Rangers Ramblings

7 and Counting

The Rangers chalked up their 7th win in a row last night over the hapless Leafs in Toronto.  You can't read too much into the win as the Rangers played just an ok game over the winless Leafs.

Henrik Lundqvist was the main story again last night.  He had another outstanding game and held up beautifully under continued physical punishment.  The Leafs bowled him over several times again last night (all un-punished), but Lundqvist kept his composure and blanked the Leafs except for a 2nd period goal on a scramble in front of the net.  He is displaying his old all star form which was missing for much of last season and the playoffs.

Marc Staal had another excellent game.  He made a tremendous play on his goal and really asserted himself in the offensive zone throughout the game.  The defense continues to chip in offensively with Del Zotto scoring again and Redden and Rozsival adding assists on Lisin's 3rd period goal.  Through eight games, the defense has already scored nine goals.  There doesn't seem to be much of a chance that the defensive corps will be outscored by Mike Green again this season.

I would like to see Chris Higgins get going.  He has been held goal-less and is starting to be invisible on the ice.  He was relegated to the third line in the latter stages of last night's game and really needs to pick up his game.  

It was another strong game for the top line.  Dubinsky made a really nice play on his first period goal on the 3-on-1 rush.  It looked like everyone expected him to pass, but he made a perfect shot off the short-side post to easily beat MacDonald.  Gaborik had another strong game and Prospal continues to make great passes.

It was good to see Lisin get his first Ranger goal.  His game has picked up over the past few games and he has been more of a factor.  He has great speed and has good instincts around the net.  

The Sharks swim into town for a big one tomorrow night.  I'm sure it will be a much sterner test than the Leafs.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!! 

Break Up the Rangers!

Despite being outplayed by a wide margin for the first time this season, the Rangers found a way to win their sixth game in a row last night.  The Blueshirts needed Henrik Lundqvist to come up big, and he was certainly equal to the task.

The Kings were impressive last night.  They really took the game to the Rangers all night, especially after the Rangers had made it 3-1.  The remainder of the game was played in the Ranger zone, but the Blueshirts hung in there pretty well and did an outstanding job on the penalty kill.  The Rangers took the last six penalties of the game and killed off five of them.

Gaborik looks like he is the real deal.  His third period goal (on the Rangers' only shot of the period) was a thing of beauty.  The way he accepted the great head man pass by Prospal and the casual way he cruised over the blue line was awesome.  He shot the puck so quickly, you could barely see the puck go in the net.  Besides his offensive game, he has been extremely effective killing penalties as well.  Let's all hope he stays healthy all season.

The defense corps was under pressure all night and they did a good job hanging in there.  Redden continued his effective play and Del Zotto and Gilroy continued to look good.  Staal took a couple of penalties, but he and Girardi also were effective.

How about that Vinny Prospal (the only non-Italian Vinny in New York)!  He had three more points last night, including his 200th career NHL goal.  His backhand pass to Gaborik on the big insurance goal was a beauty.  He has been a great addition to the team and is a huge bargain.

It was the first time this season that the Rangers really needed Lundqvist to come up big and he didn't disappoint.  He was solid all game and came up with huge saves, especially a great early game save on Purcell.  Henrik hung in there despite being run over several times again last night.  With the Rangers' lack of grit on the back line, this could continue to be an issue all season.

The Blueshirts travel to Canada to take on the hapless Leafs Saturday night.  Let's get the two points up there before the Sharks and Devils come to town next week.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!

A Nearly Perfect Performance

The Rangers turned in an almost flawless effort last night in their 3-0 whitewashing of the Ducks at MSG.  The Rangers were on top of the Ducks from the outset and it was only the outstanding play of Giguere that kept the game scoreless for so long.

Sean Avery had an excellent game coming back from his pre-season injury.  He was forceful in the offensive zone all night and drew a penalty leading to Kotalik's power play goal early in the third period.  Avery made an excellent play behind the Ducks' goal leading to Anisimov's power play goal as well.  The Rangers are a better team with Avery on the ice, especially when he stays out of trouble with the officials.

Michal Rozsival responded well to his prior game benching.  He had a solid game on the back line with Del Zotto and made no glaring mistakes.  The defense had an outstanding game (outside of Staal's 2nd period giveaway), and kept the Ducks and the puck away from Valiquette throughout the evening.  It was a great pass by Del Zotto to set up Kotalik's game winner in the third.

It was a pretty easy shutout for Valiquette.  I thought he was going to doze off during the first period while facing just one shot on goal.  He had a busier 2nd period and played very well, looking very composed in the net.  He had a pretty easy 3rd period to complete the shutout.

The Ranger forwards all played well.  They kept the tired Ducks pinned in their zone all night.  Anisimov is playing well.  It was good to see him get his first NHL goal.  Kotalik continues to impress and Prospal has been tremendous. 

The struggling Leafs come into MSG tonight.  I think the Blueshirts should do everything in their power to avoid a fight with Colton Orr.  You know he is going to be seeking out Brashear.  That's going to be a no win situation.  Orr wins the fight, the crowd cheers.  Brashear wins, the crowd boos.  Shouldn't happen.  The Rangers just need to get down to business and beat an inferior team.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Tortorella Is My Hero

The Rangers won a gut-checking thriller in DC last night.  They survived a horrendous game tying goal allowed by Lundqvist, followed by a power play goal to come back and beat the Caps on a couple of goals that showed why the Rangers showered Marian Gaborik with the big bucks this past summer.

After Tortorella's brilliant timeout call against the Devils Monday night, he topped himself last night.  By sitting the incredibly inept Michal Rozsival for the last 30+ minutes of the game, he showed the difference between him and his predecessor.  Tom Renney constantly preached accountability, but it only applied to his younger players when it came to benching.  Last year Rozsival and Redden were allowed to make mistake after mistake and never miss a shift.  Tortorella showed last night that this is a new regime.  I hope that the benching will make an impression on Rozsival and have him pick up his game.  Great job by Tortorella.

The Rangers showed tremendous character last night.  Coming back after the awful goal allowed by Lundqvist was a great test, in addition to the way they killed penalties all night.  I was very concerned about the PK going into the season after losing Sjostrom and Betts in the off-season, but the team hasn't missed a beat so far.  Callahan has been spectacular and his breakaway goal after a long shorthanded shift was amazing.

Gaborik was having a really mediocre night before his third period heroics.  He didn't seem to be on his game, but come crunch time, he really stepped up.  He has a quick release and really put it to use on the game winner after a beautiful center ice pass by Del Zotto.  It's tough to believe that Del Zotto is only 19.  When he is interviewed after games, he sounds like a veteran and he certainly shows tremendous confidence on the ice belying his age.  Let's hope he is going to be around for a long time.

Any time you hold Ovechkin scoreless, it is a great accomplishment.  He had his usual 9 shots on goal, but Lundqvist was equal to the task.  All in all, he was not a major factor in the game.

Marc Staal continues his growth as a top notch defenseman.  He never gets rattled on the ice and his physical game is picking up.  He is really beginning to take on a greater leadership role on the team and I wouldn't be surprised if Tortorella names him alternate captain some time in the near future.

It was good to see the third line finally get a goal.  They had a pretty good game.  Lisin impresses me more and more each game.  He has excellent speed and is a good puck handler.  Kotalik showed great hands on his goal and has played very well the past two games.  Anisimov seems to be shaking off the rookie jitters.

It was really a great win and it's looking like this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch.  Bring on the Ducks on Sunday!  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Big Win at the Rock

It was an important victory for the Blueshirts last night in beautiful, downtown Newark.  It was a first step in finally having the Rangers assert their superiority over the Devils.  The Rangers should finish ahead of their crosstown rival this season after many years of looking up at the Devils.

That was a great timeout call by Tortorella less than 90 seconds into the game.  The Rangers were standing around their own zone as Niedermayer was allowed to score early.  I've never seen a Ranger coach so animated on the bench.  It looked like Torts was going to pop a vein, but he obviously got his point across.  From that point on, the Rangers were much more engaged and played a solid, if not spectacular, game.

Matt Gilroy certainly had a much better game than he had on Saturday.  He joined the offense frequently, but did not ignore the defensive zone.  Several times during the game it looked like he was chomping at the bit to join the play, but thought better of it.  It was great he was able to score the game-winner.  That's two wins and two game winning goals by rookie defensemen.  Maybe the Rangers should bring up Sanguinetti for the Capital game on Thursday.

It was a good game again for Del Zotto.  Tortorella is bringing him along slowly and the kid is responding.  He showed great instincts in being in the right spot for his power play goal and made a beautiful, flat pass to Kotalik for his one-timer goal.  I think the ceiling is very high for both Del Zotto and Gilroy.

It was another solid effort by the top line.  Prospal had a couple of assists and played another assertive game.  Gaborik is always a factor on the ice and was instrumental in the game-winner as he had three Devils on him, allowing Gilroy to be wide open to beat Brodeur.  Dubinsky continues to play well and led the team in ice time as Tortorella shows that he wants Dubinsky to assume a greater leadership role on the team.

Drury has been far short of spectacular through the first three games.  His line has not generated consistent offense.  Drury needs to be a lot more assertive offensively if the Rangers are going to have a second line to take some pressure off the top line.  Higgins and Callahan are playing well, but the Captain has to step up.

It was another good game for the fourth line.  Boyle is starting to grow on me.  He has done a good job on the penalty kill and he, along with Voros and Brashear, have done a good job in keeping the puck in the offensive zone during each of their shifts.  Any offense the fourth line can contribute would be great.

Kotalik had a really good game last night.  He showed on his 1st period power play goal why the Rangers got him.  What really impressed me was that Tortorella had him on the ice in the final minute and that he made a great diving play to prevent a Devil scoring opportunity.  Anisimov and Lisin have looked ok in spots, but there hasn't been much from the third line.

It was a decent game for the veteran defensemen.  Each one made some mistakes (it wasn't a great game in particular for Staal), but they hung in there pretty well.  Lundqvist was as good as he needed to be as the Rangers did a good job in limiting the Devils' scoring chances.

Two wins in the first three games is pretty good.  It should be a fun game Thursday night as the Blueshirts visit the Caps and Ovechkin in DC.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Exciting Opener at the Garden

It was a fun night at MSG last night as the Rangers took their home opener from the Senators 5-2.  It was an exciting night from start to finish with a controversial opening ceremony, great end-to-end hockey, and a couple of late game fights.

I thought it was pretty classless for the team to decide not to introduce players individually before the game.  I'm sure it was to avoid the booing of Brashear and probably Rozsival and Redden as well.  However, the team has many new player that the crowd would have liked to seen close up for the first time.  Bad job!!!

The game was a good one from the outset.  If Tom Renney was behind the bench, he probably would have had a heart attack.  The second period, in particular, was like a tennis match with the action going back and forth constantly.  The Rangers played a much more defensively responsible third period and did a tremendous job protecting the lead without sitting back completely.

The top line had an outstanding game scoring 4 goals.  Prospal was great all night and scored on a beautiful shot on a 2 on 1.  Dubinsky was the best player on the ice all night.  He carried the puck well, forechecked like crazy, and showed great chemistry with Gaborik.  Gaborik had another outstanding game and is on pace to score 82 goals.

Callahan had another solid effort.  His screen led to Del Zotto's first NHL goal and he was hitting Senators all night.  Boyle had a much better game than in the opener against the Pens.  He even looked good on the penalty kill.  The third line continued to struggle, but LIsin made a great head man pass to Dubinsky in the third period leading to Gaborik's goal.  Brashear is certainly an improvement over Orr.  He made some decent plays during the game with the 4th line and had his first fight.  The crowd really needs to stop the booing.

Despite Del Zotto's first NHL goal, it was a pretty tough game for the two rookie defensemen.  Gilroy struggled all evening and looked a little lost on the first Senator goal when he allowed Spezza to overtake him to the puck.  He didn't generate much offense throughout the evening and was caught up ice several times in the 2nd period.  He saw just over three minutes of ice time during the third period.  Del Zotto struggled at times as well.  He played less than two minutes in the third as Tortorella went with his four veteran defensemen for a bulk of the third period.  It was a learning experience for the two freshman defensemen.

Lundqvist was really outstanding all game.  He is going to have to be if the Rangers continue to play their attacking style.  I think it will keep Henrik sharp as he will never know when the next 2 on 1 is around the corner.  I think he is going to enjoy the style and it will make him a better goalie.

It's going to be a good one tomorrow night at the Rock.  Too bad Avery is probably not going to get a chance to play against his good friend 'Fatso'.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Decent Effort on Opening Night

The Rangers certainly didn't embarrass themselves last night in an Opening Night loss to the defending Stanley Cup champs.  It was an up and down effort, with enough positives to give us reasons for optimism for the season.

It was a mixed bag for the newcomers.  Gaborik showed why the Rangers gave him the big bucks.  He was on the puck all night and scored what hopefully will be the first of at least 40 goals this season.  He seemed to have good chemistry with Dubinsky.  Gilroy had an excellent game.  He showed no fear whatsoever in his first NHL game.  I expect him to have an outstanding debut season.  Del Zotto looked a little nervous at times.  I thought the sight of him during the National Anthem was priceless.  He looked like a little kid waiting to go into his first kindergarten class.  I thought he played pretty well and made some really good breakout passes.  Higgins played a pretty good game as well.  Prospal was ok and was really robbed by Fleury on a 2nd period 2 on 1 which was probably the turning point of the game.  The rest of the new guys were not impressive.  Anisimov was really weak on the 3rd Penguin goal.  Kotalik was pretty non-existent except for a couple of good power play shots.  Boyle doesn't impress me at all.  Lisin did nothing much and really didn't add anything to the power play.  Brashear got in one good punch in his fight with Godard, but played a game only slightly better than what could have expected from the departed Colton Orr.

The Tortorella style is certainly interesting to watch.  The Rangers stayed on the attack throughout, but were certainly vulnerable to long passes leading to odd-man rushes.  As the season progresses and the team gets more accustomed to the style, the odd-man rushes should be reduced.

Lundqvist had a very good game.  He was not at fault on any of the three goals and made several great 3rd period saves enabling the Rangers to stay in the game.

I thought Rozsival was awful.  He just waved at Malkin in front of the Ranger goal on the Pens' first period power play deflection.  He did nothing at all to distinguish himself during the game.  Redden was a bit better.  He seemed stronger defensively and made several good breakout passes leading to dangerous rushes.  Stall played well and I expect him to lead the defensemen in ice time all season.  Girardi was mediocre.

Congrats to Ryan Callahan on his selection to wear the 'A'.  He certainly deserves it and was his usual self last night.  I think if Stall continues to play well and assert himself on and off the ice, he will eventually get the other 'A'.

Overall, it wasn't a terrible opener against the defending champs.  Nevertheless, it was a loss.  Let's hope they get on the winning track tonight in the home opener against the Senators.  I'm looking forward to being there.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Baaaaack!

Tonight's the night where the real sports season begins.  After an incredibly dismal baseball season, I am so looking forward to the drop of the puck in Pittsburgh tonight.

Sorry I haven't written all summer.  It's been hectic and it's still hectic, but there is always some time to write about our beloved Blueshirts.

I pretty much approve of the changes made to the team during the summer.  The acquisition of Gaborik gives the Rangers the much-needed goal scorer since the departure of Jagr.  Gomez had to go to free up cap space for Gaborik.  Hopefully, Dubinsky or Prospal  ( I'm rooting for Dubie) will work out as an effective center for Gaborik.  I have not been impressed by Kotalik.  He seems like a bit of a floater to me.  Higgins should be a 20-25 goal man and a good presence in front of the goal.  

I really like Gilroy.  He carries the puck tremendously well and should do a good job quarterbacking the power play.  Del Zotto has also impressed me on the back line.

Who are going to be the assistant captains?  My vote is for Callahan and Staal.  Tortorella needs to give the responsibility to players who deserve it, not based on seniority.  Neither Redden nor Rozsival deserve the honor.

I haven't touched on Donald Brashear.  He is an improvement over Colton Orr as an enforcer.  Brashear can play the game a little.  I know he broke Betts' face, but once he puts on the Ranger jersey, he is one of us and should not be booed.  Anyway, Betts is a Flyer now, so we hate him now. 

It's another year in which there are a lot of question marks going into the season.  Will Gaborik stay healthy?  Will a full year of Tortorella behind the bench be a big improvement from Renney?  Will Redden and Rozsival continue to be a huge liability both on the ice and in the salary cap?  Will the emergence of Del Zotto and Gilroy measurably improve the power play?  Will the penalty killing suffer with the departures of Sjostrom and Betts?  Will Lundqvist be able to stand under the pressure behind a mediocre defense?

There are a lot of questions, but I think the Rangers will be an improved team.  Tortorella's style should play into the players' talents and I believe Lundqvist will have an outstanding season.  They probably can't do much better than a 3rd place division finish behind the Pens and Flyers and a 5th place conference finish.

The puck drops in a few hours.  I'm psyched.  Let's Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post Season Ramblings

Now that the Rangers' first round loss to the Caps has finally sunk in, it's time to put a little thought into why it happened.

The Rangers are obviously in great need of offense.  Although they dominated most of the first two periods in game 7, they were only able to muster 14 shots through those two periods and a paltry 15 for the entire game.  They did a great job in keeping the puck in the Caps' end but seemed unwilling to take a chance and get a puck toward the net.  They didn't have the killer instinct in game 7, or games 5 and 6 for that matter, to put away the Caps.

I agreed with Tortorella on the Avery benching for game 5.  In retrospect, I was wrong.  By benching Avery for game 5, Tortorella was telling everyone that the game was less important than teaching Avery a lesson.  The Rangers played game 5 like they knew they were going to win game 6 at home.  Boy, were they wrong.  The Rangers needed to put the Caps away in game 5 while the Caps were still reeling.

Brandon Dubinsky really picked his game up in the series.  He was clearly the Rangers' best player and really excelled on faceoffs.  With the hopeful retirement of Markus Naslund, the Rangers should be able to lock up Dubinsky and his fellow restricted free agent Ryan Callahan at least for a few years.  Dubinsky and Callahan should be the future leaders of this team and they should be treated as such.

It was really appropriate that Wade Redden was the defenseman victimized by Fedorov on the series clinching goal.  He was terrible all year and despite a decent playoff series should prove to be a huge problem for many years to come.  He is being paid over 6 million dollars a year and there are no teams out there looking to spend more than 10% of their salary cap on a very mediocre (at best) defenseman.

It was a fun game yesterday between the Pens and the Caps.  It's great to watch some of the world's greatest player going at it without being swayed by a rooting interest.  Crosby is really a great player and I think he gets a bum rap.  He plays hard on every shift and doesn't seem to dive as much as in the past.  Ovechkin is still the most exciting player in the game.  I'm not quite as big a fan of Malkin.  He never impresses me that much, but I think I wouldn't mind having him on the Rangers.  I think the Caps will prevail in the series and then take on the Bruins in the conference finals.

Over the next week or so, I'll talk about this past season and begin to peer into the future to see what may be in store for the Blueshirts come October.  Let's Go Rangers!!!

It's Over!

For two periods last night the Rangers showed the effort needed to win playoff series.  Unfortunately, they could only come away from those two periods with a tie and the Caps overran them during the third, eventually getting the game-winner from the ageless Sergei Fedorov with just under 5 minutes remaining.

The first two periods make you want to ask why that effort wasn't there during games 5 and 6.  Although the series officially ended last night, the Rangers lost the series when they didn't show up for the previous two games.  How much of an affect did the benching of Sean Avery for game 5 have?  What would have happened if Tortorella was behind the bench in game 6?  We'll never know.

Avery was clearly the Rangers' best player last night.  During the first two periods, nothing the Caps did could get him off the puck.  He played with an edge and had excellent chemistry with Antropov and Dubinsky.  Most importantly, he never crossed that imaginary line into stupidity.

If Drury had a broken hand, what was he doing in the series?  It was obvious that he couldn't play an effective game.  He ended the series with just one goal and was a -5.  I admire his guts, but the Rangers needed a better player in the lineup.

It was pretty poetic that the winning goal was scored through Wade Redden.  Redden was a little better during the playoffs, but had an absolutely putrid first year as a Ranger.  There is little chance he won't be back next season, so we have to hope he somehow improves next season.  Not likely.

It was a tough goal for Lundqvist to allow.  He played an excellent game and was victimized only by a lucky first period goal by Semin.  Still, you can't give up a short side goal like that at that point in the game.  It was the 3rd short side goal he gave up over the last two games.  It is something I'm sure he will be working on during the long off-season.

At least the Rangers' loss wasn't nearly as bad as the Devils' loss.  Giving up two goals in the last minute and change to grasp defeat out of the hands of victory must be tough for those three or four Devils' fans who are out there.  At least the Rangers will have company on the local golf courses this week.

It's going to be very tough to watch the rest of the playoffs after this dreadful loss after being up three games to ones.  It should be fun watching Ovechkin vs Crosby.  You think there might be some hype?   The pick here is for the Caps to prevail and then get past the Bruins before losing to the Canucks in the Finals.

Over the next few weeks, we'll break down the 2008-2009 season and start looking forward to next season.  Let's Go Rangers?