Ryan Callahan has heard nothing but trade rumor talk the past couple days. Tonight he played like a guy who had a little extra motivation.
Callahan scored two first-period goals and added an assist on Brad Richards’ third period goal to give the New York Rangers a 5-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves to help keep some of his own critics quiet as well.
The win was the fourth in a row for the Rangers and after the rumor-filled time Callahan has had of late, his performance won’t do anything to cool off the narratives. After all, you could say his big game came at a time when he’s trying to help make the case for a huge extension or to help grease the wheels for a blockbuster trade ahead of the Olympic roster freeze.
Regardless of all that, it should help make the talk surrounding him before the Olympics only get that much louder.