Lundqvist Gets Shutout, Capitals Get Beat Down

Caps 0 – 7 Rangers

The New York Rangers came out with their best performance of the season against the slumping Washington Capitals. This is the first time the Rangers have won while wearing their new alternate jerseys, and they made a statement in the process. Washington came out trying to push the Rangers around, but as Michael Sauer, Brandon Dubinsky, and Sean Avery showed, the Rangers fight back this year. I don’t know what Alex Ovechkin was thinking when he dropped his gloves and attacked Dubinsky, but he caught a few uppercuts to the mouth for his troubles. Matt Hendricks attacked Sauer after he was off his skates earlier in the game, and Sean Avery gave him a taste of his own medicine in the final minutes. As much as the Rangers owned the scoreboard, they owned the physical game. While the Capitals pretend to be tough guys, the Rangers play tough hockey. It’s very similar to the smackdown that GSP gave Josh Koscheck last night.

Henrik Lundqvist didn’t have his best game of the season last night, but tonight he came out with the fire of a champion. He made thirty-one big saves against a very offensively minded Washington Capitals. Lundqvist’s counterpart, Varlamov, only made thirteen saves while giving up seven goals. A save percentage of .650 is absolutely unacceptable for any goalie at any level of hockey. It’s nights like tonight that the Rangers show you the advantage of having an elite goalie. The Madison Square Garden faithful were as energetic as they have been all season for the Rangers this evening. Chanting “Henrik!” “Duuuuuuuuuuuub!” and “Avery!” as loud as they possibly could. It was great to hear the team’s effort being matched by the fans. Support is one thing this team could definitely get some more of.

The offense looked great. I didn’t see much Gaborik in the third when the game was already in hand, but Todd White seemed to have played his season high tonight. Brian Boyle had an exceptional game. The Pack line continues to be great, and I hope Torts keeps them together. Derek Stepan was surprisingly quiet tonight with all this scoring. Ryan Callahan continues to make his case for the “C” on his sweater. Brandon Dubinsky had a Gordie Howe hat-trick (1 g, 1 a, 1 fight). Artie Anisimov capitalized on his recent momentum. Christensen and Frolov continue to be the weakest links in the forward depth chart. When Prospal/Drury return, I hope these two lose their jobs. Perhaps Todd White as well, and the Rangers can bring Zucarello Assan up too. The team looked great tonight, but nothing is perfect.

Marc Staal continues to prove he is a great 2-way defenseman. Michael Sauer is a mean dude, and he is by far my favorite surprise on the Rangers this season (I don’t consider Steps a surprise). His willingness to drop the gloves automatically gives him favor in my eyes, but he’s also very responsible with the puck, and also throws the body. Sauer’s defensive partner Steve Eminger is almost equally surprising in his solid play. The consistency on the defense this year comes from this bottom pairing being so reliable. As the forward lines start to remain intact, we’ll see more games like this from the Rangers. The team is great at playing together and for each other, and have reeled off 8 wins in their last 11 tries. Hopefully they can keep up a similar pace.

The Rangers head to Pittsburgh to face off with the other team featured in HBO’s road to the whatever the eff they’re calling it. I like the way the team stuck up for themselves tonight, and have faith they can go play an equally strong game on the road. It may not be as easy on the scoreboard, but if they give as good as they get against Captain girl’s name and the rest of the birds that can’t fly, they should be able to come out with a point or 2.

Knicks win again, Amar’e with 8 straight 30 point games: As with most Sunday Knicks games this time of year, I didn’t get to see this. I like that the Knicks have won 13 of 14, that Carmello only wants to be a Knick, and that Amar’e is breaking Knicks records so early in his time here. This has been a very fun early fall sports season, and the Knicks are a big reason why.

Rangers Can’t Hold On Against Blue Jackets

NYR 1 – 3 Columbus

There was a point, just before Rick Nash scored his second goal to put Columbus up two, the Rangers were in an eerily similar position they found themselves in Ottawa. Avery in the corner, digs the puck out to Prust who passes it to the center of the ice. Instead of a Michael Sauer goal, it led to a turnover to Rick Nash, while Lundqvist was about 85% of the way to his bench. The King retreated back to his crease, but Rick Nash already had him dead to rights. A big man who can move like Nash is hard to stop, especially when you’re momentum just carried you one way, and you bite on a fake that’s going to opposite way. Rick Nash put Lundqvist on the news, and the Rangers to bed on that goal. It was a very defensive match-up with only two premiere goal scorers on the ice (Nash v Gaborik), and only one actually found the net. Gaborik needs help, and at this point in his career, I’m not sure Derek Stepan is the answer.

In a game with two teams that seemingly mirror each other, I figured the elite goalie would be the difference. I had no idea that meant he would blow the game on a soft goal from behind his goal line, but I guess you just can’t predict sports sometimes. Lundqvist made twenty saves tonight, but he let up at the wrong time, and the game winner found the back of his net from what the Blue Jackets commentators called an “impossible angle.” Henrik has allowed some weak goals this year, and I guess this one will go on the lo-light reel with the rest of them. It’s never fun when your team blows a lead, and that’s certainly the case here. There was just not a whole lot of good going on offensively for the Rangers, and the Blue Jackets eventually broke through.

The only line that was really clicking tonight was the Wolfpack line of Dubinsky, Anisimov, and Callahan. They looked especially sharp early, but didn’t see as much ice as the Gaborik line. Fedotenko did make the best pass of the night for the Rangers on the Marc Staal power play goal, but that was while on the ice with Christensen and Frolov. Perhaps they can all get on a line together, and leave the top line minutes to players who can handle top pair defense. Avery and Prust should be on a consistent line together. They seem to click on the forecheck well, but don’t see many chances to work with one another. The Tortorella line juggling is getting old. Consistency is the only reason the Blue Jackets won tonight. Their players all knew what they were supposed to be doing, and they executed to the best of their ability. None of the Rangers know what they’re supposed to be doing because every single game their role changes. The defense is the only consistency the team sees, and even those pairs don’t stay the same every game. Pick some lines with a little conviction already.

The Rangers get the Washington Capitals tomorrow night. If I had to predict the outcome I would probably multiply tonight’s score by two in favor of the visiting Caps. The Rangers looked pretty mediocre tonight, and I don’t see how that can change with all the mixed signals being sent by the coach. The Rangers are slipping back into the 9-11 spots of the Eastern Conference cellar, just like last season. Players like Frolov, Del Zotto, Christensen, and Todd White cannot be suffered much longer. Adding some new blood from either the CT Whale or another NHL team is about the only hope this team has right now, as their only other bet is consistency, which they’ll never have under this flip-flopping coach. Let me know what you think on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr!

Rangers Take 4 pts in Home and Home With Islanders

The New York Rangers are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings after twenty eight games played (most in NHL). A little over a third into the season, and the Rangers are comfortably in a playoff position (8 points ahead of 9th place). These past two nights against the Islanders were a huge barometer for whether or not the Rangers can dominate a lesser team, and take the points that should rightfully be theirs. I wouldn’t say they were completely dominant in any one aspect of the game, but they didn’t leave any points on the table. The points were definitely not easy to come by, but the Rangers work ethic prevailed in the long run on both nights.

I was very skeptical of Coach Torts and his decision to start Marty Biron in game one on the Island. In my opinion you should always start your star on the road and your back-up at home when faced with games on back to back nights. MSG’s Joe Micheletti was not impressed with Biron’s performance, and neither was anyone else, so Tortorella did exactly what he didn’t want to do. He played Henrik Lundqvist in both games. The Rangers definitely picked their game up the second Lundqvist came into the game on Thursday, as they were able to score two goals before The King even faced a shot. In fact, the Islanders rarely tested Lundqvist in either game, and I imagine fatigue-wise he is just fine. Lundqvist is definitely the type of goalie who likes to see a lot of action, but the Rangers defense was too tight to allow it against the lowly Isles. New York’s King now has four shutouts on the season.

The Sean Avery on the first line experiment went well. Avery was a +3 with three assists on Thursday night, and an effective puck controlling pest on Friday Night. There was a blemish, when Avery drew 12 minutes worth of penalty time tonight for roughing and yapping with the referees. His penalties are always going to follow, but his energetic and effective play on the first line should warrant more playing time alongside Marian Gaborik. Speaking of Gaborik, he broke through for his second hat trick of the season on Thursday, which Rangers fans and my fantasy team thank him for. He’s scored goals in only four games this season, but it’s exciting anytime a player has multiple hat-tricks in a season. It’s very similar to A-rod and his Grand Slams this year. I’m hoping Gabby can keep it interesting, and pull another one or two out of his hat (pun intended).

Ryan Callahan and Marc Staal proudly represent the A’s that they wear on their sweaters. Neither player allows a game to go by without punishing the opposition physically. Usually with clean checks, sometimes with borderline hits, but never with anything less than full intensity. I imagine Callahan will be this team’s captain one day, but Marc Staal is a great defensive captain in his own right. It has been a pleasure to watch the majority of both of these players’ careers, and I’m glad both have been Rangers the whole time (so far). Staal played 51 minutes in the last two nights, and manage an assist on Thursday and a game winning goal on Friday. Cally was inches away from an empty-net goal tonight, and played his usual old school game.

I like how Derek Boogard began the rivalry festivities with a good long battle with Trevor Gillies. I’m pretty sure he hurt himself during this fight, at least his knuckles, and he wasn’t really able to do much after. I still appreciate the effort by the big man, and I’m still enjoying having the Boogeyman on the Rangers. Brandon Prust didn’t find a fight on either evening, but I think he’s nursing some kind of injury, and it’s not as if any Islander stuck his nose in Prust’s face. Callahan and Sauer both dropped the gloves, but I wouldn’t say either really fought. Sauer wisely avoided an instigating penalty by not throwing any punches at Matt Martin until he dropped his gloves. Cally didn’t have much of a choice when Jesse Joensuu attacked him after an elbowing penalty. Callahan landed more shots that Sauer in his effort, so that was a plus.

The Rangers beating the Islanders isn’t something to be overly proud of, but they came to win the last two nights, and that’s what is important. Lundqvist and Gaborik both did exactly what they get paid to do, and that’s be the Rangers stars, while the rest of the team outworks the opposition. It was nice to see big Brian Boyle rewarded with another goal in his breakout year. Michael Del Zotto still can’t hit the net, but I was impressed with his physicality the last two games. He’s been beaten on his new sliding technique during odd-man rushes, but I’ll live with that if he keeps hitting. I’m glad Rozival is back, he’s been solid. The whole Ranger D has been light years better than last year’s version. Even Gilroy, who probably won’t see a ton of playing time the rest of the way, is a trustworthy plug for a hole on any given night for this defensive corps.

Rangers play Ottawa next. It’s going to be another home and home series, but this time on Sunday and Thursday, so not on back to back nights. I like home and home mini-series, and I think they should be more frequent in the NHL schedule. The Rangers have been semi-hot lately, and Ottawa has been losing a lot more than they win the past few weeks, so this is another prime opportunity for the Blueshirts to capitalize. I’m hoping to catch a lot of Sunday’s game, but if they play during the Giants game, I probably won’t be seeing enough. Either way Let me know what you think on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr!

New York Rangers Outplayed, Out-Slew Footed Against Pens

Rangers lose to Penguins 3-1. (Photo Credit: NYRLove)

The Rangers played a good game tonight. They lost to the first place team in the(ir) Atlantic Division, and if they could ever get their power play going, might have been able to pull themselves back into the game. Not that the referees were on top of their game. In the first period Sidney Crosby got away with another slew-foot against Ryan Callahan, which was not only not called, but led to Cally being called for interference. The Penguins have been trying to slew-foot the Rangers since way back in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Evgeni Malkin attempted about three in one play, two against Paul Mara most noticeably. Even as recent as the Rangers last meeting with the Penguins, Crosby tried his patented slew foot play against both Marc Staal and Henrik Lundqvist. It’s one thing to give calls away to the Penguins for whatever reason Gary Bettman has, but to allow this dirty/dangerous play to go on for this long without any punishment is unacceptable. Wake up NHL, you’re superstar player is as dirty as your martyr Sean Avery, only Crosby’s offenses are ignored.

The actual game was a battle. The Penguins defense is certainly improved this season. The Brooks Orpik/Kris Letang pairing was absolutely beastly. They wouldn’t let Brandon Dubinsky, or anyone really, get into a rhythm in the offensive zone. The Martin/Michalek pairing weren’t too far off in their effort either. The Rangers countered with strong work from their top pair of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. Staal was playing as aggressive as he usually plays when one of his brothers are on the ice. He absolutely blasted Kris Letang on the same play that Crosby kicked Ryan Callahan’s skate out from under him. While their star player cheats, New York’s star defender legally demonstrates the way checks are meant to be thrown. I’m surprised to see that Michael Rozival had 24:54 of ice time, which is about four and a half minutes more than Marc Staal had. Rosie is the freshest defender, and also the most experienced playing such minutes, so I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked.

Henrik Lundqvist was nothing short of impressive tonight. He may have given up three goals, but his 24 saves were usually made on great scoring chances. The Rangers defense was far from terrible in front of The King, as he didn’t have too many bodies in his crease, but the Penguins were skating around the tired Rangers at points in the game. The second period was definitely forgettable for the whole team, but even that period Henrik made some impressive stops. Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t too bad in his own net. While his defense definitely carried their share of the load, Fleury continued being pretty consistent in starts against the New York Rangers. Seems he’s always down for a showdown with the King in either team’s building.

Sean Avery had one of his best games in weeks. He showed some decent play on the Florida trip, and tonight he played with that edge that Coach Tortorella is always talking about. He plastered Crosby a couple times, and even managed to draw a penalty out of the son of Disney’s Goofy (Crosby). Brian Boyle looked good on his skates, but the fatigue seemed to effect his stick more so. He was finding himself with the puck in golden scoring opportunities, but somehow the puck would find it’s way into the protective netting instead of the back of M.A. Fleury’s net. Marian Gaborik found the back of the net, which is something I haven’t been able to enjoy enough of this season, so far. Michael Del Zotto continues to be my least favorite Ranger on the ice. His nickname should be “Wide” since every time the announcers call his play it goes like this…

“Michael Del Zotto shoots… Wide.”

I’m hoping the home and home against the Islanders, and the amount of rest the Rangers will get before, end up benefiting the team. It’s like Brandon Dubinsky said in tonight’s post game interview, the Rangers have a loss to “revenge” against the Islanders from earlier in the season. They need to do it times two later this week. Let me know what you think on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr!

Rangers Lose On Legacy Night

Boston 3 – 2 Rangers

The World’s Most Famous Arena hosted hockey’s biggest chokers on a night to commemorate the New York Rangers’ 85 years of existence. The Rangers scored first, and blew their lead, which seems to be a theme this year. I’m not going to go as far as saying the Rangers Legacy is losing, but for an Original 6 team, they sure don’t have a lot of Stanley Cups (4 in 85 years). I’m not one to complain, as ’94 was one of the greatest seasons I’ve ever enjoyed as a sports fan, but I sure wouldn’t mind another taste of Lord Stanley’s pie in NY.

Henrik Lundqvist is the best thing to happen to the Rangers since the Messiah. Every article regarding this team should begin and end with praises for The King of New York. The game winning goal tonight could be considered a softy, but even The King isn’t perfect. His 17 saves were nothing to scoff at, but Tim Thomas came up bigger for the Bruins tonight. Thomas doubled the amount of saves Lundqvist provided (34), and held strong in the final minutes to keep the Rangers from acquiring any standings points. It’s always fun to watch the head to head match ups between Thomas and The King, tonight was no exception.

Erick Christensen being bumped off the top line in the final frame was pleasing. I am not a fan of his, and I know Derek Stepan could provide at least as much offensive production with linemates like Gaborik and Frolov. E-Christ threw his teammate under the bus on Sunday, and Torts tossed him right down there with him. Brandon Prust was also pretty shaky tonight. I trust in Prust as much as anyone, but he really seems a little out of water on the third line. I vote Avery gets back on Fedotenko’s line, even though I know my vote doesn’t count.

The Rangers defense was solid. Eminger laid some hits, and made some turnovers, but overall I still appreciate his play far more than either Redden or Rozival. Del Zotto had one of his A games tonight, throwing the body, and firing pucks at the net. It’s a shame “Dizzy” hasn’t been able to put up the early season points like last year, but if he keeps his play at this level, he’ll break through sooner rather than later. Staal and Girardi were the solid top pairing that we’ve all come to expect them to be. Sauer and Gilroy were both equally keeping up with the play. Both kept themselves from making any serious turnovers, and kept the puck out of the zone every time they were called upon.

Rangers next game is at Colorado, who they failed to beat earlier in the season. This team is as wildly inconsistent in the scoring department as ever, but their effort has not been a question like past seasons. I’m hoping they can get back to their road winning ways against the Av’s. Let me know what you think on Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr!

New York Rangers Get Frolov On Sale

A-Fro needs a new number, Rangers already have a 24.

The New York Rangers have finally added another goal scoring threat to their lineup to be the secondary scorer behind Marian Gaborik. A role that was in sore need of casting, it seems the Ranger’s general manager Glen Sather has actually been paying attention. While he has added a lot of grit and youth to the team this off-season, it seemed that Glen Sather had all but forgotten about the fact that the Rangers were 16th in scoring last season. Alexander Frolov is a 6’2″ Russian with a goal scoring touch, who has scored more than 50 points a season in his last four campaigns. He’s played in one of the most irrelevant hockey cities in the world, and instead of taking the easy (KHL) money, he has decided to come to the world’s most (in)famous arena to display his talents.

Frolov only signed a one year deal worth around 3 million, which is a far cry from the 4 years, 20 million that he left on the table to play in Russia. He could easily fit into top six role, which means he may be featured with Marian Gaborik on the top line, or he may be the star of his own second line. With players like Artem Anisimov, Marian Gaborik, Mats Zuccarello Aasan, Brandon Dubinsky, and Vinny Prospal he should be able to find a couple of linemates he can work with. This signing points to Evgeny Grachev and Derek Steppan being top line players in Hartford this season, but that could be exactly what both players need. There may be more in store for the Rangers prior to training camp, but the way the team is currently built, I see a playoff berth in their future.

There may be some fans out there who worry about this becoming a lot like the year Zherdev had when he became a Ranger two seasons ago. There’s a big difference in this case, and that’s number 10, Marian Gaborik. Frolov will not have to be the Rangers number one threat, like Zherdev was, and that alone should ease his stay on Broadway. Also, coach John Tortorella and Nik Zherdev were forced to deal with each other deep into the season. With Frolov, Torts can actually gameplan around what he has with A-Fro, instead of trying to force a scheme onto the player. Not that this coach is smart enough to do that, but you never know. Did I mention how much better the nickname A-fro is than anything you can do with Zherdev’s name?

Please sign Marc Staal already… PLEASE!

Source: Real GM