This was no ordinary home opener for the Rangers — and they delivered exactly what was needed

For the Rangers, Thursday night was no ordinary home opener at Madison Square Garden. 

It may have been the most significant second game of a new campaign in franchise history after the Blueshirts’ ineptitude on home ice became a defining trait of last season. The urgency to not just win, but set the tone with that win, weighed heavier than any feel-good pregame ceremony could bear. 

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The Rangers were fueled by it, and the result was a resounding 5-1 victory over the Lightning. 

“We all remember last year. Like, I’d be lying to you if [I said] we couldn’t,” captain J.T. Miller said frankly. “ I think we owed it to our fans and to ourselves to get rewarded finally, especially to start the season. And we don’t have that lingering on us moving forward at home, which is nice. We just played a great game. Really nothing pretty about it. I thought that we just made it very hard to play against. You have to against players of that caliber. And when you give them that many power plays, it’s tough.