Frustrated Red Wings fans in Detroit only benefit Rangers in road win

DETROIT — The Rangers had already played two games before the Red Wings even started their season Friday night. And after a tumultuous offseason featuring heaps of change and uncertainty, Detroit fans inside Little Caesars Arena unleashed an abundance of pent-up frustration that made for an entirely different atmosphere than the Blueshirts had for their home opener at Madison Square Garden.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.The Red Wings are still trying to stabilize after transitioning front office staple Steve Yzerman into an advisory role and promoting assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff on an interim basis. Red Wings fans in attendance let the organization know just how they feel about the team and Dylan Larkin, who was stripped of his captaincy after he requested a trade this summer. In street clothes during player introductions due to an injury, Larkin was booed incessantly. The lack of enthusiasm in the building was beneficial for the Rangers early in the first period.

Earning the first power play of the night, the Rangers capitalized when Sean Durzi recorded his first goal as a Ranger on a laser shot from the high slot. A “sell the team” chant promptly reverberated around the lower bowl in response.It was one of a couple that could be heard throughout the night. “We had a great start to the game,” head coach Mike Sullivan said.

“First 10 minutes, I thought we were the better team.I thought the next probably 25 minutes, they were the better team.

You give Detroit credit, they got a lot of speed, they got a strong team game.It’s their first game.

It probably took them a little bit to get into it.Once they got their legs, they started to put us under pretty good pressure.

I thought we fought through it.” While the Rangers controlled play for the majority of the opening frame, it was all Detroit in the final minutes....