BOO-YAH! !!!!!!!!!!

Five points, 4 goals and 1 assist.

NYR 7, Philly 0

So you missed yesterday's game Rangers fans?  

The Blueshirts only scored 7 goals against the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers, Henrik Lundqvist earned his 9th League-leading shutout in the NHL, soon-to-be-Captain Ryan Callahan scored four goals and one assist - his first hat trick in the NHL, Mats Zuccarella scored his career-leading 2 goals, Marian Gaborik was back in the lineup and looked solid, Sean Avery actually had ice time and Brandon Dubinsky, challenged to throw-em-down by Mike Richards, taught the Flyers Captain a lesson in pain.

So you really didn't miss much.  Official recap here.

Where Have I been all season?

So with fourteen games left in regulation this season, and on par with the win over Ottawa Friday night, every game is a 'must-win' for our young Rangers.  New York, seventh in the East, leads eighth-place Carolina by three points and ninth-place Buffalo by four.

There is a lot of chatter online about how the Rangers are likely to miss the playoffs this season, given the limited trades at the deadline (acquired McCabe from Florida) and sticking with a team comprised of top-talent 2nd and 3rd liners.  This may be the case as we continue to believe in and build a youth movement in the Rangers system and current roster.  In future seasons we should see a much improved and more consistent team as they gain valuable ice experience, but they are not 'dead in the water' this season and are still believing in the philosophy that they are a playoff contender.  After yesterday's blowout, it is a huge confidence boost and if, God forbid, they do qualify for the 7th or 8th spot in the Eastern Conference, it is likely to be against the Flyers, Penguins, or Lightning.  Knowing that the team has it in them to shutout and destroy the Capitals or Flyers at any point in the season gives slight comfort to getting further than the first round. Only the Lightning scares me.

Back to the game yesterday, Callahan got the Rangers going 51 seconds in with a redirection of a pass from Brandon Dubinsky and made it 2-0 with 7:02 left in the first with a power-play goal. Zuccarello pushed the lead to 3-0 at 5:06 of the second, then Callahan chased the shaky Boucher. He struck again 4:20 into the third against Bobrovsky, turning his left skate to steer the puck into the net. Anisimov made it 6-0 with 5:19 left off an assist from Callahan, and Zuccarello scored his second with 1:13 remaining.

"Oh Danny Boy...the summers' gone and all the Flyers are dying"

With Jeff Carter out with the flu, our defensive core made Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Versteeg, etc. invisible.  It was shutdown defense, and although we did our job and played the system -- it actually felt that Philly didn't give a sh#t; they looked uninterested in the game after the 2nd or 3rd goals.  And unlike our own team, the Rangers took advantage of that demeanor and continued to play hard, never changing the forward-moving system of scoring goals first.  Defensive positioning we were not, and Torts pushed and pushed and the team followed - a good coaching effort.

For Rangers fans, it was New Year's Eve - the 'Goal Song' blared throughout The Garden, high fives aplenty and angry little ugly bitter Orange jerseys silent throughout the game, an occasional "Let's Go Flyers" chant subsequently overshadowed by the "Let's Go Rangers" chant --- even the fans of Flies couldn't overcome this historical bloodbath, now known as "WHEN THE GARDEN BLED ORANGE".

Deke and Doh!  Anisomov scores.

 As to the physical nature of the game, the Award For "Lamest Attempt To Fight" goes to Philly's Kris Versteeg who took a run at a non-fighter coming off of a concussion - Marian Gaborik; our boys answered and didn't necessarily receive the benefit of the referees penalties.  One particular Brian Boyle 10-minute penalty had Coach Torts up in arms, receiving an official warning from the refs - so it is certain the COMCAST-OWNS-NBC, who had the official broadcasting rights for yesterday's game from top down had the refs ready to keep the Flyers in the game (great conspiracy, eh?) but to no avail.

Even when a second period Sean Avery goal was overturned by the officials (surprised? = Comcast) with Philly down 3-0, a turning point, Flyers Captain Mike Richards called out Dubinsky for a brawl meant to remind his own team that this was the moment we've been given and the game was not over; the young Brandon Dubinsky, our gawkiest fighter, held Richards to a standard unseen - three fists to Richards face later, Dubie took him down and The Garden celebrated one of their own - a young warrior crowned in Blue.  The Flyers Captain from that point forward was The Walking Dead.  

Henrik Lundqvist was again stunning in goal with his ninth shutout of the season, with a couple of spectacular saves.   Flyers' goalies Boucher and Bobrovsky have now given up 18 goals on the last 132 shots they've faced for a ghastly .864 save percentage and 4.52 GAA combined, their greatest vulnerability.  The Blueshirts exposed what the Flyers' critics have been saying all season long -- goaltender problems.  Hah ahah a ha aha hah ah.

So two road games this week against the Anaheim Ducks, followed by the San Jose Sharks -- two tough contenders will be difficult.  But we can all agree on one thing.

They are must-wins.

TDR

Oy-Vie! NYR 7 / Capitals 0

 

Not even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's anti-Sidney poster boy Alex Ovechkin could escape the legitimate Blueshirt punch-in-the-face that he received last night as the New York Rangers destroyed the Washington Capitals scoring seven times and leaving the Capitals' Ovie-Backstrom-Semin line lifeless.

No love for you Ovie!  This is Blueshirt Country.  Get used to it.

This home-game MSG extravaganza was everything that the team needed and everything that the fans needed...and deserved.  After a hard-working loss on the road the night before, this 'Black & Blue' Rangers squad once again rebounded by opening the first period with fists flying and an aggressive forecheck, reminding the ailing Caps that we are a very different team than season's past (the last time the Capitals lost to the Rangers by at least seven goals was an 11-4 setback in March 1978).   Brandon Prust scored the first goal, using Cap's goalie Semyon Varlamov's pads for the assist.  The game could have gone anywhere from this point, but the Blueshirts maintained the pace and held most of Washington against the boards and in the neutral zone.

The second period opened poorly for the Caps, as a 'lazy line change' led to Blueshirt Artem Anisimov stealing a pass in the neutral zone and scoring the second goal.  Then the "Smorgasbord of Goals' began as a total of three goals were scored within 3 1/2 minutes as Marian Gaborik and Dubinsky also scored to put the Rangers ahead 4-0. Marc Staal added a short-handed goal off a 2-on-1 with Brian Boyle at 10:42 - and might I add, a thing of beauty.  It's exciting to think of what-is-to-become of our Marc Staal as he's showing great promise under Torts and his two-way system. 

"I'm NOT supposed to lose like this, Dubie!!?"  - Ovie

Attempting to do something on the ice, the limp Ovechkin threw a hip check on Dan Girardi in the offensive zone, then skated up ice and dropped his gloves to go at Dubinsky, who landed multiple overhand rights before wrestling Ovechkin to the ice.  I was proud of Dubie and how unafraid he was to take on the wild Russian; it also reminded me how much he's improved over those rookie days of fighting during the Jagr years - they were never pretty bouts, but he kept trying and trying.  Last night, he arrived with the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.


 

With Washington's Captain Hockey trying to light up his own dying team, Ryan Callahan scored twice in the third period as the Rangers handed Washington its sixth consecutive defeat.  Rah-rah.

Callahan after scoring his 2nd goal in the third period. 

 Generally we don't post video on this site, but watching all of these hits and goals is exciting, so I encourage you to watch below and enjoy it in it's full glory below:



Both Marc Staal and Dan Girardi were spectacular in embarrassing the Caps from start to finish, as they held  what could be considered the NHL's deadliest and highest scoring line (Ovie-Backstrm-Semin) to chewing on their own fingernails for 60 minutes.  NYR Goalkeeper extraordinaire Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves for his fifth shutout this season. 

Prust scores

Our boys are now 18-13-1, well beyond the .500 team we were all hoping for this first half of the season.  Most importantly after a game like last night, a win of this caliber is something to build on --- CONFIDENCE will win games, and we'll need every drop of confidence heading into another Pittsburgh/Rangers match on Wednesday (away).  Pittsburgh, currently on a hot streak, will have to lose at some point and our boys need to look forward to showing Sidney "The Diver" Crosby the same respect they showed Ovechkin last night --- and maintain.

I see movement in the right direction for our Rangers -- a young and wanting that we've not seen in year's past.  Even with Captain Chris Drury ready to hit the ice after a prolonged injury, I see no reason to disrupt our first line with Anisimov currently centering.   Soon afterwards, Vinny Prospal will be back on the ice --- and we all hope, I am certain, that their inclusion on the bench doesn't disrupt some of this overwhelming chemistry that is winning games.

Time will tell, but it's all up to Torts at this point.  Don't let us down, Coach!

tdr

Varlamov allowed 7 goals on 20 shots warming the hearts throughout The Garden.  Thanks for the shitty performance, bro.

Rangers escape with win despite attempted robbery at Igloo!

Well Rangers Fans, it was a close one! Soon after sewing up our win against the the greatest odds, did our netminder call the officials on their one sided performance by requesting to see the record for the last 5 seasons of penalty tallies in Pittsburgh.

You can get the official Report on the attempted Robbery here.

For us at the Dark Ranger, We know what happened and don't need it dressed up by the league or the officials. After a hard fought first period, where we tried to match the intensity of the Pittsburgh team, it became apparent that we just weren't controlling the puck enough and our offense while well intended was fairly one dimensional...The Gaborik line alone was a little puzzling as his linemates seemed content to kick back and let Gabby enter the zone solo and try to split 4 defenders on his way to the net. Quick Note: Kudos to Cally for dropping the gloves and shutting Comrie the hell up and later force feeding Skidmark Sid some glove during a scrum.



The second brought more of an effort and intensity, as did the third. Interesting enough that we never got a call in the entire game, but once again diving seems to be popular in Pittsburgh. You have to love how a kid like Malkin is revered as big, strong and fast and so steady on his skates but somehow gets overpowered and thrown to the ice by little Ryan Callahan. Once again, demonstrating the Pittsburgh motto of:"if you cant beat em, cheat em..." The officials of course, fall in line with this mentality making up calls along the way, justifying them with stupid smiles.


For as much tampering as there was, it added a bit of excitement to the game and even managed to royally piss off Lundqvist who played a spectacular game and tried to remain calm despite being tripped and later threatened by a tantrum throwing Crosby. It would eventually boil over as one mystery penalty too many pushed Henrik over the edge and resulted in him breaking his stick over the crossbar following the second Pens goal. Then Henrik attempted to get some boomerang action going with the broken handle, in the direction of the officials.

If not for the effort of the first line and a Marc Staal joining the play, all would have been lost. Instead, tied and going into overtime, our boys in blue decided to flip off the posterboys from Pittsburgh, the corrupt officials and the rest of the Gary Bettman circus. As much as I ride Dubinsky for that contract play at the beginning of last season, he did make a great Datsyuk-ian move to avoid the sprawling defensemen and feed Cally that winning goal.

Till next time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

Blueshirts avoid Scalping at the Hands of Hawks

What do you do when facing the top line of poster boys from the defending, Stanley Cup Champs. You bring the fight to them....try to muscle them at every turn and then you try to keep up as they start to run...Scratching and clawing for every goal along the way.

Read the official Recap here.

What is there that can really be said about the close game between a a fairly young team thats trying to stay on top and a bunch of young hard chargers that are looking to change places with them. Somebody's got to lose. It appears our team may have gotten the message, that it doesn't have to be us. Perhaps squaring off against the defending champs provided that extra bit of incentive for Rangers, young and old to give it that little extra.

The team itself... for its fight, determination, defiance, manic energy is defined by the trio of Anisimov, Dubinsky and Callahan. For these young players and teammates like Prust and Boyle... the clock never stops, the ice is always fresh and the puck is always within reach. The perspective seems to be a bit different from a year ago when they were the new faces, 4th and third line guys that were just trying to do their part and not make mistakes. Theres a new energy and a new confidence. It can be seen in the forwards like Fedotenko, Stepan, and Avery and in the far reaches of defense of Staal, Del Zotto and even the Mystery D-man rotated in for the night.

Whenever the team plays like this, a win is always within reach, mostly because it seems to hone Lundqvist into a razor sharp goaltender by giving him something to defend. Whether it's a one goal lead or only a one goal deficit. The team can learn to put its confidence in one another to have their part... and let their teammates handle the rest. Perhaps this is exactly what doctored ordered for Gabby, Hank and the other pillars of the team. To have the weight taken off their shoulders and placed in the hands of everyone who sees ice time. Even guys like Boogaard, Eminger and Roszival and benefit from this as long as the rest of the team stays out of the box and words hard to kill off any penalties that may be racked up.

Whatever it is.. Its catchy and lets hope that this fire burns hotter with the return of Marion Gaborik and Chris Drury and doesn't find itself snuffed out. Keep the train rolling, boys....Lets go Rangers!

Till next time Ranger fans,
- J_Undisputed

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

The Kid Couldn't Take The King

NYR 3, Penguins 2 OT

Heard the news?  The New York Rangers 'had game' last night at The Igloo in Pittsburgh. 

With a smorgasbord of 'everything Canada' happening during the Vancouver opening Olympic ceremonies and Canada's very own Sidney Crosby scoring two goals, perhaps the Rangers win was a foreshadowing of Sweden's future gold medal over Canada in the Winter Games!!?  NYR Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist - who serves as Sweden's amour-propre -  was extraordinary.  Two Olympic heroes battling for pride & country;  a diving finesse player versus Ultra Man in goal.   Blue country won last night.

Official recap here.

It was the end of an era at The Igloo for the Rangers, as it was their last regulation game at the arena.  No doubt about one thing - The Igloo was a place of many Ranger losses over many seasons - a dreadful place for Blueshirt fans and players alike.  The only now lasting impression is of Henrik holding his ground and fending off acrobatic odd man Penguin rushes to his net, with little help on his own blueline -- a feat of demi-God proportions, now etched in the memory for all.  In my imagination, I saw Mike Richter tipping his glass after Henrik's inspirational performance.  I also saw Fatty Brodeur eating another piece of dripping gristle, but back to the game... 

The Blueshirts' goals were sweet, the first at the beginning of the second period - a Chris Drury backhanded feed to a cycling Brandon Dubinsky.  Goal one.  The second a beautiful Anisomov feed to hardest-working-Ranger Vinny Prospal.  The much deserved game-winning-goal in overtime, a gift from newbie Ranger Olli 'Twist' Jokinen -- who played well throughout and earned the privilege of disappointing the Penguin faithful.  So there.. Igloo poo...we won our final Igloo game f*ckers!

There were plenty of Ranger-post-shots (tilts) in the second period, so the score could have been dramatically different if some of them went in, but it is reassuring that our forwards are, at the very least, now aiming for the net.   Boy, the Penguins are damn good, but we beat 'em.

I cannot say the Rangers were the better team last night, but there were moments when they controlled the tempo, got in on the forecheck, battled hard and, unquestionably, had the better goalie.  Recently thigh-injured Marian Gaborik opened the game but after four minutes left the game unable to continue.  Shortly after "big mouth sit-on-that-side-of-the-bench Torts whipping boy" Michael Del Zotto sustained an injury to his abdomen -- also a significant laceration, as later reported.   So even without our only consistent goal-scoring now injured Wild-wonder and our playing-better-hockey-19-year-old removed from the game, we rose to the occasion and stepped up our play for the win.

Did Chris Drury actually drop his gloves and fight Cooke last night?  I must have been dreaming.   Did Gilroy and Anisomov throw themselves to defend cheap shots on our goalie?  This isn't my team!!?  Did they commit less than 2 penalties?   The Rangers?   Momma Torts must have had a talkin' with our boys because this was a very different level of game.  It had discipline.  They left some beating heart on the ice and walked away with a girlfriend - a win.

I only wish that Brandon Dubinsky charged Sidney Crosby right after the second period.  With Brandon being held back by an official on ice, Crosby leaned over and tapped Dubie's stick as a challenge (mind you, while being held back by Bettman's black-&-white stripemen).  I do love that Dubie was quoted as saying "Not sure what was wrong with Sidney, but he is such a baby sometimes out there..."  We love you Dubinsky....speaking our language. " 5-hole posts the videos here.

"Hey Sid, don't hurt those knuckles today as it might effect your signature in Vancouver..." - tdr

The Blueshirts currently reside in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, only one win away from the final eighth slot.  With over 20 games left, there are eight teams that will be battling for the final three slots of playoff qualification -- we need to be greater than a .500 team, winning at least 12 to 15 of the next 20+ games.  Possible?  Probably not.  But there is hope & desire.  If they can play every other game like they played against Pittsburgh, we can look forward to that eighth slot.   And do we even want that last slot? 

Still in shock here.   A win.   A win?   Uh huh.  A  WIN!  Say it over & over & over and it might just come true.

tdr

Blueshirts Actually Make Larry Brooks Say Nice Things

Sat.  NYR 1, St. Louis Blues 4

Sun  NYR 6, Montreal 2

Take a breather folks and fellow Blueshirt Groupies, if your weekend was at Bernies like mine then you've arrived back to a hairball of emotions.  Having traveled the last six days (and missing posts -- sorry fans, it won't happen again - I promise) I woke up this morning to Larry Brooks of The Post saying great things about The Rangers after their blitzkrieg of goals against the Montreal Canadiens last night.  When have you heard the 'Torts-busting-his-chops-unhappy-since-1994' Rangers columnist says nice things like the following?:

"First the Rangers rocked.  Yes, the Rangers. And then the Rangers rolled to six consecutive goals over the final 40 minutes to bury the Canadiens at the Garden 6-2 in a rollicking game of old-time hockey. Yes, the Rangers." -Larry Brooks, NY Post

So there you have it from our creepy hockey uncle of The Post.  Take a breath.  Relax.  Enjoy.  Keep him away from your kids. 

Saturday official recap here (no need because the game sucked)
Sunday official recap here.  (no need...just believe!)

Having only seen the Rangers in 60 late last night post-game, I cannot speak to much of the above with authority, but friends at The Garden last night proclaimed it even more exciting than the shootout loss to New Jersey last week -- two equally exciting games, but this time with goals!!!!   Sam Rosen of the MSG network declared post-game the 'end of the Rangers drought', which frankly is jumping a little ahead of himself.  Yes...we are hopeful fans and it is optimistic to think our Boys in Blue have gained back a smidgen of confidence in their skate -- LOOK MA, THEY CAN SCORE!, but another 3-4 games of scoring more than 2 or 3 goals would be worthy of such proclamation. 

So for fun here's a friend's take on last night at The Garden (not a literal translation, but I tried best to articulate):

"First period, F*ck this shit, Michael Cammaleri and Brian Gionta score first period goals - that was a high-stick goal...friggin refs...calling it their way, Henrik is off his rocker again.  What is it with this team already?  Next thing you know Mara and Gomez are going to score against The King, I mean...the Prince....  (Second period & third period) Wow Callahan just scored from a delicious Gaborik feed....maybe there's hope, but another one of these merry-go-round games when.....Mama help me, Dubinsky just scored throwing himself to the net...and another....WHAT?  Lisin defending himself AND WADE REDDEN DROPPING THE GLOVES??????  AM I DREAMING?  WHAT IS HAPPENING?  CAN YOU FRIGGIN BELIEVE THIS?  GRIND MY GEARS, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!  ANOTHER SWEETIE BY CALLAHAN... ANOTHER BY GABORIK..... PULL MY FINGER, CAUSE I GOTTA SHIT SO BAD I CAN TASTE IT!  LET'S GO RANGERS!!!  (air drum, air drum, air drum)....LET'S GO RANGERS?   WHAT?  CHRIS DRURY SCORED 2 ON 1?  THE CLUTCH MAN ROCKS.....send this guy to the Olympics!"

Where is this fist going?  It wasn't pretty, but Redden dropped 'em (I mean the gloves)

You have to appreciate die-hard Rangers fans.   I know, just like the guy who sits next to your seats.

Here's an alarming fact from last night. The Rangers snapped a goal-scoring drought at home of 147:02. The six goals were one more than they had in the previous five games combined, five more than they scored over their 0-2-1 run in the previous three games and the most since they had seven against Columbus at home Nov. 23. So there is much to be done and much more to prove to themselves before we can rejoice our new scoring Blueshirts of 2010. Against an Original Six rival like the Montreal Canadiens, a blowout of this magnitude was atypical of how we've historically played this team -- a role reversal, so we will watch with enthusiasm as we play the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night (Tuesday). As both teams have shown 'the skids' over the last months, the Rangers sit with a 23-19-7 record sitting unstable in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. We are dreadfully two losses away from 11th place in the standings so a win tomorrow night would be nice to further the distance from the non-playoffs.

Sean Avery rocks.  Brushed off two penalties in the first period, shouted back at Torts and ignored him and lit it up to defend everyone on the team.  He defies his reputation and plays great old time hockey.  Dubinsky and Callahan are two of the hardest working guys on the team --- we are finally seeing the potential....may it continue God willing.

So that's the crude recap from a killer game folks.  Check in post-Tuesday as J_Undisputed will hopefully say 'Larry Brooks'-like things about our beloved Blue-Men post-game.

tdr

Hurricanes No Match For the Weathering Rangers

NYR 3, Carolina 1

Three strikes and you're out!!!.....or is that in?   With three wins in a row Blueshirts fans are left scratching their heads wondering whether or not we can now once again celebrate our team.  Soon-to-be-traded-or-benched Wade Redden (a.k.a. Wadek Relik) returned to the ice last night after too many strikes (which led to his benching) and performed well for this particular game - so this doesn't provide a lot of comfort with him back in the lineup.  Snippy sniper Ales Kotalik was back on the ice after a similar benching and now audience favorite Matt Gilroy - who was sent down to the minors for some conditioning weeks ago - is now back as well.

So the team is now back to what it was.  Is it possible that Tortorella's temper is making an impact on our once limp Broadway hockey team?  Or is it just that we are playing ailing teams that we should be beating in the first place?  You be the judge.  (duh...the latter).

Here are the stats from last night's win:

December 21, 2009 – New York Rangers 3, Carolina Hurricanes 1 (Game #36, Road #19)
• The Blueshirts defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, tonight at the RBC Center to improve to 17-16-3 (37 pts.) overall and 10-7-2 (22 pts.) on the road.
• Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves, including 13 in the third period, to close out the victory; Lundqvist has held opponents to two or fewer goals in eight of his last nine games.
• Marian Gaborik notched a goal and two assists; Gaborik has now had 15 multiple points games and has scored six goals and seven assists in his last 10 games.
• Brandon Dubisnky scored the game-winning goal and notched an assist;  Dubinsky tied for the lead among all skaters with a plus-3 rating.
• Marc Staal tallied a goal and logged a team-high 24:47 of icetime; Staal tied for the lead among all skaters with a plus-3 rating.
• Michal Rozsival recorded an assist and had a plus-two rating for the game; Rozsival logged 24:31 of ice time and led all skaters with 4 blocked shots.

For one game only, all hail Michal Rozsival who played the best game of the season -- there were moments of the Jaromir Jagr power play, when Rozzy had confidence and marksmanship.  Aside from the brilliance of  healthy Marian Gaborik and The Great Wall of Henrik, Rozsival was a difference maker on the ice last night, along with Marc Staal who is absolutely improving under the Torts-hand-devil-pitchfork -- he remains our best and most affordable player on the ice (with the exception of Michael Del Zotto or the 'now back from a brief stint in the H. Pack' Matt Gilroy).  

Wasn't that Brandon Dubinsky goal a work of art?  Awesome.

Tomorrow night we play the Florida Panthers, a team without a fanbase but plenty of passion.  They always seem to beat us.  Tomorrow will be the deciding factor for me on "the effectiveness of John Tortorella and his hammering" --- a win and four-in-a-row would be peachy.

tdr

Lundqvist Stands On His Head For The Win! NYR 2, Flyers 1

Dark here, folks, on a delayed train during a blizzard returning from the Wachovia Center in Philly with Little Dark hoping to make it back to the Big Apple sometime before midnight.

Decked in Ranger jersey Blue, it was safe showing our colors this afternoon in Kill-adelphia as the beer drinking lunatic Flyers fans were at a minimum, half of the WC was empty at best due to the weather.  The attendance reminded me of any recent game at MSG.  Needless to say, any serious hecklers kept a distance due to my kid in hand, but I digress.

Move over Big Apple Circus!  Eat your heart out Barnum & Bailey!  Goalkeeper "King" Henrik Lundqvist stole this game from the Flyers with 36 saves total, 12 of them in the last period.  He flipped, juggled, dove, made-out with 3 ice-girls and sanitized a creepy 'Orange and Black wave onslaught' leaving the Flyers with another loss and now the 3rd worst team in the Eastern Conference for today.  Lundqvist played like The King as we know him.  The one we expect.  He showed up and left Philly fans depressed and in awe.  

With two-wins in a row, the Blueshirts managed to slide up to the 9th position, although only 3 points ahead of the ailing Flyers; the battle for playoff positioning is 'too close to call' with too many games ahead of us to get confident.

If you want the stats, go here for the boring stuff.

Is it too early to credit coach Torts for a turn around?  How many wins does he need to prove that his "Speak Loudly And Carry a Really Big Stick" philosophy actually works?  As for me, two more wins and he'll have me back.  You?

Aside from one of the better Lundqvist performances of the season, there were absolutely too many Ranger penalties but they were generally fought off hard with active forechecking and a desperation in their eyes.  The special Torts-reserve hot coals and Blue pitchfork were waiting at the bench otherwise.  A good job on the p-kill! (Or be killed)

The second award today goes to resident agitator Sean Avery - where even in Philadelphia he is hated by all, kids of all ages screaming their version of "Avery Sucks" homage to our Dennis Potvin chant at MSG.  Nice one, Philly - a true original.  Avery's effect was evident throughout the first period, throwing even the likes of Chris Pronger into a bad mood.  Boy, they hate our guy.  When Flyers fight-boy Daniel Carcillo attempted to play fisticuffs with our Marian Gaborik - seconds later Avery shot back a message with a subtle slash to Carcillo's shins.  Good to see Torts letting him do his thing.

Sitting on the ice level this game (we just moved down because no one was there) there were things you see that the camera doesn't catch --- our boys hustled today and it showed.  Being up close, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan are marvels -- I have always enjoyed what they've individually brought to the ice, but this Torts thing is getting to them and they are playing smarter and stronger because of it.  A huge effort from them.

Congrats Chris Drury on the first goal during the first period.  Nice shot.  Who knew?

So there is always more to say and I'll leave it with that.  We are just passing Trenton on the Penn line and, wow, it's only taken us 2 hours.  Maybe Rudolph the Red Nosed Ranger will guide us home safely!

TDR

"There Were Good Chances, But It's Getting Old"

NYR 2, Atlanta 3 - SO

These were the words of Henrik Lundqvist last night after the Blueshirts lost in the skills competition (a.k.a. the shootout) to the Atlanta Thrashers last night.  We've heard it time and time again from our dear once-kicked-ass coach John Tortorella, 'how the boys are playing good hockey and there were many chances and as long as they stick with the plan things will turn around and they'll begin winning games again.' 

Don't be so sure of yourself Coach.  Stick with the plan and we're going to continue to lose games.  Let's look closer.  Captain Chris Drury is invisible and non-scoring, Chris Higgins is forever trade-bait and non-performing, Ales Kotalik our sniper lost sight of the puck during the crucial shootout last night, Sean Avery has been neutered by your forceful words and benching methods, Matt Gilroy was sent north furthering your actual disbelief that the youth will prevail and learn on this team, Michal Rozsival & Wade Redden continue to horrify fans of hockey with plenty of ice-time, Vinny Prospal has lost his scoring touch, Henrik Lundqvist has no support and is slowly losing his confidence.  Oh yeah...and we don't have a backup goalie.

A handful of Blueshirts are out-performing everyone else:  Marian Gaborik is dynamite & healthy (knock on wood, folks), Ryan Callahan has the best work ethic on the ice, scrambling, bruising, and beating his way to the puck on every shift, Michael Del Zotto (though many missed opportunities) has a hawk's passing eye and finds the holes that make goals (and he's 19!!! -- watch the highlights from last night's game where he found Ryan Callahan on a beautiful feed), Marc Staal continues to impress but cannot control the blueline with limited shifts.  Donald Brashear, strangely, is playing decent hockey and is deserving of the $1+ mill per year he is getting, minus the gooning.

Official recap here.

So the negatives right now outweigh the positives.  Not a happy place as a Rangers fan.  With Gilroy, Valiquette and Parentheau all being sent up north to the minors there has been much chatter about a big move that is yet to happen -- some alleged magical trade that will revamp the team and help it find it's confidence once again.  Sorry to disappoint, but things look grim RANGERS HOCKEY FANS as we cannot clear enough in the salary cap to find that impact player we so desperately need.  Can't we just start over?  I am certain Sather is calling his old buddies in St. Louis or Phoenix soliciting many wise-tales and great opportunities, but even his persuaded-in-the-past dear friends now want something in return -- which means a Brandon Dubinsky or a Ryan Callahan.  No dice Gee-Emmy.  During the off-season, Sather was publicly cheered for his dumping of the Scott Gomez contract to Montreal, which to this day I still cannot believe he did it - a Jedi in action, but I think the magic of General Manager Glen Sather is coming to an end.  With The Hockey News finally declaring Sather a sham, maybe his time is near.  One can only hope.

So if you're still watching the games (and God forbid reading these posts) I thought you'd get a kick out of the MSG spin on last night's game.  Remember:  MAKE THE NEGATIVE A POSITIVE.

New York Rangers Official Site:

STAT OF THE GAME
The Rangers outshot the Thrashers by a whopping 48-27 margin, which shows just how strong Johan Hedberg was in the net. Red-hot Hedberg truly stole both points on a night when the Rangers had a strong performance from start to finish.

Now here is the sad reality - New York recorded a season high in shots, but lost for the seventh time in eight games (1-5-2).  The Rangers scored fewer than three goals for the 11th time in 13 games.  We are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference (11 out of 15) with a record of 14-15-3.  We are less than .500 and dropping.

No "P.R."-spin for those stats.

Maybe a back-to-back with our rival Islanders this week will fire off all cylinders and the puck will actually go in the net, as opposed to bragging about how many shots on goal we had after losing yet another friggin game.

Watch it with a grain of salt and maybe we'll all be surprised Wednesday night.  Or maybe just crank out another Curb Your Enthusiasm episode to enjoy the negative.  Your choice.

Once thing is for sure, it's getting awfully DARK in this room.

tdr

Our Captain Chris Drury in between a THRASHED SANDWICH.....

Rangers Shoot Stray Prairie Wolfs

NYR 5, Phoenix 2

Yes.  The Rangers were up 4-0 against the Phoenix Coyotes midway through the second period.

Yes.  The Rangers yet again lost sight of the win allowing 2 Phoenix goals in the latter half of the second period, every Blueshirt fan rubbing our heads with that 'ole familiar feeling.

Yes.  Whew! We won the game 5-2, but....

With 7:25 minutes left in the final period, Marian Gaborik left the Rangers bench limping, leaving the game early.

NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe by the time you are reading this, Marian Gaborik is taking a spontaneous midnight skate, proving to Coach Torts that he has nothing to worry about.  Amen for that.   Assuming everything is okay and the Blueshirts are not another league-wide groin joke, onward to discussing tonight's game that broke the Rangers three-game losing streak, positioning them fourth in the Eastern Conference with an 8-3-1 record (at the time of this writing 10:12 EST).   Official recap here.

The "we'll give you free tickets if we lose" Phoenix Coyotes (6-3-0) came into The Garden tonight with expectations of a win, eager to prove to all in Phoenix that there are more fans than investors willing to buy the team. 

Opening the first period, NY Rangers Anisimov scored a 'sick' goal reaching back to corral a pass from Brian Boyle, spun around in the circle with his back to the net, and twisted to put in a shot as Coyote Zbynek Michalek tried to cover him. No luck 'Zip-neck' or however you pronounce your name....nice try.  That nine-year-old YOUTUBE sensation would have been proud of the goal and would have tipped the glass for Artem if he were legal.    Gaborik doubled the lead 7:39 later with a power-play goal, perfectly assisted by Dubinsky who streaked down the left wing into the Phoenix zone, carried the puck behind the net and found Gaborik in the slot for a quick one-timer.

The onslaught continued in the second period.  Marion Gaborik and Vinny Prospal ran a give-and-go with Prospal cutting to the net, shifting to his backhand and beating Bryzgalov for the Rangers third goal, while then-healthy Marion Gaborik struck again on the power play; young'en Michael Del Zotto moved the puck to Prospal, who drew attention from Coyote D-dogs in the slot and found Gaborik in the middle of the circle for another one-timed goal.

Then while resting, the Coyotes caught the Rangers sleeping the latter half of the second half scoring two against NYR Goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist, goals by Jovanovski and a Fiddler (On the Roof).  I couldn't help myself..

While the second period ended, as Rangers fans I found myself in a similar psychology, elated by a 4-0 lead and a pure dominance by the team I love, but an 'all too familiar Rangers team that frequently loses four goal leads every season for three seasons' -- It happens.  We hate it.  So while I was preparing myself for yet another disappointment in hockey -- the Rangers of old, the Tom Renney Rangers...

 ...the Blueshirts pull out of the intermission and kick some Phoenix tail.

The third period opened with the John Tortorella New York Rangers squad out-shooting, out-playing, out-checking the Phoenix Coyotes, and Enver Lisin pushing New York's lead to 5-2 at 11:47 of the third - it was obvious we'd take the two points and end the losing streak.

Then FOUR MINUTES & TWENTY-TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIFTH GOAL, GABORIK LEFT THE BUILDING....  oh no.

Other than the goal-scorers, I see strength and confidence in most of the D-men -- but honorable mention tonight goes to Marc Staal who singlehandedly prevented many goals in the third period and played like a veteran-who-deserves-to-make-six-mill-a-year.  The newbies again outplayed the vets on 'D', but what else is new?

Until we hear otherwise, the roster is healthy and we see the NY Islanders and John Tavares for the first time this season.  See you then 7pm EST and hang in there Rangers fans -- Coach Good For Us is improving our team and I hear he finds groin injuries unacceptable behavior.  Let's see what Marian thinks of that.

tdr

Welcome Back My Boy......Dubie Signs

Brandon Dubinsky finally signed today.  The 2-year for $3.7 mill deal is done -- now we can get back to work and you can make that break-out season we've all been looking forward to.  Maybe your agent was right.....(or maybe Kessel wasn't signed by The Rangers)....ha!  Slats isn't stupid all the time, ya know

Go here, here or here for more on this.

tdr

Dubinsky Is A Schmuck!

So it's official.  (Questionable) New York Ranger, Brandon Dubinsky, is a schmuck.

For months now, Rangers fans have anticipated a multi-year deal to be locked and loaded with our home-grown Brandon Dubinsky -- though despite his PIMs of last year, he could be one of the most awkward fighters in the league -- but most important, this guy wears his heart on his sleeve and we have watched it dangling for two seasons now.  I remember the young kid under former NYR coach Tom Renney centering Jaromir Jagr adding points to every game, Jagr the proud Papa and his newly found hockey pup.  Brandon represents to us what we expect of all our Rangers:  Aggressive.  Caring.  Loyal.

But hang on folks...

As a restricted free agent this season, we have waited for the contract that never came, even after Brandon's reassurances to the media and fans two weeks ago that the deal would be made and things would be worked out.  Being given another shot at centering a world-class sharp-shooter, this time under the tutelage of the Torts system and our newly minted Blueshirt star-power Marian Gaborik, we had expectations of a much larger Brandon Dubinsky - and even a product of the new New York Rangers youth movement.   And so....the promises....the doubt....the reassurances.....belief again..on again....off again.....but still no contract.

If you are a stranger to the off-season, we are now back in-season as today was the first day of training camp for the Blueshirts, where young'ens got to challenge the veterans for the limited number of spots on the third and fourth lines for opening night - Oct. 1 against the Penguins and the first home game Oct. 2 against the Senators (without the Heat).  And guess who didn't show up?   Our very own 1. Aggressive 2. Caring and 3. Loyal, Brandon Dubinsky.

After two days of last minute sitdowns with NYR General Manager, Glen Sather and Brandon Dubinsky & 'His Agent', things went sour and no contract or agreement came to pass.  Where he has the option to take a minimal salary, prove himself for one more season, and go to town with a multi-year and 'hog-money' contract, he (and his agent) are choosing to bend the Blueshirt organization back 'n forth.  Perhaps Henrik Lundqvist's one-year contract with the Rangers, followed by his six-year re-signing would be good precedent in the Sather Caves.....obviously, Agent Dubie has something else in mind and now it's affecting the team.

This is what our coach John Tortorella, who has been quiet about these affairs until now, had to say about this situation:

“It’s stupid, “ the Rangers head coach said after 50-plus players went through a series of medical tests and wind sprints. “He’s a young man that needs to be here. I think a player needs to be with his teammates. I’m hoping he realizes that. I think his agent’s stupid….I think Dubi understands my feelings. I thought Glen (Sather) was very honest with Dubi a couple days ago---I was privy to that conversation---as a general manager and man-to-man as a friend.”

So now the Coach feels like the fans.  He may be signed one minute after this posting, but I wanted to get the message out there that we all feel Brandon's agent is misguiding him and setting a very bad precedent for his future career as a professional hockey player. And ultimately, this is Dubinsky letting this happen.

...and all of this makes him look like a sore loser.  Not quite Dany Heatley, but something related.   Not what we had in mind from our young hopefuls, 'Dubie'.

tdr

Anonymous Canes Fan Is Forced To Wear Rangers Jersey, NYR 4, Hurricanes 2

The New York Rangers squashed the Carolina Hurricanes last night for the second time in four meetings this season, six wins for the Blueshirts in the last eight games.

Even better, a friend of mine from Raleigh, NC (see picture above) who happened to be in New York City stopped by the office wearing a Blueshirts logo proud & center. I have substituted his real face with 'how he felt, as to protect him from Canes fans on his return. "Oh Rod, where art thou Rod!"

Christian Backman - in his first game on defense for the Blueshirts was mediocre at best. You can take him 'back, Man!' Fredrik Sjostrom was terrific and I believe he will provide great speed to the team. One for two 'aint bad on the trading front.

NYR Brandon Dubinsky and Sean Avery both scored in the first period, launching the Rangers into safeville (though a three point lead with this team doesn't mean much these days), followed by another insurance goal by Chris Drury in the second. The fourth goal in the third period was a 'Brendan Shanny special' - a beautiful cross pass by Nigel Dawes and shot over Cam Ward's left shoulder for the goal. New York kept the Hurricanes off balance by controlling the puck throughout the entire game. It was a solid showing by New York and the tides may have turned -- every game means everything these days as a couple of losses could easily take us out of playoff consideration.

Official recap here.

We take on Philadelphia this Sunday on network tv!!!!!! Woo hoo. With Michael Richards, Simon Gagne, Lupol slightly injured and Nittymaki and Biron playing 'okay' goaltender, we should have a pretty good shot at two more points. As any DARK RANGER fan knows, the Flyers games mean the most to me. Watch for it....

tdr

City of Newark Doesn't Attract A Winner, NYR 3, Devils 1

It must feel like a broken record for anyone that bought season tickets to the Prudential Center in Newark, home of the Devils - as The New York Rangers have beaten the Devils five in a row this season. Poor little Devils. Official recap here.

Last night's game was a treasured one - the much needed second win in two games push the Blueshirts four points forward reminding every 'doubter' that they can actually play like a hockey team when they want it. Four stars to Brandon Dubinsky who continues to work harder and make better plays than anyone on the team (especially strange off-ice when he is not wearing his helmut and looks exactly like the kid who cuts your grass). His tireless effort is acknowledged by all of us looking for some God d**n passion. Perhaps he has brought out the best in our dear Captain Jagr, who has played some of the best hockey all season over the last three games -- this is the Jagr we love, respect and vindicates the 600+ goals, etc, etc...

To the "disbelievers of Chris Drury" club, I said it this week and I will go on the record AGAIN to state that Chris Drury is the future of the Rangers franchise. Aside from his scoring two goals last night against NJ, he again provided opportunities for everyone on the team. He is the ultimate playmaker and The Dark Ranger predicts he will be the silent threat that unexpectedly brings victory to our boys. Even though he has not stepped up thus far, he is respected by management, a great presence in the locker room and, most importantly, a great hockey player. He plays best when it's desperate, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see this franchise is in trouble.

With the Rangers winning two division rivals in a row (26-22-6), they surprisingly find themselves only three points away from the first place Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers are two points away from the second place Pittsburgh Penguins, and one point away from the Devils of Newark. Our Atlantic Division is unquestionably the most competitive division in the league, as there is a strong possibility that all five teams could qualify in the Eastern Conference playoff run.

Breathe deeply....we can all start believing again.

The Dark days are looking somewhat brighter, and even if we continue to lose stupid games and miss the playoffs this year - as long as we keep beating the Flyers and Devils every time we play them, in my mind the season was a good one!

tdr