was +2 with an assist, and was the key penalty killing forward along with Jarkko Ruutu.)

Larry Brooks of the Post: It was another opening. It was another show. It was a 60-minute slice of the steak and the sizzle the Rangers can bring with them to the rink every night over the course of this, the second season of the Jagr Years.

John Dellapina of the Daily News: Jagr got his "C", Shanahan got two Gs - including the 600th of his NHL career - and a Rangers season that holds so much promise began precisely as the Garden faithful had envisioned - with their new dynamic duo leading the way to a 5-2 victory last night over the Washington Capitals.

Sam Weinman of the Journal News: After center Blair Betts broke a 1-1 tie midway through the second period, it was back-to-back goals by Brendan Shanahan that gave the seven-time All-Star a memorable Rangers debut — with the second marking the 600th of his career. The 37-year-old Shanahan began the night just looking to fit in with his new teammates. By the third period, he was already met with a rousing ovation from the Garden crowd.

Steve Zipay of Newsday: Before the game, Renney re-united last season's No. 1 line of Straka, Nylander and Jagr. For the past week, Shanahan had been skating on that line's left wing, and both he and Jagr said they were struggling to get in synch. Renney opted for familiarity, and moved Shanahan to the second line with Matt Cullen and Prucha. As was the case for much of last season, Renney's button-pushing worked: Prucha had a strong game and registered two assists.

The Hockey Rodent liked the new/old lines as well. Check out his period-by-period analysis of the game.

Around the league:

Petr Sykora had two goals to lead Edmonton 3-1 over the Flames . . . Roberto Luongo made his Canucks debut and made 27 saves in the win over Detroit . . . The Maple Leafs beat the snot out of the Senators 6-0, one night after the Sens bested Toronto . . . The Blackhawks and Predators combined for 14 goals in a defensive contest, as Chicago got the win 8-6.

And the Islanders. Oh yes, the wonderful Islanders get their very own paragraph around here. In a storyline that just couldn't be made up, Mr. Fifteen Years, Ricky DiPietro, "DP" himself, was yanked after two periods. I am sure they are just resting him, because he DOES have 1,229 games left on that contract. Miro Satan put the 'Sticks up 1-0, but DP and the girls went on to give up 6 straight goals. If you were wondering, Tom Poti was a team-worst -2 and was on the ice for 3 of the 6 Coyote goals.

Ok, that's enough beating up on them.

The Rangers next game is tomorrow night against the Flyers in Philly. Game time is 7:00 pm EST.

I'll see you next week.

HDH

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