Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Rangers Live to Fight Another Day...

AVOID SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES...


A lifeless and, at some points, brainless first period, but the 'Blueshirts in a hole' had Ranger fans everywhere squirming in their seats with that old familiar feeling.

Read the official recap here.

With the heart(Callahan) and attitude (Avery) of the team out nursing leg injuries, it became a question of who would emerge and take the reigns of the team in these make or break games. The usual suspects were called upon as Gaborik, Prospal and Jokinen gained back more of their ice time. With a supporting cast of energized P.A. Parentau, Brandon Prust, often headstrong Brandon Dubinsky and even the Ranger, etc ... They delivered.

The comeback was started by Prospal, and it continued with Jokinen. Gaborik, netting his 40th of the season and an uncharacteristic goal by Marc Staal, sealed the Islanders fate. The theme of the night definitely seemed to be "shoot first, ask questions later" as the Ranger forwards and occasional defensemen, pelted the usually solid Islanders Netminder with quick shots and got all the right bounces.

The team is showing a bit of its potential. Forwards like Brandon Prust rebounded well after taking two horrible penalties. Hartford promotion Parenteau played like he was already auditioning for next season. The star forwards generated their offense and the coach finally appeared to have become less selective with his discipline, living up to his word to give minutes to the players that are bringing it every night. Tonight was also perhaps a glimpse of a system that Tortorella was trying to implement all season. The run and gun plays like the one that produced the Marc Staal goal, showed what happens when players can play both sides of the puck, are in the right place to advance the puck up ice and the defense chips in. How long it lasts is anyone's guess. Our hope is at least till the end of the season...

- J_Undisputed

Monday, March 29, 2010

...and one of The Best Bouts of All-Time

Marty McSorley vs Bob Probert Feb 4, 1994 - Detroit Feed

Old Time Hockey Last Week

Worth watching again. Reminds me of some of the great heavyweight fights of hockey. Not sure anyone on our New York Rangers could put on quite the show....oh right, he's a Maple Leaf now.

Cam Janssen vs Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond Mar 20, 2010

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Leaft behind...

RANGERS ESCAPE FROM TORONTO WITH CONSOLATION POINT

The Rangers seemed to be continuing their streak as they started the game fast scoring on a goal from Hartford promotion, PA. Parenteau. At first the call ups of Parenteau for the injured the Callahan, and Erikson for the scratched Gilroy, (reinsertion of the Voros plug for the revolving door on the 4th line) didn't seem to be having adverse effects on the effort.

Get the official recap here.

Tensions were high from the beginning of the game as Avery , made his rounds in the pregame warm-ups, Taking verbal jabs Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuff and forward, Phil Kessel. The Rangers would eventually make it a 2 nothing game. By all accounts, the Rangers didn't play as hard as they could have and were lucky to have the lead going into the second period. However, the lead would be shortened at the beginning of the second period as 'lazy back checking' led to a goal for the Leafs. Sitting at the bottom of the East, Toronto relished their role as a spoiler in this game and used their hard playing style to send wave after wave of mixed bag talent at the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist.

The game would sit at 2-1 in the Blueshirts favor for a while, but anyone watching the game could see that the Leaf tenacity would eventually wear down a thin ice skating Rangers team by the end of the game. And it did, as eventually the Leaves would catch up on a Rangers team that scrambled back in desperation to thwart rushes, but didn't always have enough discipline to have someone pick up the extra man or support their goalie on their second chance opportunities. This game was symbolic of the Ranger's struggle thus far this season... as they got outplayed down the stretch by a team lower in standing but higher in attitude. The "nothing to lose and everything to gain" mentality played by the opposition, exposes a missing element in the Rangers personality. The Rangers would lose another part of their personality as Sean Avery, on a race for a loose puck with a Leaf player, would go into the end-boards a little awkwardly and wind up limping to the locker room - not to return.

This could have been a big opportunity for an Aaron Voros/Brandon Prust/ Jody Shelley player to pick up the slack and make a strong case for keeping them around next season. Though a player like Prust has had a strong showing thus far (in my opinion), it's a situation that part of the downward spiral the team has been on after a fast start at the beginning of the season. The attitude of this team has dampened many a players heart with the questions of where they fit in; handicapped a coach with its lack of depth(besides at 3rd and 4th line so-so players) and fire; depressed fans that pay through the nose to witness such inferior efforts and disgusted old timers with its lack of proper respect for its 'Original Six' uniform. A player like Prust should have been called on to do his best Sean Avery impersonation, as soon as the Grate One limped away. With the teams Moxy already waning, there should have been some stop gap measure improvised on the spot to fortify the Blueshirt resistance to the rising tides of the Toronto high energy, low skill offense. Instead the Rangers scrambled to keep up and failed to realize that even though the two-goal lead is said to be the most dangerous in hockey, its also sometimes the opportunity to realize that sometimes.. just sometimes, the difference between winning and losing is just having the discipline to finish the race. With the game tied and going into OT, the importance of both points seemed to become an afterthought.

With Boston winning their game yesterday and leaving us further behind them; Philly dropping back and Atlanta inserting itself somewhere in the mix, its conceivable that the post season chances of the Rangers hinges on those final two games of the season. Lets hope it's realized in the Ranger locker-room before it is at Tee off time on the first green, this summer.

Friday, March 26, 2010

The $7 Million Dollar Goal

                                                 Rangers 4, Devils 3  SO

Why not save it for last?

Just when you thought it was over, The Boys In Blue pulled out another unlikely win against the NJ Devils of Newark, led by Captain Drury and his $7 million dollar clutch -- who with 20 seconds left in regulation took a sweet backhanded feed from Erik Christensen reminding us why we drafted him in the first place.  The Clutchman Cometh (at least for one game, that is...).   That one goal was worth seven big ones.

So that makes two wins in a row for the Rangers making them 'Undead' - at least they're walking and are determined to play for blood, take on the living, seeking hockey world domination.  With Boston and Philly both losing last night, the Rangers advance back into the realm of 'maybe' only three points from the 8th and last playoff spot. 

Go here for a more articulate and less exhausting recap.

This was one hellava game.  Generally (with few exceptions) a game versus New Jersey is a good one. Regardless of where we are in the standings, the anticipation and level of play is always something reminiscent of the battle over Mingo County - the Hatfield Rangers the more articulate and well connected to their McCoy Devil backwater rivals across the Hudson.

Obvious in any match with the NJ Beelzebubs, it comes down to two bodies in net.  Henrik hates Marty.  Marty hates Henrik.  Not only does 'Fatty B' dislike 'The King", but the fans have accelerated the teams' goalkeeper rivalry by dueling simple-minded chants such as "M-A-R-T-YSSSSS  B-E-T-T-E-R" followed by Rangers fans screaming the equivalent for the younger, more good-looking and equally as talented Blueshirt 'TEAM-in-a-box goalie' Henrik Lundqvist.  Time will show what Henrik delivers in the long run, but one thing is for sure - last night Henrik was more solid having to make up for our lack of D-men - and was dominant in the shootout.    H-E-N-R-I-K's better.  Simply.  Oh, and also....

Lundqvist became the first NHL goalie to earn 30 wins in each of his first five seasons and the first Rangers netminder to post five straight 30-win campaigns.    (Sorry Marty)

Brandon Dubinsky & Artem Anisimov registered the first two goals, followed by the thrilling 20-seconds left Drury multi-million-Joisey-Devil-jaw-drop tie-breaker.

The Blueshirts sit one point away from the Atlanta Thrashers (9th slot) and 3 points away from Boston (8th slot).  Hold on to your pants, folks....

Though Drury wasn't able to deliver the CLUTCH during the Olympics for TEAM USA, perhaps he and this over-privileged and underwhelming Blueshirts squad can deliver a MIRACLE of our own by making the playoffs.  You never know.....  You never know....

Toronto Maple Leafs are next at the A.C.C. on Saturday night.  "Hey Colton Orr....meet my little friend Prust and Shelley!"    Should be a nail-biter.

tdr

Thursday, March 25, 2010

And the winner for a best 3-D performance by a team probably not making the playoffs...

RANGERS ADD MORE DIMENSION TO THEIR GAME...


Better late than never as the saying goes. Last nights romp over the Isles, is the type of game, many of us have been waiting a season for. The team was firing on all cylinders.

Read the recap here. No 3-D glasses required.

Our boys in blue, started the game with a renewed energy, scoring 3 in the first and holding the fishies to a big fat Goose Egg! The shots were going in, the plays were smart, the defense had a pulse. I used to do something very similar in my elementary school days. I was brighter than a lot of kids in my class. As such, I would kind of get bored with the assigned exercises and start to doodle. Homework was also not a favorite of mine. The teachers would say "I was smart, but lazy..." Sound familiar anyone? Citywide tests, 98th percentile.. It turns out if I wasn't being challenged, I grew indifferent. Till I heard the magic words... "Summer School" and thought to myself.. well "oh shi... I better get crackin'"

Last nights effort is a prime example of what this team can do when it applies itself. Granted... this was not Ovie, the Disabler and his Capitals nor Skidmark Sid and his sh*tbirds, we were playing against. It was team whose playoff hopes are as bleek as our own... maybe even worse. Dwayne Roloson did all he could last night but he was overwhelmed by our relentless attack which was largely based on long, up the middle outlet passes... and crashing the net to follow up. How many teams does that work on? A few... but not as many if we only do it a handful of times a season, or when we have nothing to lose, or we're hosting a lesser team (not that our home record is anything to brag about). Could it be that we're simply letting it all hang out last night because the pressure is really off and mentally many of our players and fans packed it in for the season... and it was novelty game in 3-D?Not a chance you say? ok.

Trend wise it was almost an ideal game.

-Avery was grating
-Defense was playing both sides of the puck.
-Gabby was back to his scoring ways.
-Lundqvist was a wall.
-Our young guys played with fire and didn't look afraid.

It didn't help that Gordon's fishticks were playing into all of it and taking penalties all over the ice. In fact if the teams switched jerseys, how likely would it be that we would be calling this a typical game by our underperforming blueshirts? Word is the 3D glasses idea came to life after manage Ranger fans started complaining the rose color glasses they previously purchased, were defective.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Keywords To Being A Rangers Fan

Isn't it exhausting reading about what the Blueshirts need to do now, now that they dropped a pivotal-playoff-contending game to the equally struggling Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon?

Well, if you haven't read anything about the loss, then please go here for the vanilla-induced recap of the game in Boston.  Or if you are a reader or fan of DARK hockey, then perhaps if you were to Google the following keywords on any Rangers site:  consistency, overpaid, underachieving, 'Fire Sather', lacking desperation', 'lacking heart' -  you would find not only a recap describing yesterday's loss to the Bruins, but it is fair to say that you would find recaps of games throughout the 2009-2010 season.  

As an avid follower of my dear Blueshirts, there are only so many angles in the loss (reading or writing), and every time you think we've been here before, you were right.  Boston was no exception to this rule.  The consistency we've been looking for all season is right there in front of us.

A bad loss.

From a fan point of view, the above keywords could also accurately describe our own experiences this season:

Consistency - the fans are consistent.  Why not the players?
Overpaid - the fans are overpaying for what they are getting.
Underachieving - a losing home-game record!  Wow.
'Fire Sather' -  more press for the bastard.  He's not going anywhere, kids.
Lacking Desperation - the fans not wanting the Rangers to embarrass themselves in the playoffs against The Caps.
Lacking heart - this team has been breaking our hearts all season.  Enough already.  It's like break-up sex without an emotional connection.

So as much as we criticize the management, big dollar Dolan, the Captain, the rookies, The Coach, we continue to talk with great passion about the organization that we love -- which obviously points out that we, as consumers of good hockey, want good hockey.  It was/is a bad year at The Garden and you can see the cracks in the place, the team and, most importantly, the fans.   This is the first year I can remember that so many fans of the Rangers are this vocal and angry.

I suppose it's like an abusive relationship, a dependency --- but we can all count on one thing, we'll keep coming back for more.  The good, the bad, and even the shitty seasons.  They can raise the ticket prices when we don't make the playoffs.   Will it piss us off?  You bet - and we'll complain.  But we'll be there at The Garden and The MAN knows it.


Do you want an entirely new experience this season?  Enjoy the playoffs and watch those 'heart-filled' teams that earn the colors, earn the fans and work to make the Cup theirs on every level.  Let's look at the Phoenix Coyotes. Watch the little bankrupt team in the desert ride high in passion and consistency, willing to lay it on the line every friggin game TO PROVE TO THE SMALL DEVOTED FANS AND THE NAYSAYERS, TO THE EXILED QUITTER ALL-STAR COACH, THAT THEY ARE A TEAM THAT DESERVES THE CUP.....  Watch the desperation and see 'em get damn far in the standings --- because they will have earned it.  Will they win the Cup?  Probably not and the fans never expected it.  But there is pride in your team.  That's why you buy the tickets for the season.  That's why you follow the team when they suck.  Because they try.

So pay up suckers.  Keep your checkbook in hand because before you know it, the renewal notice arrives in the mail in a fancy '$20 dollar worth' disposable Rangers folder with promises of new, not old - and a promise of rebuilding, collaboration and The Brotherhood.  Ching, ching, ching, as the re-telling of a dream gets older and older every season.

See you at The Garden on Wednesday.  Big rival game.  Remember?  The Islanders!  Potvin Sucks!!?
(Pssst....we used to hate them)

tdr

Saturday, March 20, 2010

The Rangers' Case of The Breakdown Blues Leads To Another Dreary Home Loss | STL 4 NYR 3

Apparently, the Rangers missed the class about exploiting home ice advantage. Instead of playing like a well-oiled machine, the Rangers again resembled a jalopy made out of spare junkyard parts, subjecting their fans to another distressing display of failures by special teams, a lack of discipline in the defensive end, an absence of aggressiveness, an inability to score, and worst of all, the yielding of critical goals in the 3rd period.

The beneficiaries of the Rangers' continuing largess were the St. Louis Blues who were making their first visit to MSG in 3 seasons. Perhaps they are the only team with a worse record at MSG than the Rangers -- 10-44-7 over the years. But, of course, they came to the Garden with a 4-0-1 record over the last 5.

Like the Rangers, the Blues are outside the playoff bracket and trying to make a run for the final berth in their conference. Based on both team's performances, neither team deserves to make the playoffs and hockey purists should want it that way.

Former MSG President, Dave Checketts, who attended the game, and John Davidson, former goalie and announcer, must have left happy to be in America’s Heartland instead of NYC after witnessing firsthand, and benefiting from, another dreary home loss by the Rangers as they gave away the game in the final period yet again as the Blues tallied a goal midway through the final period -- and 73 seconds after the Rangers had scored to tie the game -- to snatch the win and deprive the Rangers of a single point. Official recap is here.


Scoring Anomalies. Michael Weaver scored for the first time in 184 games while Paul Kariya's game winning goal was the 400th of his career. Also, Wade Redden scored his 2nd goal of the season to tie the game at 3 in the third period for 73 seconds.


Neither goalie, the Rangers Henrik Lundqvist or St. Louis’ Ty Conklin, acquitted himself well. Henrik quickly yielded a goal in the first 2 minutes on a shot by Brad Boyes. It seemed to shock the Garden faithful that it went in.

The Rangers did recover and started to gain a territorial edge brought on by the efforts of Sean Avery. Perhaps he has realized that refs are giving him some more slack because during the first period, he drew a pair of penalties and brought a lot of energy to the team. The Rangers scored 2 goals on Callahan's tip-in of a Olli Jokinen slapshot from the center of the blue line during a power play and then later by Marian Gaborik.

As usual, the team and coaches relied on Henrik to keep the Rangers in the game. They certainly did not help him defensively. While perhaps picking a bad night to have a bad game, the offense failed to bail him out. For several segments of the game, it appeared that he was the last man standing to protect Ranger playoff prospects.

Henrik was called on to make some fabulous saves including 2 breakaways during one Rangers power play. But he let in 2 soft goals (stopping only 12 of 16 shots) that the team could not recover from and was victimized by several giveaways and terrible positioning by the defense throughout the game.

Henrik admitted earlier in the week that he does not feel confident and the Rangers' biggest problem is inconsistency -- "A big part of it is mental preparation and how much you want it.
"

Not on the same page. Ryan Callahan was guilty of holding on to the puck for too long in several key situations as the offense simply failed to pull the trigger at the right time. 2 of the Ranger goals came from shots on the point – something the Rangers failed to do at all during a critical 1:37 two man advantage in which they mustered only one shot.

Meanwhile, the Rangers, who outshot the Blues 29-16, did not put enough pressure on Conklin, who was awful. The netminder lost his footing several times and panicked when there were bodies around the crease. However, even though the Rangers created traffic in front of the net, they did not take enough shots to take advantage.

The signature sequences of the game was the 2 man advantage that the Blueshirts squandered for 1:37 in the second period. On back to back plays in the first 43 seconds of the period, the Blues shot the puck out of their defensive zone into the stands for delay of game penalties.

The Rangers proceeded to waste an opportunity to extend their 2-1 lead and maintain the momentum they had developed. They served up perhaps the worst display of power play ineptitude of the season (or at least since Kotalik was traded) as the Rangers simply refused to shoot, they bunched up in front of the goal so that the 3 St. Louis defenders did not have to move, and just passed the puck around without purpose.

Everyone was to blame for the power play futility and the overall game -- including the coaches, who apparently have not worked on positioning or reminding the players to shoot -- unless the players are deciding to tank it to stick it to the coaches (again). Callahan and Jokinen were terrible and ineffective all night long. Gaborik had 3 points (a goal and 2 assists) but he was invisible on that fateful power play.

Home Sweet Home. The Rangers' play at home (and
propensity of losing games in the 3rd period) has left their
playoff hopes close to ruins. It also does not give fans
confidence that making the playoffs will change anything.
It was not surprising to see the Blues take advantage of the Rangers' failure by scoring 2 goals in the second period both from defensemen (Weaver and Erik Johnson) to take a 3-2 lead into the 3rd period.

Unlike the Rangers, the Blues did exactly what was needed to win the game. A minute after Wade Redden tied the score with a slapshot with 7 1/2 minutes gone in the 3rd, T.J. Oshie picked up the puck in the Ranger zone, rushed up ice, and after coming down the right side, he watched Paul Kariya totally outskate Callahan down the center lane and then saw Dan Girardi skate to his left joining the other 4 Ranger skaters on one side of the ice, thus leaving Kariya all alone to flip Oshie's crossing pass into the goal past Henrik for the winner.

Seeing all 5 Ranger skaters on one side of the ice was indicative of the terrible defensive positioning the Rangers have been guilty of for several games going back to the 5-4 OT loss at home (where else) to Pittsburgh.

The Rangers go on the road for several games which is a blessing since they are 2 games under .500 at home. Their next game is in Boston to play the struggling Bruins for a battle to be cannon fodder for the Capitals. The NBC national t.v. audience may see a good game but this is not a premiere match-up for sure.

Schedule-wise, after the Bruins contest, the Rangers have 2 games with the Isles, a game with the Devils and the Leaf -- theoretically, all winnable games that could vault the team into the 8th slot heading into the final slot. Unfortunately, Atlanta, left for dead after the Rangers beat them, has gotten hot and caught the Rangers in the 9th spot.

I'd rather watch Avatar again. For the Rangers/Islander game on March 24, the Rangers will have a viewing party at WAMU Theater to watch the game in 3-D. Meanwhile, the game itself will be live upstairs in the Garden. 3-D glasses will not give a one-dimensional team any more depth or make them more watchable.












Perhaps Rangers management could try giving something useful to fans
who have the courage to attend a home game. Here's a hint:



--- The Graying Mantis

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Torts In His Own Words

Post game remarks from the Coach himself after the Blueshirts dropped a crucial game vs. Montreal last night. (3-1)

Go here to listen.

An interesting stat from Puck Daddy:
Sports Club Stats calculates that the Rangers have a 15 percent chance of earning the final playoff seed and a 30 percent chance of finishing ninth. 

Those are better odds than the current Dark Ranger poll to the right. 
Sad, sad, sad.

tdr

Monday, March 15, 2010

Tortorella Should Be Careful

A coach genius is made by knowing exactly when or when not to bench your players on the team, rookie or star players alike.

New York Ranger Coach John Tortorella, after yesterday's victory against the Flyers, by the press standards appears to be like one of those geniuses, having benched agitator Sean Avery the game before against The Thrashers (which led to a 5-2 win for the Blueshirts) and inserted back into the lineup against Philadelphia at The Garden a day later. Would you believe it?   It was perhaps Sean Avery's best gritty performance this season.  Two goals, two penalty minutes, drew three penalties (leading to two power plays), played like a hard-hitting leader (with restraint) and a reinvigorated team that followed his footsteps.   The Coach must have known that would piss off Sean and motivate him to play better the next game.  Embarrass him.  Make the fans know it.  He'll want to prove to all that the Coach wronged him.

But Sean Avery has been one of the more hard working hockey players on The Rangers?  What gives?  How many times can a coach effectively bench the same guy to get his best play?

Well, for genius reasons, I suppose, the Rangers beat up The Flyers winning 3-1.  Unrelated to Torts or Avery, check out our very own Brandon Dubinsky getting challenged by Flyer's Captain Mike Richards.  Clearly the Philadelphia tough guy is reeling tonight after getting beat up and over-ranked by a 20-something year old.  Watch this fantastical video here.

Official recap here.

But look again at Torts -- screaming genius for a game and his reasons for shaming team members to the icy wooden plank.  Many players on the current roster fit the bill:  Wade Redden - was brought in to secure the blueline for the next five years (ok...a big mistake):  When he sucks, BENCH HIM.  Michael Del Zotto - first round draft blueliner who has stepped up, but crucial mistakes are made that will ultimately lead to building character and bringing accountability to a 19-year old rookie (no problem):  BENCH HIM.  Even Torts (secretly hating) Sean Avery and benching him for stupid mistakes and creating havoc on the ice and in the locker room:  BENCH HIM.   All easy targets benched by Coach.

So with that, let me state that John Tortorella is far from a genius.

While Torts looks for accountability and consistency from his players on a game-to-game basis, so should the method of his coaching and how he treats the team as a unit.  He is as much the hot-head off the ice as Sean Avery - and, especially, to the press -- this coaching hypocritical manner bleeds into the locker room and the team he represents.  If his methods were consistent, we'd see Olli Jokinen, A. Anisimov, Chris Drury being benched throughout the season based on poor play.  Can you imagine Marian Gaborik getting the bench?   Management would make Torts roll if any of the star players were to be penalized and benched for not scoring goals or working hard.   Many of these players that we covet are not star players, let's call them our cliched' ' overpaid syndrome' extended contracts and Coach is afraid of them because of how it will effect him.   He continues to pick on the secondary characters on the bench, rather than the marquee characters....because he can.  The philosophy of benching should apply to all players if this is something he believes in.

The Dark Ranger says let 'em play and earn their contracts.  If not, bench 'em and send 'em north. 

It's a professional popularity contest of the bench, as if Torts has chosen his favorites and you have to earn your way back into his influence bubble.  That is....unless the Rangers pay you more than 5 million a year.

tdr

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Re-Structured Rangers Finally Find A Team to Beat | NYR 5 ATL 2

The NHL reminds me often that it is a joke of a league. Matt Cooke hospitalizes Marc Savard and gets away without punishment. The Atlanta Thrashers -- the Rangers' opponent that is arguably in a playoff hunt -- totally embarrassed itself with its performance at home by getting beaten by the Ranger 5-2. Nearly the entire lower bowl of Phillips Arena was empty for most of the game before people sneaked down near the end.

The last time the Rangers were there, a one inch snowstorm had shut down the city and hardly anyone showed up for the game. I wonder what the reason was for Friday's no-show -- perhaps the performance of crappy teams don't measure up to what people saw on the Olympics. This may be the reason that Brainiac Bettman does not want NHL players in the Olympics -- those games expose how crappy the NHL is (after you get past the top 6 teams) generally with the dilution of talent thanks to misguided expansion. The gap between the teams in playoff slots and those trying to get in is illuminating. Prior to the Thrashers game, nearly every team outside the top 8 in each conference were in the midst of losing streaks including Atlanta and the Rangers at 4 and counting.

But back to the game . . . the Rangers are in playoff contention . . . the Rangers website labeled the win as a "Runaway Victory." Official recap is here. The question is runaway from what? The game was absolutely terrible. The Thrashers, now mired in a 5 game losing streak, handed the game to the Rangers in the first period. Atlanta had lost the night before in Tampa and the Rangers jumped on them, apparently taking Coach Tortorella's new emphasis on "Structure" to heart. The Rangers, if they wanted to make a statement game, should have won this game by a score of 7-1. Instead, they spent the night in danger of blowing a 3 goal lead because of their inconsistent play.

Early in the first period, Vinny Prospal shot a laser that Thrasher goalie Johan Hedberg whiffed on. Hedberg had good success in his prior starts against the Rangers but he was not finished in perhaps torpedoing the Thrashers' season. Immediately after that -- 9 seconds after that goal, in fact, he slapped a puck into the stands for a delay of game penalty. The Rangers converted as Hedberg got his footwork tangled up and could not stop Marian Gaborik who converted a nice cross-crease pass from Chris Drury to make it 2-0.

Showing an unusual desire to end the game early, the Rangers continued to pressure and were rewarded with 2 more power play opportunities including a 5 on 3. They failed to convert there but during the remainder of the second penalty, Prospal scored his second of the game and the Rangers had a 3-0 lead.

Then the Blueshirts essentially took the rest of the game off and if Atlanta had any talent, now depleted by the Kolvachuk trade, the Rangers would have paid a possibly fatal price. Atlanta picked up its game after the 3rd goal and as usual, the Rangers defense let numerous Thrashers rush the net or get behind the defensemen only to be thwarted by Henrik Lundqvist who was much sharper than the Devils outing. Atlanta narrowed the score to 3-1 early in the second period and definitely had the advantage in even strength play. That goal occurred when Artem Anisimov, helping to kill a penalty, led a rush into the Atlanta end, fell and lost the puck. The Thrashers zipped up the open ice, essentially on a 5-on-3 run and converted.

But shortly after that, either because of a dearth of talent or exhaustion from back-to-back games, the Thrashers abandoned the attack and started playing conservatively. The clock kept running and the desperation started to fade. Meanwhile, the Rangers were able to recover and play a steadier defense. But you knew that if the Blueshirts had been playing a team with a quality offense, they would have been swept out of the building. Luckily, the Rangers were not playing the quality of competition they had lost to all last week and late in the 2nd period, Gaborik fed Michael Del Zotto a pass on the left side and his shot deflected off a skate into the net for a 4-1 lead heading into the final period.

In the 3rd period, Atlanta again mounted a renewed attack and were able to score in the final 8 minutes of the period. On that goal, the Rangers had all 5 skaters on the left side of the ice leaving their goalie at the mercy of Ron Hainsey. The Rangers decided to make the game even more interesting when Jody Shelley took a hooking penalty a couple of minutes later. But the Rangers persevered and killed the penalty.

Atlanta pulled Hedberg in the final minutes and Johnny Oduya, one of the Devils Atlanta got in the Olvachuk deal, made a horrible cross ice pass to no one in his own zone and skated after it like Ales Kotalik skated after he screwed up another Ranger power play. Meanwhile, Ryan Callahan, reminding me of when he outraced Martin Brodeur to the puck in the 2008 playoffs, beat Oduya and and slapped the puck across the ice into the net for the final goal with a minute left.

Before the game, Torts benched Sean Avery, who has been emasculated thanks to the league, the refs and the coaching staff. It's not surprising that his play has deteriorated but part of that is also on him because he has not stayed true to his own style.

Also, with this nonsensical talk about Structure, how long did it take before Tortorella started changing lines in the game -- 2 shifts? And say what you want about former coach Tom Renney's boring style, you did not see the Rangers panicking in their own defensive end, leaving players unmarked, having the entire team on one side of the ice, etc. like they have this season. There is truly no lead safe in their hands. There is no Structure to this team -- players have no idea who they will skate with, some do not know their roles and there is no accountability.

We will see how the Rangers now do with their next 3 games at home -- Philly, Montreal and St. Louis. By the end of the week, it will be clearer what the Rangers' playoff chances are. It's not worth speculating because only wins will do from here on in.

---The Graying Mantis

Friday, March 12, 2010

I Just Don't Get It


Sean Avery is scratched tonight in Atlanta.  
I don't f*cking get it...

Andrew Gross gives the gross account here

tdr

Some People Never Get to Do All We Got To Do | A Remembrance of the Night the Rangers and Fans Got It Right

I have always enjoyed attending sporting events live. There’s something magical about witnessing a game live knowing that you may see something special, soaking in the arena’s atmosphere, and sharing the company of fellow fans.

Even this disappointing Rangers’ season has had its share of unique (albeit not always enjoyable) moments. This week, I found myself reminiscing about the Rangers’ 2005-2006 season – the first season after the lockout. Players like Jaromir Jagr, Petr Prucha, Marty Straka, and Michael Nylander glided over the ice demonstrating a scoring touch, skating skill and power play proficiency that had been missing for several seasons. Henrik Lundqvist took over goalie duties with an energy and skill not seen since Mike Richter. And the 7 year playoff drought ended.

The team surprised the NHL with its success – garnering 100 points for the season and nearly grabbing the Atlantic Division title. The Rangers became relevant in the New York winter sports landscape for the first time in years. I don’t have to say how things have changed since then.

Before that season, I convinced some friends to purchase a mini-plan for the Rangers – we were in no position financially to spring for a full season package. My “partners” left it up to me to choose among the 3 plans.

I fortunately chose the plan that included, among other games, the pinnacle event of the Rangers’ season – Mark Messier retirement night on January 12, 2006. We all remember that night, whether we saw it live or on television.

One of the more touching moments was Dana Reeve's singing “Now and Forever” to Mark Messier during the ceremony. Everyone knew how much Messier had meant to the Reeve family. A few months earlier, she had announced that she was suffering from lung cancer. As we would sadly learn, this night would be her last public appearance as she died on March 6, 2006 – and it is that date that passed this week that started me thinking about writing this post.

The Rangers had left NYC for a road trip the day she died and did not return until the following Sunday, nearly a week later. Our mini-plan had that game. So when I got to the Garden early, I wondered if the Rangers would acknowledge Dana’s passing or if too much time had passed.

The Rangers surprised me and everyone in attendance that evening with a low-key but powerful tribute – replaying Reeve’s rendition of the National Anthem from Messier's retirement night on the scoreboard.

There she was – singing against a darkened background, filling the Garden with her voice like she had just a short 6 weeks earlier. MSG was eerily quiet as Ranger fans stood silently. The usual “Let’s Go Ranger” cheers during the anthem were absent.

As the song ended, Dana Reeve walked down the carpet and off the ice silently one last time, into the darkness, forever. Sniffles could be heard around the arena. Then the applause came. That final walk is etched into my memory like it just happened.

Even now, 4 years later, it is one of those moments that has stayed with me. I consider myself lucky to have been at MSG that night.

It was a moment that made me proud of the Rangers for its classy, unpretentious tribute to a member of the Ranger family and proud of the connection I felt to my fellow fans as we all mourned Dana’s passing together.

These days, the news is filled with stories about personalities who denigrate the respect, affection and loyalty that are part and parcel of marriage and other human relationships. Those who struggle everyday to keep their love alive and keep the romance burning, are often overshadowed by the sensationalistic scandalous behavior of the few.

After being injured in his horse riding accident, Christopher Reeve suggested "Maybe we should let me go." Dana would have none of that: "I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you and I love you."

True heroes generally toil in silence outside the limelight and go unappreciated. We learn early on that fairy tale endings rarely, if ever, happen but that realization does not stop most of us from trying to create our own.

It’s been 4 years since that Sunday night game. The opponent on March 12, 2006 was the Atlanta Thrashers -- the same as tonight.

---The Graying Mantis

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Rivalry... Brings out the Devil in Rangers.

FOR TWO PERIODS ANYWAY...


I tried to be the good soldier when it comes to being a fan. A few wins and I treaded softly as to not kill everyone's buzz. After the loss against the Debbis last night, all bets are off.

For the first half of the game, we hung with those bums from Jersey. Goal for Goal. They got one, we answered... and it was beautiful. The game has a real run and rung feel to it. Trading opportunities and saves. Then the reality set in.

Read the official recap here.

While the finger could be pointed at a number of factors for the loss; from our part time defense to bad calls by the ref to our inconsistent scoring... it's nothing we haven't been over a million times...and ... As much as it doesn't seem so, these are not issues other teams don't have to deal with.

Despite us scoring 2 goals on our own goalie *face palm* -- that alone sealed our fate. Its not a bad thing whenever your players get their sticks on a puck that's on the way in. Lets face it.. the difference between a block and a deflection can be a few centimeters. Anyway.. despite that ... sigh... the difference in last nights game was the effort and discipline. It needs to be said that both teams have been through their ups and downs and dropped 3 places in the standings from the last game played against one another. The obvious difference on the ice is when our Blueshirts started looking for an out... with their sideways, keep away passes... the Debbis were looking for an Up... A way to advance the puck up ice, a teammate in prime real estate and push harder for results. There was no dependence on Kovulchuk for scoring... nor a wait for their turn at offense. (those b@st@rds...)

It's no secret that we have trouble scoring consistently. While the goals aren't consistent, the effort should be. Having a team with half the talent of the premiere teams in the league means trying twice as hard to keep it together. What each player lacks individually, they find a way to compensate for collectively. Last nights game is a prime example of what happens when you keep effort on the shelf and think you can summon it whenever you feel like it. We got outplayed down the stretch by a team that's used to trying harder because they're forced to. The shelf was bare in the third period and instead of effort, there was only confusion. I don't think I have ever seen Henrik as frustrated. There was no consoling the goalie who had been pulled (probably for his own protection) because he failed to stop pucks from the opposition AND HIS OWN TEAMMATES.

Again, this is about more than one game. This is about who has the heart to the wear the sweater and the discipline to play and standout every night.. regardless of how anemic the rest of the team looks. A group of hard chargers that are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, can be guided to a Stanley cup. That being said, who's actually earning their keep so far? While its subjective to opinion, lets look at last nights game for and idea of who could stay on this team and actually keep it going as our hatchlings earn their wings through a development phase. (We'll forgo the obvious keepers- Lundqvist, Callahan, Gaborik-- and the albatrosses, we'll never get rid of barring a lucky bolt of lightning ... the Reddens, the Drurys, the Rosivals... and focus on the borderline guys)

Alex Auld - I'd keep this guy. As much as I liked Chad Johnson, lets face it. the only thing chad was developing was a case of hemorrhoids from driving back and forth between here and the sticks. Auld is pretty decent backup that can sustain us in case of an injury.

Brandon Prust- Can be a high energy guy without all the penalty liability of a Hollweg level player. He can win fights too. Not a scorer, but made a sound play last night in getting to a rebound and putting it in.

Erik Christensen- I'd hang on to this guy too. Good hands and if their was hockey equivalent of a best supporting actor, this guy could be a nominee one day. Players like Christensen are best when the spotlights not on them and they are allowed to do their work and the step up occasionally.

Olli Jokinen- I'd let him walk. He's a good player and seems to have more of a desire to play hockey that many of the players we have. His experience is also valuable with a lot of young players around. The problem? The money. The money this guy would get for his play would be criminal. It's not his fault. He could only do so much without the elite kind of players he needs to elevate his game. The experience factor could be negated with a resigning of Prospal.

Vinny Prospal-. I'm waiting on this one...Turned out to be the bargain of the off-season for this team. He came here with something to prove to all those people that thought he was over the hill. Aside from the injury and seeming a little flat here and there;he proved his point. Its too bad that people will dilute that by using the context of a team that couldn't score to deflate his numbers. The question remains how much would he has to prove next year if he's picked up?

Jody Shelley- Where's he been? This guys been like Brashear part too. Now to be honest, he did seem to take some responsibility as far as after whistle pileups near the goalie. However, hes not on the ice very often and when he has been, he appears bound by the same gag orders as Avery, Brashear and Prust seem to be on. With the boogieman's contract ending in Minnesota, I would look for him or try to deal for John Scott (not a premiere d-man but chucks bombs like a beast)

Voros & Lisin- I think the fact that they were put on waivers (Voros for 2 seasons in a row) and passed through says about all that needs to be said.

That being said I don't think we should start cleaning out our lockers for the season yet, but I would look forward to getting some of the above mentioned guys some playing time.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Who Won During Oscar Night?

NYR 1,  Sabres 2  OT

Things are hurting at The Garden. 

The playoffs are looking further away from reality, with ridiculous inflated ticket prices in bad times, our star player has a cliched' groin injury, the Olli Jokinen experiment is a bust, the Fire Sather rally had only 100 or so passionate fans bitching about bad trades and an unsavory future, Sean Avery is invisible and doesn't win us games when he's on the ice anymore, Chris Drury left it all on the table in Vancouver and we lost another winnable game making it three losses in a row. 

In dropping to the Buffalo Sabres last night, they looked like the Rangers of two seasons ago - a team that doesn't consistently score and perform under pressure, a team that is so scared to take risks that they spend the majority of the time defending their own zone, at times unable to even clear the puck.  In other words, nail-biter hockey.

Official recap here.

Marian Gaborik was back on the ice last night against the Buffalo Sabres, having slashed his thigh before the Olympic break and during the Games supposedly played despite the injury and further damaging his stereotypical groin (the much known, much-joked-about groin injury while playing for the Minnesota Wild season-after-season).  For whatever reason, Gaborik - much like Jagr in the later years - seemed to have some strange non-scoring effect on his teammates.  While hurt, The Blueshirts managed 16 goals over the two-games prior to the Olympic break and two-games after without Gaborik on the ice.  A strange phenomenon.  Coach Torts attempted to shake-up-the-lines (familiar Renney tactic) to realign the chemistry to no-avail.  Gaborik is obviously in no condition to play as of yet, so it shouldn't take a Don Cherry to tell you to rest and bench the guy.  'Hurt History' is a telling thing.

The scoreless first and second periods were business as usual for Blueshirts fans -- many opportunities on both ends, good hockey followed by horrible hockey (especially the droopy dog second period), until Sabres' Adam Mair gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead with 5:57 left in regulation.  The teams played fairly even, Buffalo trailed 22-21 in shots during the scoreless 40 minutes and had the only two power plays.

Dubinsky rescued the Rangers from a second shutout in two days when he crashed the net and scored his 16th goal to make it 1-1 with 1:23 remaining. New York had gone 149 minutes 30 seconds without a goal, dating to the second period of a 5-4 home loss in overtime to Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

'Team In a Box' Henrik Lundqvist was out-dueled by rental-USA Team and full time Buffalo goalkeeper Ryan Miller, Henrik 30 saves to Miller's 35 saves. 

The Rangers (29-28-9) are sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference - 2 critical points away from playoff eligibility, with about 4-5 teams all fighting for the 6th, 7th & 8th slots.  The odds are stacked against us as Philadelphia, Montreal and Boston seem to be getting stronger in the league, while we continue to 'change up the lines' and further seek for passion & chemistry.   John Tortorella is beginning to show the hopelessness in his post-game comments, frustration overcoming strategy, but an honesty of how his veteran players are not coming through for the organization.  Sorry Torts, the supernatural Garden curse will always win.

So with a little hope, the Rangers will entertain THE ROCK in Newark on Wednesday and light up the place as we have historically done against the NJ Devils.  DARK will be there hovering over M-ARRRRR-TTTYYYY with two-dozen ribs dangling over the net --- if Avery is no longer willing to go there, I'll do my part.

tdr

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Capital Depth Outshines Rangers | WAS 2 NYR 0

For their final regular season visit to the Verizon Center, the Rangers welcomed back Marian Gaborik to the line-up. His signature game as a Ranger came early in the season -- the 4th game, when the Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals, 4-3, in scintillating style led by his 2 goals in the 3rd period.

Fast forward about 55 games and it turns out that the game may have been the highwater mark of the season. That loss was only one of 3 home losses the Caps have suffered all season. As shown in Saturday night's game, right now Gaborik is a shadow of himself thanks to his knee injury and the impact of the Olympics. His presence on the ice served to disrupt the team's recent momentum as he had little to offer the team against Washington.

During his 4 game absence, the Rangers had gone 2-0-1 and their scoring proficiency had picked up as the Rangers had scored 12 goals in the past 3 games. So, would it come as a surprise that the Rangers would be shut out? No, not in the least. The Caps prevailed by 2-0 in a game that saw none of the physicality of the Rangers' war with Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The game recap is here. It was the first game of the season series in which the home team prevailed. The Rangers lost the season series, 3 games to 1.

The Caps were going to be a formidable foe -- 24-3-3 at home (undefeated at home since December 28), backstopped by Jose Theodore on a 12-0-2 streak and scoring 3 or more goals in 23 consecutive games. The Caps are a favorite to win the Stanley Cup and it is easy to see why with their scoring, their depth and the recent trade deadline pickups to solidify their defense and penalty killing. The Rangers were able to snap one of those streaks as the Capitals only scored 2 goals. The Rangers successfully held Alex Ovechkin off the scoring chart as he has gone 6 games without a goal, but unlike the Rangers, the Capital line-up is deep as they have 9 players with 15 or more goals (and 5 of them have more than 20). The Rangers have one goal scorer with more than 20.

On a night when their top offensive talent was scoreless,
the Caps defense and goalies Jose Theodore did
enough to make 2 goals stand up.

Coming off their OT loss to the free-wheeling Penguins on the Thursday night, it was going to be interesting to see how the Rangers would react to that distressing defeat in facing the NHL's highest scoring team both in goals and overall points. The Rangers tightened up their defense. They forechecked well and back checked enough to disrupt several Capital rushes. The Rangers played well when the game was 5-on-5. They got their forecheck working throughout the game forcing the Caps to cough up the puck in their own end several times. Ryan Callahan had the most energy of any Ranger, as usual, and was supported at times by the efforts of Chris Drury, Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky. The 4th line -- Brandon Prust, Jody Shelley and Brian Boyle saw a significant amount of ice time as it effectively bottled up the Caps.

Alex Auld made his debut for the Rangers to give Henrik Lundqvist a night off after he faced 55 shots on Thursday night. Auld was terrific as he played angles, blocked a series of shots from Ovechkin and Mike Green that went in the last time the teams met in the 6-5 donnybrook at MSG. He stopped Eric Fehr on a breakway early in the first period to prove that he was going to be sharp.

The first goal he yielded was in the first period during a Capitals 2 man advantage. Like in the OT against Pittsburgh, the Rangers were gamely fighting off the penalty and were near completion. But as with Thursday night, with 3 seconds to go, Eric Fehr converted a pass from Tomas Fleischman that was intended for Brooks Laich (who Auld was keyed on) but the puck jumped over his stick to Fehr who found the top right corner open. In the second period, during a defensive breakdown, Dubinsky allowed Eric Belanger (a trade deadline pickup) to get behind him to convert a Laich pass past Auld with 6 1/2 minutes gone.

Auld proved that he still has talent to be a quality backup and kept the Rangers in the game. Unfortunately, Theodore was solid, not spectacular, and a little bit lucky. Sometimes that is all it takes to win.

The Rangers generated several chances during the game but they were not frequent enough (or successful) to rattle Theodore. In the 2nd period, with the team trailing 1-0, Dubinsky received a misguided clearing pass from Shaone Morrison and walked in on Theodore only to be denied. During a couple of scrums in front of the net in the second and third periods, Theodore was able to keep the puck out of the net, and Mike Green supported his goalie on one occasion by clearing one puck that was sitting in the crease. In the 3rd period, Callahan almost converted a spin around shot form in close but Theodore was able to stay close to the post and swallow it up. Finally, in the waning minutes of the 3rd period, Dubinsky received a pass in the Caps zone as he came out of the penalty box and he and Gaborik had the chance to break in on a 2-on-0 but Dubinsky lost the puck.

The Rangers' tour of the top teams in the Eastern Conference continues tonight with a home game against the Sabres. They continue to reside outside the playoff dividing line and their competition teams have a game or two on hand. Other than winning games and lots of them, there is no assurance of a playoff spot.

The Rangers have shown more passion, scoring, hitting and chippiness than recently. But it is obvious that that it is coming too late in the season to make a material difference. As I have said before, the gap between the talent of the Rangers and teams like Washington and Pittsburgh has become apparent during the past 2 games. Even with the Caps' offensive stars having an off night just like the Pens' Marc Andre Fleury's off night on Thursday, the Rangers could not beat them. And the overall depth of talent on these teams is what separates the wheat from the chaff in the NHL.

---The Graying Mantis

Friday, March 5, 2010

Blueshirts Battle For Another Point

NYR 4, Pittsburgh 5  OT

Let me simply say, 'All Hail, King Lundqvist!!!'

With less than 20 games left in regulation, a playoff-like atmosphere already churning, and having won three-games in a row, the New York Rangers crawled their way into an overtime match with the Pittsburgh Penguins last evening, the opposition led by Mr. Diver himself - "The Man That Saved Canada in The Olympics", Sidney Crosby.  Lundqvist can only do so much...

Official recap here.

Though we lost in OT, a valuable point was gained in the standings (29-27-8: 9th in the Eastern Conference) as the Blueshirts managed to show they cared and battled through a disproportionate number of shots against our own goal vs the shots we took against Pittsburgh.  In fact, Marc-Andre Fleury only stopped 8 of 12 shots, whereas on the flip side, our goal-blocking demi-God Henrik Lundqvist had a career-best 50 saves (though letting in 5 goals).  Even more alarming to anyone reading this, Pittsburgh held the Rangers to 16 shots overall and only one after the second period.

The only forward puck moving Ranger on the ice during the 2nd and 3rd periods was our goalkeeper, The King Lundqvist-Team-In-A-Box.  This must change in order for any potential playoff spot.  Coach John Tortorella obviously will be making the necessary changes to address this, as the trade deadline is.......was.....oh right, we didn't make any changes.  Rather,  try 30 Hail Marys and four daily martinis to make things feel better.  Either will work in the short term.

Chris Drury, Artem Anisimov, defenceman Michel Rozsival and Dubinsky scored for New York. Rozsival's first goal in 38 games gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead they couldn't hold.  On his hands & knees, Captain Drury scored the marvelous third, contorting his body while on the ground and scooped a back-handed goal past Fleury -- THAT was the clutchman we bought and got last night.  Go here for the replay.

 
The Clutch-man Cometh

And now Brandon Dubinsky & Henrik Lundqivst are another step closer to the fans' hearts -- they are Sid-haters.  After Marc Staal was whistled for interference on Crosby in the first period, Lundqvist jawed at the Penguins captain behind the net and then received a cross-check to the chest from Crosby. Dubinsky rushed in to deal with Crosby to create a big scrum. One thing is for certain, it's awesome seeing the boys finally stick up for each other as a team.   I wonder if Dubie again called Sidney 'a baby', words used to describe The Kid when the Rangers beat the Penguins pre-Olympic break.   Henrik and 'The Diver' also exchanged jabs after Lundqvist made a save in the third. Crosby gave Lundqvist a slight slash, and Lundqvist returned the shot with his stick.



If we're going to lose a game to Canada's hero, take the Sean Avery approach to dealing with your nemesis on the ice -- make fun of them and call him things like 'The Diver', 'A Baby' - stupid little words that wouldn't normally describe someone like Sidney Crosby, who is undoubtedly one of the best hockey players in the game. 

I am not a fan of Sidney Crosby.  I never have been.  Never will.  So that makes two more Rangers as Captain Penguin haters.  Next...

So overall, aside from the lack of shooting on the Blueshirts side -- they are determined looking and you could see the true disappointment of not winning the game after the battle and onslaught of the third period and subsequent OT.  They are certainly turning it up as we approach the playoffs, but as a fan I still have that 'hold-on-just-another-minute feeling, before...' the inevitable catch-up or 2-goal vanishing lead' takes over, something we have grown accustomed to as a Rangers fan.

This is our story.  Like it or not.  We show up.  We cheer or we hate or we cry.  We remain DARK-Rangers!

tdr

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

So Begins the Annual Scratch and Claw for the Playoffs.


It’s a shame that we generally wait for this point in the season to buckle down and really focus. A few hours to the trade deadline and we’ll frantically gather our spilled box of spare parts and greenhorns, try to assemble them around an injured scorer, a rumored injured goalie, 1 or 2 young charges, the bark from an agitator under duress and start hauling @$$ for the number 8 spot. Looking at the last few seasons, this could be said of almost anyone of them. We succeeded those years (if you ignore the first and second round exits) and it all started with a win. .. Much like last night’s...

Read the official recap here.

For two weeks, players from around the world converged on Vancouver to represent their countries in the Olympics. There was something magical and mystical about those two weeks for the players that participated. The players that left home apparently weren’t left out… as those two weeks seemed to be enough for the Rangers to forget they aren’t destined for the bottom as they thought. .. Unfortunately, for the fans in Ottawa, it was enough for their Senators team to cool off and lose that white hot streak of 11 straight wins. A scoring spurt of 3 goals in 2 minutes was enough to pull the rug out from under a team that had been reduced to a one line + Alex Kovalev. As the Rangers chased Elliot, they barely got a nibble at the fresh meat…err Pascal Leclaire.

As a Rangers fan, I’ll admit that until the final buzzer, it was hard to shake the feeling that this could turn around in a matter of minutes and become another embarrassing comeback loss we would suffer at the hands of a Canadian team. However "The King" held strong and Ryan Callahan had some carry-over momentum from Vancouver and couldn’t let this one slip away. I wish I could say the same for our captain (Chris Drury), who on a shorthanded breakaway, inexplicably wheeled back into anticlimactic mediocrity and lost possession of the puck rather than going for the shorty or at least trying to draw the penalty on a stand out moment. Anyway, before this becomes a “same ole Drury” post, lets keep this about the win and what the days beyond last night hold for the hopes of Ranger fans.

The trade deadline is almost 2 hours away and we appear to be trying to clear some cap space. Its doubtful that Lisin and Voros will really be sought after as teams look to shore up for their post season runs. Voros was placed on waivers last year and made it through without a hitch. Shelley and Prust signed to extensions of old contract terms really preclude Voros' exit. As for Lisin, I would be of the opinioned that he hasn’t really played to his strengths. That kind of goes without saying on this team, but I could imagine him flourishing someplace where he’s not expected to be a pillar of offense. If we did manage to clear space, who could we be chasing? The Souray rumors continue to swirl… as does the Jagr back to the NHL speculation. The general opinion is that Kovalchuk is not staying in Jersey…so is it possible he could be in Rangers Blue next season? Could he survive more than a minute in the same locker room with Avery? All of these thoughts are hardly new and while we all wait for the next “probably stupid move to be covered by 3 smaller stupid moves sometime later next season, we assemble our banners and wait for the rally … with our knuckles tight over what happens the next two hours. For the rest of the season, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Lets Go Rangers!

-J_Undisputed

Update:
1:15pm - According to TSN, the New York Rangers added depth at center by acquiring minor-leaguer Kris Newbury from the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for AHL left wing Jordan Owens.

TDR sidenote:  I am actually impressed that the RANGERS Slats & Co. didn't trade away our future for another undelivering hack that wants a bigger contract this summer.  Perhaps other GM's were fully prepared for the Jedi tricks (i.e. Scott Gomez to Montreal) of 'ole Slats, but maybe --- just maybe --- Blue Management was thinking of future generations of Rangers Blue.  

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Portraits in Heroism

As we're back in action, folks, and picking up tonight against the 'were-red-hot-before-the-Olympic-break' Ottawa Senators and as the trade deadline of 3pm tomorrow will further define how Sather & Co. thinks he will get the New York Rangers into the playoffs -- I share with you a celebration of our Commissioner, Gary Bettman.

He is a rock star.

Though strangely unwilling to make an immediate deal for the Olympics four-years from now, please celebrate his heroism as a leader of our dear NHL.

If you've seen the following gallery, then go again..   If not, well.....just enjoy.  Thank Greg Wyshynski of PuckDaddy for posting the gallery -- a display of great work from one of the best hockey bloggers on the planet.

Go here for the Gary Bettman gallery and a good laugh before the Rangers hit the ice tonight.   Here we go...

tdr

Lisin & Voros on Waivers

Larry Brooks of The NY Post tweeted (sounds like he tooted) this morning, that the NY Rangers have Lisin and Aaron Voros on waivers.  See Blueshirt Banter for a terrific analysis....

Trade deadline is 3pm tomorrow afternoon.  Stay tuned for trading mediocrity.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Congrats!

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