One game, two broadcasts, two different realities

TALE of two broadcast crews calling the same game:

Thursday, the Rangers played at the Devils. The game was shown on two MSG channels: one by the Rangers’ broadcasting team, the other by the Devils’. We could lean on four sets of eyes.

In the first period, the Devils took a 1-0 lead on an oddity. In what began as nothing more threatening than a hard, mid-ice dump-in, the puck shot off the end boards, straight back past goalie Igor Shesterkin and defenseman Adam Fox, right back to on-rushing Jack Hughes, who scored, surprising everyone except Hughes. The Rangers’ crew of Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti spoke it thusly: JM: “Bewilderment! Right?”

SR: “Shesterkin looking up [seen studying the overhead scoreboard replay]!”

JM: “Such an innocent looking play. Bounces off the board and Shesterkin just misses it . ... It might be, Sam, that the boards are lively.”

He went on to tell that the Rangers didn’t have “a morning skate,” thus weren’t able to examine New Jersey’s boards.

“Oh, yeah,” added Rosen, as if they’d both suspected the answer to the mystery that cost the Rangers a goal.

On the Devils’ TV end, Steve Cangialosi and Ken Daneyko, over replays, saw it differently. No mystery: It was the result of a superb, heads-up play by Hughes.

KD: “I think there was a little confusion from the Rangers. They didn’t realize it was coming off the boards and they let up for a bit, but it comes off perfectly to Hughes, who made no mistake, shooting it to the farside.”

Of course, we’re left to judge for ourselves. If we choose to hitch a ride, that’s the best place to be left.