Vladimir Tarasenko for the first time after a loud exchange from Saint Louis Blues» in the «New York Rangers» played against his former club. The fans greeted him with thunderous applause. The Russian did not leave without a goal.
Matches between the “St. Louis” and “Rangers” in recent years are of increased interest — the unpredictability of the outcome of the match, high performance and no less high speeds. And for the Russian public, an additional bonus is a large number of Russians in the composition of both teams. The last meeting of the “musicians” with the “blueshirts” at the very finish line of the regular season was no longer of great importance. At least if you pay attention to the position of the opponents in the standings. “St. Louis” has already said goodbye to the thoughts of the playoffs, and “Rangers” with might and main set up for the battle for the Stanley Cup. For both of them, today's game was considered a formality.
But only in terms of the tournament. Otherwise, the degree of adherence to principles has not gone away, but only increased. For Vladimir Tarasenko, for sure. The Russian super forward spent 11 bright years of his glorious NHL career with St. Louis, became his legend (Vladi is fifth in goals and points in the history of the Blues), and also led the “musicians” to the first Cup in the history of the club Stanley. But, unfortunately for the fans of the team, the parties had to part ways. In February, after a lot of rumors, Tarasenko did move to the Rangers as part of a high-profile trade. Today he returned to St. Louis for the first time and played against the former team.
The Blues prepared to face one of the biggest players in the history of the franchise and during the game they greeted Vladimir with a touching video — a traditional NHL action designed to pay tribute to their ex-players. The stands of the Enterprise Center did not disappoint either and gave the Russian scorer a standing ovation and applause. Vladi broke into a smile from such a meeting and, it seems, almost shed a tear.
The scenario of the game assumed a separate hello from Vladi himself. His Russian forward «Rangers» handed over without fail. After the second period, the Blueshirts lost with a score of 0:1 — the guests from New York were upset by another representative of Russia in the St. Louis, Alexei Toropchenko. The 23-year-old striker is having a strong season, scoring his tenth league goal today. But in the debut of the third 20-minute Rangers leveled the score. The ex-forward of the Blueshirts Pavel Buchnevich left his current team in the minority, and Tarasenko realized the numerical superiority in less than a minute.
«Tarasenko scores. Three months ago, this announcement would have been cool,» representatives of the St. Louis media service sneered on the club's Twitter account.
Vladimir's activity did not end there. After the “Blues” took the lead again, the Russian forward “Rangers” almost issued a double. Moreover, the former “musician” Mikkola could assist him, which would have added drama, but the puck, which Tarasenko had already seen in the goal, at the last moment escaped from under the hook of his stick.
Literally after a moment, Vladimir nevertheless distinguished himself by acting as an assistant. The Rangers were entitled to another majority, and to increase efficiency, they also removed Yaroslav Galak from the gate in exchange for a sixth outfield. It all ended with Artemy Panarin's transfer to the near post, which was guarded by Tarasenko, after which Vladimir promptly delivered the puck to the slot. Vincent Trochek converted the moment and the game went into overtime.
In the extra 5-minute period, the Blues still achieved their goal and took the victory: Panarin did not have time to block Kasperi Kapanen, who finished off the hosts' quick counterattack with a goal.
Despite the defeat, Tarasenko stayed after the match in a good mood. After such a warm reception and a bright game, this is logical and understandable.
“I won’t lie. It was very difficult for me emotionally. , my friends. This place will be special in my heart. No matter what the media writes, my family will always love this city, will always appreciate all the efforts and support that the club has given us. It will all remain forever in our hearts. The way «I was met today, it was very emotional. 11 unforgettable years … I have no words to describe what I feel. But I am very grateful for everything,» Tarasenko said.