Rangers Double-Up Canadiens 6-3 in Intense Matchup at the Garden

In the fourth and final meeting of the season between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, the Blueshirts finally were able to break through with a victory and end a drought against the Habs that extended back to last season. Tonight’s game featured the exact hockey one would expect in a game down the stretch, between two teams fighting for a playoff berth. There was aggression, intensity, and goal scoring, and the Rangers would ultimately walk away with a 6-3 win after a hard fought 60 minutes.

• First period: The game got off to a hot start rather early, when just one second in, Brandon Prust squared off with Travis Moen in what would be a fairly lengthy bout. About five and a half minutes in, Artem Anisimov would get the Rangers on the board with an unassisted breakaway goal, but less than two minutes later, the Canadiens would rally to tie it on a slap shot goal by P.K Subban in the slot, this coming before he and Prust would serve minors after Subban yanked Prust to the ice when he made contact with goaltender Carey Price. But the most disheartening aspect about the Canadiens’ goal was the “Ole Ole” chant in the building, offered up by the sea of opposing fans that made their way into the Garden tonight. I have no problem with fans of other teams traveling distances to show their support, but it is unfortunate that the Rangers fans would let that noise happen. I remember a time when it was dangerous for an opposing fan to even wear a jersey, let alone chant, in our home building, but times have changed, and the Dolan’s are getting what they want: an arena packed with corporate suits. Anyway, the Rangers would very shortly shut up the Canadiens’ fans with a barrage of goals. Near the midway point, Dan Girardi would score on assists from Christensen and Zuccarello, and then with less than three minutes remaining, Ryan Callahan would score the oddest goal of the season—with a tangle of players in front of the net, Callahan swiped at a bouncing puck which sent it upwards off the helmet of defenseman James Wisniewski, then higher into the air, when it would fall straight down and cross the goal line in mid-air. However, the backspin on the puck caused it to not land in the net, but a lengthy review would prove that the entire puck crossed the line. With the Canadiens tased, Gaborik scored 32 seconds after that, and then Brian Boyle added a fifth goal 37 seconds later, for a total of three goals in just 1:07. Price would then be yanked and replaced with Ranger-killer Alex Auld. The Rangers would leave the period with a 5-1 lead, perhaps the most exciting and well-played period of the season.

• Second period: At first, the middle frame seemed relatively calm compared to the first. Aside from an early goal by Wisniewski, to get the Canadiens within three, nothing major happened until the end. Both Lundqvist and Auld were solid, but then with exactly three minutes to go, Subban would knock down Lundqvist and cause Michael Sauer to chase him halfway across the rink to challenge him to a fight. Sauer wanted to drop the gloves immediately, but the Canadiens’ brute defenseman ran away like the fraud he is. Magnetic personality be damned, Subban is nothing more than a glorified thug, who already slew-footed Dubinsky earlier in the season (a play that went uncalled) while being in the center of other questionable plays around the league. He’s a fine offensive defenseman, but the edge he walks is very dangerous, and I was hoping that someone would knock him down onto the ice by the time the game was over (maybe he would have been if the refs didn’t jump in to stop the fight). The Rangers would still be up 5-2 heading into the third.

• Third period: Once again, the Canadiens would strike, with a powerplay goal under a minute in from Brian Gionta. Flashbacks from two years ago when the Rangers blew a 5-0 lead were beginning to creep in my head, but thankfully the Rangers would hunker down and not let this one get away. After Lundqvist was ran yet again, this time accidentally, the Rangers would capitalize on the powerplay when Vinny Prospal deflected a hard Girardi pass to beat Auld. The Rangers would go on to win 6-3, but there is some concern for Lundqvist, who remained down on the ice for a few minutes after being hit. When the game ended, rather than celebrate, he pushed his teammates away so they would not tap him on the head, showing an apparent neck injury. We can only hope it is not serious.

The Rangers really stepped up in another big home game tonight to beat a team where wins against them have seemed elusive. The team should be happy about the win, but Lundqvist is injured and that may really effect the team in the long run, if it is not a hyper-extended muscle, and something more serious. Hopefully we will know by later tonight or tomorrow if he will start against the Penguins on Sunday. Lundqvist also continued to set a record he already owns, by winning 30 games in a season six times in a row, a record he set last season with five.

It was also good to see Rangers fans answer back with some “Ole” chants of their own late in the game. Tonight’s game had a very good intensity, that was only escalated by the  presence of so many opposing fans. If every game could be this loud, it would be a real treat.

This game also proved that the Rangers do not need Sean Avery any longer. Not that Wolski did anything that stood out, but I did not once think tonight that Avery could have been useful in any of the situations that unfolded. He is clearly out of his element, and with the way he played in the game prior against the Islanders, I do not see how he fits in the rest of the way.

Finally, I was really hoping the Rangers would score at least one goal on Alex Auld, the perennial backup who always seems to kill the Rangers. He really was excellent yet again, keeping his team in it, but the Rangers got him for one at the end. I don’t know if it is just coincidence, but he always plays exceptionally well on Broadway. The Rangers will now head to Pittsburgh for one of those annoying 12:30 afternoon starts on Sunday. I am already prepared for the broadcast bias that follows every nationally televised Rangers game, the same bias that led Pierre McGuire on TSN to say tonight how Subban isn’t afraid of a fight…which is why he ran for dear life when Sauer chased after him.

New York Ranger Rookies: Baptism by Fire

I just had to take a picture when this came on the screen during last night's game.

Just one look at the screen shot above, taken during last night’s game between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, and you can tell it just has not been an easy season for the Broadway Blueshirts. Decimated by injuries ever since it was reported in September that Vinny Prospal, coming off knee surgery, would be out indefinitely, the wound has kept on getting wider. Chris Drury also injured himself during training camp, missed several weeks, came back for one game, and got injured again. Marian Gaborik has missed 14 games so far due to two separate injuries, and leading scorer Brandon Dubinsky has missed the last five with a stress fracture; the list goes on and on.

Through all of this, though, has bit a been of a blessing, because like it or not, the Rangers are rebuilding without having to actually rebuild. What is the definition of a rebuild? To get rid of all the veterans and those not hacking it in favor of giving the promising youth in the system an extended look, so that in the next season, management will know who should remain in the NHL, who will be sent to the AHL, and who will be cut all together. If you notice the eight currently injured Rangers, you will see that all of them are veterans, and all have been replaced by rookies or those not far from being rookies. Essentially, the Rangers are rebuilding because they are getting a look at all of their top youth, the only difference is, the veterans will be returning this season, oh, and they are actually playing competitively.

To think, that a team that has had six players make their NHL debut, another four join with under fifty games of NHL experience, and the “old man” on defense be 27-year-old Steve Eminger, sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Break, is not only mind-boggling, but tremendously encouraging. The rookies the Rangers are sporting are not being carefully inserted into the lineup for a glimpse, but thrust into games with a regular role because this team cannot afford to waste time analyzing.

 

Mats Zuccarello has impressed in shootouts this season.

The Rangers needed the help desperately, and they have gotten key contributions from Mats Zuccarello, who, since his call-up, has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 17 games, including going four-for -four in shoot-out attempts. Derek Stepan, who has been with the team since the beginning of the season, has 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points, and has become the team’s most reliable center, next to Brian Boyle who could vie for Comeback Player of the year. Boyle is looked at as a veteran, and may be on this crop, but before this season he had only 107 NHL games experience spread out over three seasons, with only 12 goals and four assists. This season, he has come up clutch time and time again, with a team-leading 18 goals, more than both teammate Marian Gaborik, and Washington Capital star Alex Ovechkin.

Dale Weise has also been a pleasant surprise because of his willingness to fight, and newcomers Kris Newbury and Chad Kolarik, who have spent a lot of time in different systems in the minors, have fit in well, but will most likely not stay once the injured players make their return.

And how about toughness? This team has never been more eager to drop the gloves and stick up for teammates until after Derek Boogaard was injured. At any given time, the Rangers can throw someone out there who will fight, even if none are “enforcer”-type material. Brandon Prust continues to have an amazing season doing a little bit of everything, while Sean Avery, Newbury, and Weise also hold their own rather well.

Last night’s loss to the Panthers was disappointing, but it was part of the learning curve for this Rangers team that just will not die. They lead the league in games on back-to-back nights, yet always prove to be a tough foe when they play. They have been excellent in third periods when trailing, which they showed last night in rallying to tie the game at three after trailing 3-1 heading into the final frame, despite losing 4-3. Resilient would be the perfect word, because as soon as someone gets injured, the call-up comes right in and plays well.

These rookies have made it difficult for the coaching staff to decide who stays and who goes. When Dan Girardi returns after the break, will it be Ryan McDonaugh or Michael Del Zotto that gets sent back to Connecticut? Ryan Callahan is also close to returning, who goes when he gets back? I think it is safe to say that Zuccarello has won his spot on the team this season because of his outstanding play and speedy footwork, so I guess the first candidates to go back down will be DuPont and Weise, with Newbury and Kolarik remaining until Fedotenko and Dubinsky return.

The Rangers finally have a young, homegrown team that we have all been clamoring for years to get. Would it be a success? That is the question we have been wondering about for all this time. I think with this recent stretch of play, the Rangers will have a bright future ahead of them. The old saying holds true, the best discoveries are made, sometimes, entirely by accident.

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?

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.

Hockey Books That Would Just Never Sell: 2010/11 Rangers Edition

Ever wonder what it would be like to see your favorite players take some time out of their busy schedule to sit down and write a book? Well, below, we have uncovered some of the writing projects currently being undertaken by your 2010/11 New York Rangers. What we found may surprise you.

“Staying Onside”, by Sean Avery

“Strong Legs, Powerful Arms and a Muscular Chest: A Guide to Human Anatomy”, by Joe Micheletti

“How I Impressed H.G Wells and Walked Away a Multi-Millionaire”, by Alex Frolov

“Sticking Up for Teammates”, By Erik Christensen

“Accuracy 101″, by Ryan Callahan

“Stickhandling for Success”, by Derek Boogaard

“2010/11 Hartford Real Estate Guide”, by Mats Zuccarello

“Boris Karloff Impersonations”, by Mike Keenan

“Staying Calm and Relieving Anxiety”, by John Tortorella

“Sex Appeal in Winter: A Guide to Tanning Beds and their Radioactive Fallout”, by Vinny Prospal

I swear, I tried to get an Aaron Voros joke in there but couldn't. This picture will have to suffice.

“Look at Me Please! How to be Noticed on an Offensive Attack”, by Todd White

“Nerds Can be Sexy Too”, by Bill Pidto

“The Art of the Toupee: Getting Your Hair Swagger On”, by Sam Rosen

“The History of American Pie, Volume One: Stifler’s Mom”, by Derek Stepan

“Channeling Your Inner Guido”, by Michael Del Zotto

“Consistency in Back to Back Starts”, by Henrik Lundqvist

“Long Island Sun Tan: Burning Your Neck Without UV Damage”, by Martin Biron

“A Geographical Guide to New York City Bus Stops”, by Larry Brooks, Foreword by John Tortorella

“Wrist Shots, Slap Shots, and Jello Shots”, by Dave Maloney

“Life of the Party: How to Stun Your Guests with an Enthralling Personality”, by Chris Drury

An oldie but goodie.

New York Rangers Send Down McDonagh and Valentenko

Source: AP Photo

In a very surprising move this afternoon, the New York Rangers have announced that both Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko, two of the team’s promising young defensive prospects, have been assigned to Hartford (per SNY). Both defensemen showed a lot of promise during the preseason and this will cause the angst of many fans looking forward to watching them this season.

Both Joe and I agreed that at least one of them would make it, with him leaning towards McDonagh and me taking Valentenko toward the end of camp. Because of this move, Michael Sauer and Steve Eminger will make the team. Sauer has played very well himself, and Eminger will be the team’s seventh defenseman.

Though I am disappointed, this is the right move from the Rangers standpoint. This was the first professional camp for both McDonagh and Valentenko, and though they both showed promise, there is no harm in them getting more seasoning down in Hartford. If there is an injury, one of them could then be called up. Neither could be used as a seventh defenseman because it is not smart to have a rookie sitting for long stretches of time. The veteran Eminger, should he last the entire season, will probable play around 30 games, so I would much rather have the rookies get 82 games in the minors than only a small amount in New York.

I do have my doubts about Eminger’s abilities, though. There is a reason why the 2002 first round pick has been on five teams in seven seasons prior to this one. He has also never played a full season and his +/- rating has never been anything to write home about. But even if he falters as the team’s seventh, a rookie still would not get called up in his place.

With rumors around involving the Rangers, I really do not know how to read them. Michael Sauer was involved (with Phoenix, supposedly), but he has made the team because he played well. I would imagine that they would have dealt him already if he was going to be moved at all. My guess is that the Rangers will bring in a cheap, veteran defenseman to be in that seventh role because I do not think the team feels confident with having Eminger.

It is great that the Rangers are fielding a very young, and almost entirely homegrown defensive corps, but they may be too young and need some more stability on the back-end. The season begins six days from now and I would not be surprised if we saw a transaction or two between then and now.

Michael Sauer is 23 years old and has three games of NHL experience with the Rangers during the 2008/09 season. He was also drafted by the team in the second round of the 2005 draft.

In other news, the Rangers also sent Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise back down to Hartford as was expected after last night’s game.

New York Rangers Cut Eleven From Training Camp

This morning the New York Rangers have announced that they have slimmed down their training camp roster by 11 players. Some of them came as a surprise, while others were more expected. The Rangers assigned Chad Johnson, Dale Weise, Evgeny Grachev, Mats Zuccarello, and Wade Redden to Hartford, released Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov, and Garnet Exelby from tryouts, and will assign Dane Byers, Kris Newbury, and Jeremy Williams to continue training camp with Hartford.

To begin with, I was really surprised that they cut Mats Zuccarello so quickly. He was brought here with the initial thought of being able to produce offensively in a top-six role. There were a lot of high hopes for him, both from fans and management, and he just did not seem to find any groove this training camp. He was pretty much invisible in the three games he played.

Meanwhile, Evgeny Grachev is another player who has gone invisible, two training camps in a row. Last season, there could have been the excuse that he was getting used to hockey in North America, but after a season in Hartford, and a lackluster one at that, he should have been ready this time around. I have the feeling that this Russian forward will go the way of Bobby Sanguinetti and amount to nothing, because let’s face it, he was a third round pick who never got any attention until the unfortunate passing of Alexei Cherepanov.

For Dale Weise, I thought he played well and if the Rangers did not have such a log-jam at forward, he would have made the team. He showed good physical ability and even chipped in an assist in the first game of the preseason.

The Rangers also released Alexei Semenov from his tryout with the Rangers. I was actually very surprised at this because I thought he played well, and his size and strength would have been a welcome sight on the blue-line. However, I believe his cutting means that Pavel Valentenko will make the team, as he has been very physical and even has a good shot to boot. He will battle it out with Ryan McDonagh, but I think he holds the edge. Steve Eminger, meanwhile, will most likely get the job as the team’s seventh defenseman even though I was not impressed with what I saw from him.

Garnet Exelby too was cut, which was expected after the awful game he had against the Devils on Saturday night. The cuts to Newbury, Williams and Byers were also expected, and each one of them has to clear waivers before being assigned to Hartford.

The Rangers are now down to their two goaltenders, but are carrying nine defenseman and 16 forwards. I expected the Rangers to cut two more defenseman and two more forwards in the days to come.

Look for a post later this afternoon by Joe Aiello as he gives us what he expects to be our lineup for the season.

New York Rangers Updated 2010/11 Profile Pictures

These are just a few of the newly updated profile pictures of the 2010/11 New York Rangers, both players as well as prospects in the system.

#36– Mats Zuccarello

“What do you mean ‘that wasn’t chicken’?”

#94– Derek Boogaard

“Don’t worry, I’m here to see my parole officer.”

#48– Pavel Valentenko

“I’m not an unknown. You’ve seen me on To Catch a Predator.”

#5– Dan Girardi

“That’s right, you got me for four more f***in’ years!”

#46– Nigel Williams

“Me Nigel!”

#16– Sean Avery

“I can’t see you. I have zero Stanley Cup rings in front of my eyes.”

#13– Tim Kennedy

“I’m not gonna be here in October.”

#26– Erik Christensen

“Wanted: Missing bicycle. Last seen: Basement of the Alamo.”

#32– Dale Weise

“Damn you, Ruslan!”

#29– Chad Johnson

“Greg, do I know you?”

#73– Dylan McIlrath

“Remember when I said I’d kill you last? I lied.”

#20– Vaclav Prospal

“We may suck this year, but I’m not gonna remember a damn thing!”

#00– Rangers PR Dude

“Cease and desist.”