Rangers Reward Coach John Tortorella with Three-Year Extension

When last season ended, New York Rangers’ coach John Tortorella knew he had to change things. The hot-tempered firebrand of a coach, who was used to yelling and having conniptions to get his way, realized that his way of coaching was falling on deaf ears. I once said that Tortorella makes a good team better and a bad team worse, and with the Rangers in the middle of the pack, how would he react? At the end of last season, I would not have minded the Rangers letting him go. He gave it a shot and failed, and although I love the passion he brings to the game, it was not suitable for the type of team the Rangers were going to field, a team loaded with rookies and inexperienced youngsters.

But this season, that all changed. Tortorella morphed into someone a little more coddling, and a little more calm. Though he still kept up his heated, look-of-death exchanges with the media, it seems he took his foot off the gas in the locker room, realizing that he had a hard-working team that bought into his system. Instead, he nurtured and instructed his players, rarely blaming their greenness as a reason for a loss. The result was taking this team that was supposed to finish near the bottom of the standings to a playoff berth, and giving a team they had no chance of defeating a run for their money.

Tortorella was rewarded for this effort, as we have learned this morning, with a three-year extension. The rumor is that the deal was actually signed months ago, and just not announced until today, but that is unconfirmed. All I can say is congratulations to Mr. Tortorella, because he deserves this contract. We are all upset after yesterday’s loss, but it is an important step in the road to building a real team. There was an old saying that a team cannot rebuild in New York, because the market demands a winning team, and rebuilding years rarely give results in the standings to smile about. But this year nixed all of that—I call it a success all the way. The rebuilding Rangers finished with a 44-33-5 record, their most wins since the Jagr/Renney-lead Blueshirts in the season after the lockout.

We got to see the emergence of Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer as legitimate rookie defenders, the confirmation that Dan Girardi and Marc Staal are one of the best shutdown pairs in the league, the advent of Ryan Callahan developing into this team’s next captain, and finally, a breakout rookie season for center Derek Stepan, who put up 21 goals and 24 assists. All this coming during a warlike campaign from October through April that saw injuries and disappointments left and right. One cannot help but think of what this team would have looked like if Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan did not get injured, Alex Frolov found a way to score 20 goals, and if Gaborik repeated what he did last season, with more than 40 goals and 40 assists—these are things that cannot be blamed on the coach.

There are going to be those out there that disagree with this extension, but I must ask you, who would you rather have? Who would be a better fit than Tortorella? The Rangers have a habit of bringing someone in, then after a cup of coffee, getting rid of them. The Rangers had success after the lockout because they believed in and stuck with Tom Renney and played his system. These players are young and wanting to impress, and we know they have already bought into Tortorella’s. It would be extraordinarily detrimental to disrupt that now, and for that, I tip my cap to Rangers’ brass for making the right call.

In three seasons with the New York Rangers, John Tortorella owns a 94-73-18 record, with two playoff appearances.

If the New York Rangers Miss the Playoffs, It Is Their Own Fault

These last few days have provided horrific flashbacks to last season for fans of the New York Rangers, because just like last year, the Rangers had their fate in their own hands. In game 81, the Rangers needed to win the two final games of the season, both against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they were able to accomplish only half of that. With their final home game just two days before the season finale, the Rangers came through in the clutch, with a hard-fought 4-3 win that had Madison Square Garden rocking, giving a resounding cheer for the Blueshirts who then had to travel to the City of Brotherly Love to clinch a playoff berth. The scorer of the game-winning goal? Marian Gaborik, capping off a fantastic debut season on Broadway. Then the last day came, and after another well-played game that headed to a shootout, the entire Rangers’ season rested on the shoulders of Olli Jokinen, who flubbed the chance, and sent them home packing, without a playoff appearance for the first time since the lockout. Two games were all they had, two wins were all they needed.

This season, the Rangers had three games remaining, and found themselves trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the second period of a game on April 4th. The crowd booed, and rightly so, but then the Rangers woke up, and scored five unanswered goals against one of the best defensive teams in the NHL to keep the season alive, but not only that, to keep it in their hands. This is more important than anything, because when you have control of your fate, all you have to do, as a team, is win. You do not have to scoreboard watch or hope for help from others. Unfortunately, last night, the Rangers ruined those chances against the 11th place Atlanta Thrashers. All they needed was a win, to get two points, and they failed miserably. There was no aggressive forecheck, no glaring scoring chances, just all around stagnant play. When the Thrashers exited the building with a 3-0 win, you can be sure that visions of last season were floating around the locker room. There is only one difference: the Rangers are not in control of their fate anymore.

Should the Carolina Hurricanes win their next two games in regulation, the Rangers season is over, even if they win tomorrow afternoon against the New Jersey Devils. There are also a bunch of other scenarios, but I will not waste time going into them because all of it should have been for naught anyway. There was no reason for this, the Rangers needed to win last night, and they failed. Just like last season, coming 0ff their biggest win of the season, they fell flat, and that will cost them.

There is no place to direct anger at, if the Rangers fall short, other than the team itself. Part of me says not to get angry, because this is a rebuilding year. The other part of me says, this team was in playoff contention all year long, has the highest paid goaltender in the league, and another $7 million goal scorer, so of course I will be angry if they come up short.

Just think, what if Lundqvist had not let in a slew of soft goals early in the season? What if Alex Frolov actually produced after signing here? What if Vinny Prospal wasn’t injured for most of the season? What if Martin Biron did not suffer a late-season practice injury? What if Sean Avery was just half as good as he was a couple of seasons ago? What if Marian Gaborik actually played like he gives a shit?

That is probably the most important of these “What if?” questions, and that is what happened to Marian Gaborik? He goes through months of being invisible, has a big game and gets everyone excited, only to disappear again. Well, Marian the Magnificent has now gone eight straight games without scoring a goal, and he only has 22 in 61 games, which equates to about a goal every three games, as opposed to last season when he averaged a goal per less than every two games. It might not seem like much, but in the long-run, they add up. It is one thing to slump, but it is another to just fall off the map and not care, which is where Gaborik is right now—skating around in circles, shooting from the perimeter, and just coasting. On the bright side, he may be due for an explosion tomorrow, since that’s what he does. After all, he hasn’t scored since March 20.

The Rangers powerplay is also to blame, even with the acquisition of Bryan McCabe who has only two goals and six assists in 18 games. After seeing him QB the powerplay, I am convinced that he is not the problem. He is not a bad player, in fact, he is the most skilled player out there who happens to be surrounded by players who are not on his level of thinking. His passes are hard, his shots are even harder, but when is someone ever in a position to do something with them? Take last night for example, with McCabe on the point and Gaborik in the right faceoff circle. McCabe released a hard fake-shot pass right to Gaborik, but the puck bounced over his stick. How is it that a player as skilled as he cannot handle a simple pass? Did he forget how to play hockey all of a sudden? Does Tortorella need to hold a fundamentals practice? These idiots skate around trying to make plays, the puck goes to McCabe, and when he passes it back, they seem like they have never seen that shiny, black, rubber disc before—it’s like they are shocked.

The shining of all examples of this ineptitude of course came on March 31 against the New York Islanders, in a game they had to win. To be honest, I don’t think anything thought the Rangers were going to lose that game, especially since they always play well on Long Island. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead despite playing sloppily, but then they somehow managed to give up six straight goals before adding one late, to fall 6-2 in their most embarrassing performance of recent memory. The killer in this one? Going a mind-numbing 0-9 on the powerplay. That’s almost the equivalent of spending an entire period with the man-advantage, only to score zero goals.

No matter what happens in these next two days, the Rangers can look at that matchup against the Islanders and say that is what did them in.  For the second straight season, the Rangers can get eliminated by a division rival; first the Flyers, now the Devils (which is worse?). Even if they do lose tomorrow, the Rangers can still get in if the Hurricanes lose their last two games, but I would not count on it. Carolina is playing well and actually deserves to make the playoffs. The Rangers deserve absolutely nothing.

The Rangers just have to go out there and win tomorrow, then pray for some divine intervention. I can see the Rangers winning tomorrow, even though the Devils are going to come out firing on all cylinders since this is their playoff game this season, but what I cannot see is the Hurricanes losing their next two games. Either way, it is out of our hands. This season will be known as the one that got away, it’s that simple.

Gretzky Would Play for Rangers in Legends Game; Why Not Right Now?

Just finished reading a great piece by Larry Brooks in the New York Post, where he asks Wayne Gretzky, who turns 50 on Wednesday, how his life is going and should the Winter Classic be in New York next season, would he play for them in the legends game. The Great One responded with an emphatic yes and an, “I’d be there in a minute if the Rangers had one.” If this doesn’t help sell the NHL that the Rangers should be hosting the WC next season, I don’t know what will. As someone alluded to on Yahoo, wouldn’t it be sweet to see a Rangers-Kings classic, where Gretzky suits up for Los Angeles for the first half of the game, then finishes in Ranger blue? But that does not appear to be the likely scenario, because it seems the Rangers and Flyers are the leading contenders for 2012.

This all begs me to ask the question, if Wayne is so eager to play for them in the legends game, would he play for the Rangers right now? With injuries to Dubinsky, Callahan, Christensen, Fedotenko, Boogaard, Frolov, Prospal, and now Girardi and Prust, Gretzky would be a top-flight player on this team who is featuring half of the Connecticut Whale on their roster. If you would have told me that by January, the Rangers would have peeks at Zuccarello, Weise, Dupont, Kolarik, Newbury, McDonaugh, and Williams, I would have thought you were crazy, but the Rangers have caught the injury bug this season, and no one has escaped it, including Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury who are healthy now but missed an extended period of time earlier in the season.

The Rangers four current centers are Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan, Artem Anisimov, and Chris Drury…HELP! Where would Gretzky fit into all of this, even at fifty years old? I’d say pretty damn well if you ask me. The Rangers are one of the worst teams in the league on faceoffs…do you think Wayne has slipped up in that department. And how about for goals, a category the Rangers are strapped for considering half their team is watching in the press box? I think he still has a few biscuits left in his arsenal.

So Wayne, if you are reading this and still feel ties to New York, please come and help us out! If I see Captain Clutch miss one more open net or flub one more slap shot, or lose a faceoff, because apparently, that’s the only thing his $7 million salary is paying him to do, I’ll scream. You will always be welcome here Wayne, so how about a comeback attempt?

Rangers Deal Rozsival to Phoenix for Wolski

Looks like someone owes Don Maloney a nice steak dinner at Ruth’s Chris.

This is breaking news, as the New York Rangers have traded defenseman Michal Rozsival to the Phoenix Coyotes for left-wing Wojtek Wolski. This is a trade that is completely mind-boggling to me, at least from the Coyotes end as Rozsival is a struggling defenseman who has a cap-hit of $5 million dollars while Wolski is a young, sizable forward with a hit of only $3.8 million.

Wolski has been struggling this season as well, nearly as bad as Alex Frolov was. In 36 games this season, he has only six goals and ten assists for 16 points, but the 24-year-old will provide much more than that, he will serve as cap relief. The Rangers pick up an additional $1.2 million here, combined with approximately $1.5 million they lost due to Frolov’s injury. It’s funny that the Rangers lose these two players, but their needs stay exactly the same. The team sorely lacks a veteran defenseman who can eat up minutes, and a playmaking center. These were the same needs they had with both Frolov and Rozsival in the lineup. The Rangers now have some flexibility to try to pursue these types of players.

I do not know much about Wolski, but I would like to think that he can provide what Frolov didn’t, and that’s secondary scoring. His large six-foot, three-inch frame could be a welcome sight on the top line with Gaborik, or even on the second line. Chris Hoeler, a Coyotes fan, tells me that he is not a checker, so his is either a top-six forward or bust.

Just as a warning, do not expect much out of Wolski. He has already fallen out of favor on two different teams, and actually has only one more point than Rozsival, who put up three goals and 12 assists in four fewer games. In other words, see this move as cap relief and not the solution to an offensive problem.

As much as everyone loved to hate on Rozsival, he really was not that bad and if they cannot acquire a veteran defenseman at some point this season, trading his presence may cause more harm than good. He has his slip-ups, like we all do, but he was basically made scapegoat for some bad teams in the past few years. He had an excellent shot from the point which he did not use enough, and combined with his slower stride and susceptibility to giveaways, made him an easy target for the fan base. I won’t miss him, but it could come back to bite the team. In 432 games with the Rangers, he scored 42 goals and recorded 134 assists for 176 points; he was also a +44.  Those are not bad numbers at all.

We will just have to wait and see how the deal works out. If the Rangers acquire a defenseman, then it is a win-win situation. If they don’t, then this may not be the amazing trade that we all think it is.

Glen Sather has now gotten rid of three of the four terrible contracts that people thought would forever plague this franchise. For a GM as smart as he is, in orchestrating such deals, it’s amazing that he even signed them to begin with.

Rangers’ Alex Frolov Done for Season with Torn ACL

Last night, Alex Frolov appeared to have a lower body injury, when he skated gingerly towards the New York Rangers bench in the third period of a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. A few minutes later, he would take one more shift, earning the post-game praise of analyst Kevin Weekes, who said the character Frolov showed in even trying to continue the game embodied what this Rangers season has been like. It now appears that this will be Frolov’s last shift as a Ranger, with the team announcing that he has a torn ACL, second degree sprain of the MCL, and slight medial meniscus tear, and is done for the season.

Either way, Frolov was not going to be wearing Ranger blue next season. The two-time 30 goal scorer who struggled last season was a no-loss gamble by the Rangers this past summer, as his $3 million, one-way contract really did not cost the team much. There was no budding youth whose spot he was stealing, and they had the money to take a chance with him. But much like Chris Higgins did last season, Frolov came with a lot of potential and just did not pan out. By late October, I was already calling him out, as most Ranger bloggers were (the article has only now be linked on Yahoo’s Puck Daddy).

I was never a fan of the Frolov signing, as just days after he was signed, I said he was not the answer to the Rangers’ problems, but nevertheless, I still held out hope that he could put up at least 20 goals, even if I never expected him to reach the 30 he did twice while on the Los Angeles Kings. As the season progressed, though, we could tell that neither of those goal totals would be neared, let alone eclipsed.

As Yahoo says, he is currently on pace for a 13 goal season—in 43 games he has only 7 goals and 9 assists. He has played everywhere from the first line with Gaborik, to the fourth line with Boogaard, and even the bench for long stretches, and never looked comfortable. The problem with Higgins as mentioned earlier was not that he looked bad, but that he was snake-bit. He got plenty of chances but couldn’t bury any. With Frolov, he wasn’t even getting any quality chances and when he skated it looked like it was through cement. His nightly wrap-arounds became a joke within the fan base—he seemed to think he had a better chance scoring from behind the net than in front of it. There is no total of how many he took, but he only scored on one this season.

This injury may not spell the end of just his season, but his NHL career, as he was contemplating an offer from a KHL team at the time he signed in New York. I cannot see any team in this league wanting him, so hopefully after a speedy and healthy recovery, he will find a nice career over in Russia. I wish him all the best, just stay the heck away from the Rangers.

P.S: Hundreds of people are now lining up outside of Marcie Braverman’s apartment for a celebration. Please enjoy this music while you map-quest directions to her palace.

Coming Off Win Against Islanders, Rangers Cannot Take Devils Lightly

The New York Rangers did exactly what they needed to do on Monday night, when the lowly Islanders came to town. The 29th place Islanders had actually mounted together a couple of wins, and since they always play the Rangers tough, they could not afford to be taken lightly. After the first twenty minutes of play, it looked like the evening was slated to be a classic game in which the Rangers played down to an inferior opponent, as the score was 2-2 and both goals they allowed were soft. However, when push came to shove in the next forty minutes, the Rangers were able to pound the Islanders into submission with a 7-2 defeat.

The Rangers, who lost the first meeting of the season between the two teams, before sweeping a home-and-home series earlier this month, had not blasted their crosstown rivals with a score like that in some time, because whenever these two teams meet, records seem to have no bearing. The last few seasons, when the Islanders have been bad, they always seem to play well against the Rangers. Meanwhile, in the mid-2000′s, when the Rangers were bad and Islanders were good, it was the Rangers who carried the play most of the time, including a six game season series sweep in 2003/04.

Tonight, the New Jersey Devils will be their opponent, a team that sits in last place in the league, with a horrendous 9-24-2 record and a -51 goal differential. The superstar they acquired this summer, Ilya Kovalchuk, has only eight goals and ten assists, and is a mind-numbing -26. The Rangers, if they want to succeed tonight, will have to look at this team as the Devils of old. They must not see their poor record or nonexistent offense which averages less than a goal per game. They must not see Martin Brodeur as an aged, mediocre goaltender with a 5-17-1 record, with a goals against average over three, they must see him as the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

The Rangers have a bad habit of playing poor against poor teams, but a Rangers-Devils game is anything but ordinary, and now that Brodeur is back, you can expect Sean Avery to be mixing it up with him as he usually does, and add David Clarkson to that as well. The Rangers need every point they can get if they want to continue this surprising run. They cannot afford to take a game off against the worst team in the league. They must attack them like they attacked the Islanders, and show no mercy. The Devils will be looking to play spoiler, and see a better Rangers team go down, but they cannot let that happen.

Henrik Lundqvist needs to be on top of his game, while Marian Gaborik needs to build on his performance Monday night, where he scored a goal and added an assist. I would also like to see Chris Drury rewarded for his hard work since he returned from injury, with a goal. Alex Frolov finally looks to be skating with a jump in his step, and they will need that the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Mats Zuccarello has been flying all over the place, showing some skill and even taking the body. I expect him to remain with the team for the rest of this season.

New York Rangers are One Player Away from Being Legitimate Contenders

While the New Jersey Devils have blamed unrelenting injuries for their tank to the bottom of the standings this season, the New York Rangers have fought through injuries to three of their top forwards to land in the number five-spot in the Eastern Conference at the 33 game mark. Top penalty killer and faceoff man Chris Drury had missed 31 games, last year’s top-line center Vinny Prospal has missed the entire season, and their superstar winger Marian Gaborik missed 13 games. Michal Rozsival, who had upped his play on defense this also saw some time with the doctor, as he missed nine games. The Rangers were also dealt a blow last night, as Drury returned only to see them lose spark plug Ryan Callahan for at least six weeks with a broken hand.

It seems the hockey gods are throwing whatever they can at the Rangers, trying to throw them off course, and while this season has by no means been a masterpiece, their grit, hard work, and new-found team toughness has created a special bond, one that has catapulted them into good standing in the east.

Coming of wins against two of the top four teams in the conference, 7-0 over Washington and 4-1 over Pittsburgh last night, the Rangers gave fans some hope that with a solid 60-minute effort every night, everything and anything is possible. Should the Rangers find some consistency (they have yet to win more than four games in a row) then the Rangers can be considered one of the top teams in the east. The team really came into their own, ironically enough, without the prowess of Marian Gaborik, and have finally settled in since his return to the lineup. The Rangers have also shown that they can overcome adversity, as their play in tight-scoring games and comeback ability has raised some eyebrows.

I am still hesitant to call this team a contender, though. The Rangers are getting scoring from all over the place, including 14 goals from Brandon Dubinsky and 12 from Brian Boyle, who had only 12 goals in 107 games prior to the start of this season. The now injured Callahan has chipped in 10 goals and Gaborik has 9, even after missing so much time. It seems whenever they need a goal, they get one, whether it’s from hard work by scrapper Brandon Prust, or a nifty wrist shot by Erik Christensen.

But how long will all this last? How long before Boyle’s hot streak goes cold? How long before Dubinsky comes back down to earth? What if Gaborik gets injured again? These are all questions facing the Rangers, and it is because of this that the Rangers need to get themselves another legitimate threat. The name Brad Richards has been tossed around, and the rumor was that the Rangers not only showed an interest, but inquired about him but ran from Dallas’ wanting of Callahan and Dubinsky. Say what you want about his signings, but Glen Sather is a magician at trades, and if there is a solution to the problem of secondary scoring, he’ll find it.

Richards’ price tag may be an issue, because at nearly $8 million, the Rangers could not even afford to trade for his ice skates at this present time. Other than him, there are really no other forwards out there that have an affordable rate and are free agents next season, a combination that teams love to acquire mid-season.

However, the one player the Rangers need may be currently skating with them, and his name is Alex Frolov. I have harped on him all season long, and he has quickly put himself in the old Chateau Bow-Wow (as John Davidson would call it) with fans. Every time he has a good game and looks like he is going to break out, he goes on a ten game goal drought. The goal he scored last night was his first goal in twelve games, and he has only three points during that span. But last night, there was just something about him that looked different—he had a jump in his step and for the first time all season, it looked as if he wasn’t skating through mud. Before he scored what stood to be the game winning goal, he got off a quick shot on a one-timer on a feed from Brandon Prust and Johnson knocked down, but it caught my attention nonetheless.

No one has been harder on Frolov than I have, and maybe I’m just being led by false hope, but I truly believe that last night will be the game where he turned it all around. I’m not expecting a 30 goal season out of him, especially after he only put up six goals in the first 33 games, but to finish with 20+ goals on the season is not a ridiculous expectation, and I think if he can get his confidence up (and knock off the wrap-arounds!) he will be the scorer that the Rangers signed him to be.

In regards to Chris Drury’s return to the lineup, John Tortorella in the post game press conference noted that he has, “Balls as big as the building”, because he returned to blocking shots and being an excellent defensive forward, despite missing 31 games this season.

Third Period Onslaught Propels Rangers to 4-1 Victory Over Penguins

Originally I wasn’t planning on writing a game recap, since I had to work until 8:30, but thankfully the Rangers decided to score all their goals in the third, and I was able to see the final twenty minutes. Coming off a convincing 7-0 win over the Washington Capitals, the Rangers looked like they were going to have a let-down loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, having only generated 12 shots in the first two period, and not starting the third with any conviction. But after a fight by Avery that seemed to spark the team, and a stupid, borderline slew-foot penalty by Matt Cooke, the Rangers not only tied the game at one a piece, but poured it on for a 4-1 victory.

The Penguins would open the score in the first period on a late goal by Evgeni Malkin. This would be all the scoring until the third period, before which the Rangers lacked flow and were doubled off in shots 24-12. But as Sam Rosen noted, the Rangers began to pick up their game in the second. After an uneasy start to the third, with not much flow for either team, Arron Asham would take a few extra chops at Henrik Lundqvist, and Sean Avery skated right over and dropped the gloves with him. This seemed to be the little spark the Rangers needed as they picked up their game and put more shots on an untested Brent Johnson.

With a little less than ten minutes remaining, and the Rangers still trailing by one, the puck would be sent down to the Rangers’ end of the rink. Derek Stepan and Matt Cooke would chase for it, when Cooke knocked the feet out from under Stepan, causing him to fall to the ice hard. It was not exactly a slew foot, but perhaps that was Cooke’s intention, since he is a dirty player. He would be penalized for tripping, and 20 seconds later, the Rangers would tie the game on a powerplay goal by Erik Christensen (6). Marian Gaborik would get the lone assist on the laser of a wrist shot which went off the crossbar and post before bouncing in. 15 seconds later, Alex Frolov (6) would break out of his funk with a rebound goal on assists from Brian Boyle and Dan Girardi.

Four minutes would then pass by and the Rangers would strike again. Artem Anisimov (9) came skating down the center of the ice, and with a snap of the wrist, it was 3-1 Rangers. Assists would go to Michal Rozsival and Michael Del Zotto. Less than two minutes later, the Rangers would put the icing on the cake with yet another fantastic wrist shot, this time by Brian Boyle (12), from Frolov and Staal. Three of the Rangers four goals would be by terrific shots, but it still makes me wonder if they would have scored them if Marc Andre Fleury was in net, but nevertheless, the Rangers and their fans should be very happy about this win.

The team stayed close, fought back and got themselves a big win. I’m also loving the toughness, as Avery did a good job in sticking up for Lundqvist by fighting Asham, and Boyle got into it with Malkin late in the third period. There is finally some cohesion from these Rangers and they are actually playing like a team now.

One sour note on a happy evening, though, would be the loss of Ryan Callahan who left in the first period with a broken hand. It is ironic because Chris Drury just returned to the lineup after missing virtually the entire season with a broken finger. The hockey gods giveth, the hockey gods taketh away.

Finally, it is also worthy to note the officiating in tonight’s game. Because biased calls against the Rangers were subjects in the last two game recaps between these teams, I must say that the referees behaved themselves tonight, including giving the Rangers a very blatant benefit-of-the-doubt call. Late in the third period, with the Rangers up 3-1, the Penguins seemed to have scored, but it was quickly waved off, citing that Pascal Dupuis had made contact with Henrik Lundqvist. Though he did touch him and possibly contribute to him not making the save, I have seen much worse go uncalled. The play was deemed “incidental contact” and not goaltender interference, which was why there was no penalty on the play. For all the times the Rangers have been screwed, I’ll definitely take it.

Rangers Should Trade Frolov to Ottawa, Bring Kovalev Back for Third Stint

Before you break out the torches and pitchforks, let me just state that this is purely a trade proposal on my part. It is not a rumor, nor is it speculation. So you have been forewarned that this is not being peddled as inside information in any way, shape, or form.

The bottom line is, the New York Rangers desperately need some secondary scoring if they are to continue this surprising chase for a post-season berth and develop some consistency. Alex Frolov, the one-time 35 goal scorer, was brought here to ride second fiddle to Marian Gaborik, and provide either scoring and stability on the top line, or depth on the second, but thus far, he has failed pretty horrendously at both, finding himself with time on the fourth line, and limited shifts in certain games. Though he and Tortorella insist there are no problems between them, and that all is well in the locker room, one must wonder what the general feeling towards Frolov is, after he told a Russian newspaper that he is not happy with his ice time. My response to that, what have you done to earn any significant ice time? In 31 games this season, Frolov has only five goals and six assists and has not developed chemistry with any teammates he has been paired with.

Meanwhile, in Ottawa, former and two-time Ranger Alexei Kovalev has complained to the papers that he feels he is not getting a chance to prove himself, and feels he is being made a scapegoat for the team’s struggles. This will not make him sit well with head coach Cory Clouston and Kovalev could be on the move soon if he does not pick up his game. The veteran 37-year-old has seven goals and seven assists in 31 games played. He has performed slightly better than Frolov, but only because he has played better on the powerplay.

My proposal would be an even swap of the two wingers. Neither fits in with their current team, neither is in a good light with their coach, and both are testing fans’ patience. Neither player had immense expectations coming into this season, but even so, they have failed to live up to what they were expected. Kovalev may have an excuse, after all, he is 37-years-old and has played in 1259 games. But Frolov has no excuse. One can argue that he is not getting playing time with Gaborik, therefore his point totals get deflated, but he did not perform particularly well when he played on the same line as him. He has played with every trio of forwards that could be possibly assembled in the last month and has only one goal in thirteen games, and no assists.

The only reason why I would advocate trading for Kovalev is because he is a free agent after this season, like Frolov, and perhaps, for the both of these players, a change of scenery would do them some good. Kovalev would definitely help the Rangers’ struggling powerplay and he may even be able to get some time with Gaborik, because he does have a pretty good passing eye. Frolov could then provide some size and strength up front for Ottawa who has been struggling in the goals-scored department.

Because Kovalev makes $5 million, and Frolov only $3 million, the Rangers would have to attach another player. Todd White makes $2.375 million and actually had success in Ottawa for four seasons, including hitting the 20-goal mark twice. He has only one goal in 14 games, but has not had much playing time to prove himself. Economically speaking, this deal would work for both teams, the only question is, would the Rangers and Senators be willing to deal struggling players hoping that a change of scenery will benefit the team? There really would not be any harm done for either team, because everyone I propose is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Rangers Leave Senators With Sauer Taste After 5-3 Victory

Boogaard drops the gloves with Carkner, who would land a punch square in the face of Boogaard, keeping him out for the rest of the game.

The New York Rangers found themselves trailing three times tonight, but each time they fell behind, they fought back, and ultimately found a way to defeat the Ottawa Senators tonight 5-3 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. It was not pretty, and the Rangers found themselves stuck in stretches of clumsy play, but they needed a win tonight after playing horribly against these same Senators Saturday night. In the end, they would have an unlikely hero as one of their young defensemen would score his first NHL goal, and send the Rangers to victory.

• First Period: The Rangers were looking to have a better start to the game than their last, which included an awful first period. They would not get started off on the right foot, as the Senators would score on an early powerplay less than three minutes in. Henrik Lundqvist would make a terrific stop on Nick Foligno before Mike Fisher netted home the rebound. But from there on out, the Rangers would pick up their game and tie the score nearly two minutes later, when Derek Stepan (7) found a fanned shot attempt by Marian Gaborik land on his stick, and shot it past Brian Elliot. The Rangers would not play a great period, but they had a lot more jump in their step than Sunday night’s game. Late in the period, Matt Carkner would fight Derek Boogaard and land a massive punch square in the face of Boogaard, and taking him down to the ice moments later. For the first time all season, an opponent landed a perfect punch to his face. The Rangers would exit the period tied at one a piece, despite taking three minor penalties, including one by Alex Frolov, which resulted in the Senators’ goal.

• Second Period: Once again the Senators would get the early goal, as Jason Spezza would tally one with the man advantage 34 seconds in. And once again, the Rangers would quickly counter, with a goal at an even faster minute and nine seconds later. This one would be from newly placed first liner Ruslan Fedotenko (5), from Gaborik, who got his second assist of the night, and Rozsival whose slapshot hit the post just seconds earlier. Minutes later, it would appear that the Senators had retaken the lead, when Mike Fisher took a shot from the circle that the referee signaled went in just under the crossbar. But the replay would show a miraculous example of physics that kept the puck out of the net—first it struck the crossbar, then bounced straight down off the goal line, and then sideways off the post, before bouncing forward, and directly between the leg of Lundqvist and an oncoming skate of Rozsival. Just moments later, though, Fisher would have retribution when he scored a breakaway goal on assists from Foligno and Campoli. The Rangers powerplay would fail twice more in the second period, and their lack of discipline cost them yet another goal.

• Third Period: With the Rangers trailing by one heading into the third, they needed to hunker down and play a solid period of hockey. The Rangers would shut down the Senators and put some goals up on the board. For the third time in the game, they tied the score, when Erik Christensen (5) wound up for a shot in the corner along the goal line, and somehow, the puck trickled past Elliot—it was a horribly angled goal, and for the first time in a while, the Rangers are beneficiaries of such luck. With five and a half minutes remaining in the period, the Rangers once again found themselves on the powerplay. With only seconds remaining on the advantage, and it seeming like the Rangers were going to waste another opportunity, Tortorella sent out his grinders, and among the makeshift unit, defenseman Michael Sauer (1), who ripped a slapshot that found its way through a maze of people and into the net. It would be his first NHL goal, on assists from Prust, and Avery, who now has 13 on the season. The goal would stand to be the game winner, and Brandon Dubinsky (13) would tack on an empty net goal when the Ottawa defenseman playing the puck fell down, giving it away to Dubinsky. It was not a masterpiece, but the Rangers got a very important bounce back win.

Over the last few off days, the Rangers practiced a lot of different things, emphasizing the powerplay. Up until the Sauer goal, one could hardly tell that, and even so, the powerplay is cause for concern. They are not even generating chances, but spend much of the two minutes skating up and down the rink after they allow their opponents to clear the puck.

Ruslan Fedotenko looked very good on the first line with Gaborik and Stepan, that is, when Tortorella wasn’t experimenting with and reverting back to old line combinations. The Rangers’ offense is still not getting nearly enough shots, but Fedotenko’s checking and backchecking will be a welcome sight on the top line should he stay there.

Regarding the Boogaard-Carkner fight, it was originally Tweeted by Darren Dreger of TSN that Carkner flicked blood off his fingers at players on the Rangers’ bench. No one watching the telecast noticed this, though Carkner did get a ten minute misconduct. It could be possible that was the reason. If this is true, he should face further discipline from the league. Showboating after winning a fight is one thing, but to flick a bodily fluid at someone? Not only is it disgusting and immature, but it is dangerous as well. I truly hope this was all a misunderstanding, because that would be a new low for a hockey player to have stooped to.