The Broadway Hat hung in the locker, its unassuming tenant nowhere to be found.
Monday night at the Garden was the second time in the past week the reward bestowed upon the Rangers’ player of the game, as chosen by the team, went to Marc Staal. But the veteran defenseman didn’t feel compelled to talk about his play and revel in the glory after he scored a goal for the first time since the second game of last season.
More importantly, the 31-year-old Staal has continued to be a steadying defensive force. That defensive stability had been inconsistent over the past few years as he was stifled by injury, but has returned at least in part for the opening quarter of this new era under first-year head coach David Quinn.