Late Signs of Life at the Mausoleum Spell Trouble For Blueshirt Penalty Kill

It was a spirited game and a see-saw battle in the holiday matinee game between our Blueshirts and the Gordon's fishsticks. Proving to be a contest that pivoted on power play opportunities and penalty calls, you have to give credit to both teams for trying to make their own luck every time a whistle blew, whether or not anyone had a clue as to what was called.  Read the official recap here for the details.


There were a lot of things to like and not like about yesterdays game. I was particularly impressed with:
- The added scoring from our defensemen - It's in this light, that Tort's ideal for the defense really shine. They are shooting more on the power play and chipping in goals wherever possible.
- Boogaard throwing the body around. It almost led to a goal yesterday and it's a presence that we have been missing the past few years except when the occasional player stepped up for a game or two.
- Brian Boyle on face-offs. He seemed to pick up a little bit on using his size from that Messier center workshop and has worked to improve his game this summer.
- Stepan continuing his hard work - there's a lot that can be said about this kid and his vision on the ice. His work around the net also shows another facet to his game that is the sign of a 'one day' elite player. He doesn't seem to be physically intimidated very easy and will push back if he needs to. The little scruff with Martinek yesterday did show that he could use some preparation for when the stuff really hits the fan. I was happy to see the first guy to jump in there and start throwing gloved punches on his behalf - and that was Gabby.

Now that being said, is it too early to see some alarming trends...?

- Second chances around the net. WTF?!  We're practically gift wrapping them at this point. We can expect a lot of '5-goal against' games for Henrik if this continues. It was one of the reasons I was skeptical about cutting Exelby from camp that quickly. He was one of the few guys willing to make his presence felt around the net when guys crowded Henrik. Of course it will be Henrik that has to pick up the slack if the D-Men don't and try to make spectacular saves without being taken off his feet. A feat that is a lot to ask of a butterfly goalie. When you have a good goalie, your opponents will inevitably resort to screening and picking up garbage around the net and it will pay to have someone who can hammer people in the crease. Which brings us to the next point.

- Stay at home defensemen. Is there even such a thing anymore in the Bettman league? Its nice that our defensemen are chipping in on offense, but wasn't the whole point of jamming up camp with all these extra d-men tryouts, to find a defenseman that could defend? Staal has an edge to his game and doesn't seem to have any qualms about hammering someone as well as finding his offensive game because well, he can. Our other d-men are getting pucks to the net but play far too soft in their own end and have fallen into that trap of becoming the 4th forward rather than a defenseman. Quick to streak up ice and get caught deep in the opponents end; its going to present a lot of odd-man rushes this season and wear Henrik thin. Girardi, in particular, was supposed to be a stay at home defenseman and still strikes me as a little soft; a few season ago he was stepping into guys and playing them hard. Unfortunately, that all seemed to go out the window once he got punched in the mouth and driven into the ice by Cam Barker a few seasons ago.

- The musical center game continues. Equipment problems aside, Torts has been plugging Stepan when possible and stirring up the other lines with Dubi and Christensen. It's still early and I am fine with exploring the options and trying to generate offense with click rather than a gel in desperate situations. Even still, times running out for Coach-a-rella as Drury and Prospal are getting antsy to play.. and something will have to be done eventually. Christensen may inevitable find himself the odd man out as he waits in the press box for Drury to break another bone or age to to further catch up to Prospal. Lets play these kids now with some consistency and find out what they can do before we stick them in 'Pressbox Limbo' and have to start the reintegration and assessment process every time we want to bring one back because of an injury. All in all, I expect at least one announced change in the line up before the home opener on Friday. How do you announce a team with a captain and an alternate on the DL?

- Derek Boogaard - Can he please punch someone in the head already? I'm tired of seeing Boyle and Prust tangle with guys while he's out there searching for a dance partner and people avoid him? Its not his fault, mind you but.... Damn, punch someone already... even off the ice, I'd settle for watching him wail away on John Giannone... Actually, I'd kind of pay to see that.

Till next time, Ranger Fans..

-J_Undisputed

P.S. This isn't over Fishsticks! We're just getting started!!! Bah!

Growing Pains

NASHVILLE STALKS UNARMED RANGERS TO 2-1 VICTORY.

Like any hunter without their biggest gun, we stumbled into last night's game, the first of 3 before the Olympic break, hoping everything else we had would be enough. It wasn't.

Read the official Recap here.

The Rangers lost Marian Gaborik to a laceration he sustained in a collision with Lundqvist at practice while practicing shootouts. While sportswriters were jumping the gun and blurting out groin injuries suspicions, it was telling that Tortorella didn't switch his lines much as to prepare for life without Gabby. If he had and did occasionally throughout the game, it probably wouldn't have and didn't help anyway. The Rangers were a step behind for most of the night... Playing as though they felt they deserved points for just showing up to play in the middle of a blizzard.

For the first period, they kept pace with Nashville before a momentarily lapse allowed a screened shot that snuck past the king to make it a 1-0 game. The Rangers would spend most of the night on their heels. Yielding several odd-man rushes and breakaways. Despite St. Henrik keeping it 1-0 with amazing goaltending, our beloved Blueshirts never did mount much of an offensive, aside from the scrappy dig in the Nashville crease by Prospal that tied the game at one all. Any other suspenseful moments for us, turned ugly rather quickly as there were several good looks that our forwards got at the net, making room to make textbook plays... only to forget one very important thing... THE PUCK!  WTF? we're that good, that we even managed to dangle ourselves out of the play.

Much was made of our ability to kill penalties last night. In fact, if there was one place we did look comfortable, it was defending our zone and wheeling back behind our own net and praying Nashville would give us room to break out cleanly. The pivotal point in the game even had us flubbing the penalty kill. Young Michael Del Zotto racked up a minor, for hooking a Nashville player working near his crease. Unfortunately, after the whistle was blown, DelZo pursued the ref about a missed call when he had been taken out of the play only moments earlier. Going just a little too far, the rookie was given a second minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. His teammates did their best to kill off the double minor and with the help of the king, were seconds away from succeeding when a Rozival clearing attempt hit Callahan as he floated through the slot and ricocheted to a Predator who shot it over Henrik's shoulder to make it 2-1. DelZo got an earful from his coach upon returning to the bench and was made to sit in the doghouse at the end of the bench while enduring the rant/lesson about keeping his mouth shut. The rookie would return in the third... but the chances of the Rangers developing a second offensive threat, didn't come to fruition. With several shots and stepping up the tempo on the attack, much was made of taking an abnormally high number of shots in regards to the average of shots against Nashville. It's not news to me as we always seem to manage a high volume of shots against teams and usually have nothing to show for it. Its simply a by-product of many of our scoring opportunities being so transparent that opposing teams rather let their goalies see the puck and make the easy saves, than screen their own goalies and making an easy shot difficult to stop.

As for the DelZo situation, it's to be expected that a team full of young players are going to make these kind of mistakes. He got chewed out back on the bench, was reinserted back into the play a period later with a lesson learned. He didn't lose his nerve or get rendered ineffective for a few games like Dubinsky was last season in a similar incident with Renney. I'm also glad the kid spoke up. Ok - it went a bit far, but you never know how far you can push it unless you push it a little... We've all seen how effective a silent guy can be at being heard, especially when he is wearing the "C". Speaking of which is it just me or does Drury actually seemed to be playing harder now that the Olympics are almost upon us? Nice to see him finally get excited about something, huh.. and team USA, didn't even have to dump a truck load of money on his doorstep.. Now I'm really pissed.

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

Tough Torts produces results – for now.

In addressing the media after a win Thursday (yeah, we got one… yes, US!) in the second of consecutive back to back games against the isles , Torts was quoted as saying that we need to be a team, rather than a collection of individuals trying to win hockey games. I’m sure it was welcome change from what he gave the media the night before when the most the frustrated coach could offer was close to a “I don’t f*ckin know what the hell their problem is …” and calling their effort unacceptable, before heading back to the lockeroom with a gleam in his eye that screamed “out of my way!” I can only imagine, he went back and went on a tirade that would have made Les Grossman (Tropic Thunder) proud. Who could blame him, right?

Before we get to that, let’s take a minute grab a deep breath, pretend our fierce defense, murderous intent on checks, slick offensive passing and cannon-esque shooting had more to do with a 5-2 win that than anything the islanders didn’t do or resume after Wednesday night’s game. Yes 5 goals is something, especially if you consider it took us this long to score more than 2 again. Those of you out there saying “J, you sound as if you have no faith in this team..” ; I will respond to by saying, you sound as if you have forgotten.

You can check out the official recap here.

Well there definitely seems to be a few Ranger fans out there who turned on Torts already. Opinions that he lost the team are already beginning to circulate. Let’s not forget though, this team is the same flavor of vanilla that didn’t want to listen to Tom Renney’s pleading, begging and softsoaping either. So who will they listen to? Who will they play consistently for?

I give you Exhibit A: The old familiar detachment from our awe –inspiring, motivator and outspoken capt. "The only thing that resonates with me is going home with the two points, said Drury. "That's it." Patton? Churchill? William Wallace?... SHEEP!!!! C’mon, does anyone believe this stoic, eyes on the prize dedication act anymore when Drury, Dubi, or anyone else on the team wants us to believe all the losing has forced them to have some kind of epiphany, where the word “lose” has been erased from their vocabulary and they are all about business and kickin @ss, now? Yes Drury scored last night, and that makes him even with Boyle (Susan? No Brian… again, I could be wrong.) But hey, who needs goals when you got all those “intangibles…”

For now, we have a win and I suppose, I should be happy about it. No word on whether or not the win saved Sather from having to pack his bags and comb the classifieds of the Edmonton newspapers. Till next time, a word of caution to our fire breathing coach and the incurable optimists. Keep yelling till you have nothing left… kick, scream, throw things, hurl yourself to the floor and have a tantrum. After you’re convinced you’ve done it for the last time…smile, we saved a seat for you...

Till next year, Happy Holidays… and may Santa bring you a 1st round pick that doesn’t turn out to be Hugh Jessiman, a superstar before he gets old, an enforcer that can fight and play hockey, a stay-at-home/shut down D-man…. and declare all our present No Trade Clauses, null and void.

-J_Undisputed

Blues Further Rangers' Woes, St. Louis 2, NYR 1

Another loss. Official recap here.

At least when you go to Atlantic City or Las Vegas and you lose the money you've set aside, you can shrug it off, take the loss and pretend like you had fun. Now just imagine 30 more trips to Atlantic City this season with the same outcome.

Am I alone in feeling like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day?

So Captain Chris Drury took responsibility after the Flyers debacle yesterday and promised that it ends with him -- the fans, management and his fellow comrades should point to him first and only for either motivating his team to 'wins' or blaming him for 'losses.'

Free Chris Drury of his duties if the Dolans are not willing to hand over any responsibility to Coach Tom Renney or Invisible GM Glen Sather. Fire Drury! Do f**king something!

Not sure what to say. The sucky Isles on Wednesday are looking pretty damn competitive considering the state of things....

tdr

Souray The Barbarian Takes The Garden, NYR 2, Oilers 3 SO

It was a shootout loss that should have been stolen by NYR goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who once again demonstrated that a team can play and win games without a defense. Unfortunately, tonight did not go his way. Though, "The King" remains The New York Rangers security blanket (11-5-2) and we'll take the point.

Official recap here.

The better team did not win the game tonight and our inconsistent Blueshirts came alive in the third period and played as they should have from the opening minutes -- though, Edmonton's Sheldon Souray displayed more grit and confidence than the entire Rangers team all evening -- especially evident when he back-checked Scottie Gomez into the Edmonton net without penalty.

Maybe there is something in the air when we play teams with backup goalkeepers -- we just don't win 'em. Special kudos to Ryan Callahan, Blair Betts, Aaron Varos, Chris Drury and Dan Girardi for some damn good hockey. For the night, Paul Mara can go to hell (but at least he played for the love of the game). Lost are all our defensemen, Scott Gomez, Marcus Naslund, Nik Zherdev, and most importantly, the power play unit. With an entirely new set of players on the roster this season, one might consider our special team coaches as the guilty parties as our power play is beginning to honor and pay homage to the Jaromir Jagr years: pretty-looking-shot-hockey!

The speed and confidence of the Rangers that opened the season is slowly deteriorating -- though still leading the division, we are outshooting but scoring less than most, which means we are just dumping the puck toward the net; this is effective when you have someone in mind to deflect or follow through within range. This philosophy of 'dump & puck' will not win us games -- and they need to work harder on the special teams, harder during three periods rather than catchup, and not allow every team of late to score the opening goals. We have some distance to go before this team is a satisfying playing unit.

With the benefit of winning and leading in the standings, despite our wishes, Coach Tom Renney will continue to play with his chemistry set and hope that if he adds liquid depth to a hollow substance and mixes up the periodical lines, we will get results worthy for a Scientific Stanley Cup. Hockey is a science, ya know!!?

Onto NJ this Wednesday and for some last parting words....DARK Curses to Souray and Hemsky. Cheers.

TDR

Ranger Fans Embarrass Isles On The Island

The chants were loud. "Potvin Sucks", "You CAN'T BEAT US", "Let's Go Rangers!" drowning out any energy left in the Islanders Hockey Airport Hangar, as our Captain made us proud, Chris Drury, scoring his first two goals of the season and the Rangers delivering our third consecutive victory NYR 4, NYI 2. The Blueshirts are an astounding 9-2-1, leading the league in points, wins and leading the Eastern Conference and division. Should I repeat that? Though, with Buffalo, Montreal and NJ heating up in points and wins, it is probable that the playing field will even, but it sure feels sweet for the time being.

Official recap here.

For the same reaons we could have lost the game to the NY Islanders last night, so goes our next meeting with the Atlanta Thrashers this coming Thursday. Beware fans! It is always the unexpected games that turn things around -- these last place teams have more to gain in knocking the League first-seeded team into reality.

Is it me thinking we all need a reality check? Our boys do not seem to be playing great hockey -- it feels unreal that we are leading anything at this point, let alone the LEAGUE!!? With an actual working system in place and our coach Tom Renney every evening working on his chemistry set, we are seeing improvements as the season progresses (with the exception of our defense.....side note - "thank you Henrik again and again!") one would think we have more to look forward to....

But we've been here before....feeling like a big shot with my Rangers, but humble.....and small.....and "we can't win 'em all, you know?"

TDR

"All Hail The King & Our New Captain!" NYR, 2, Pittsburgh 1 OT

With four minutes left in the third period, after watching the New York Rangers play an electric game of playoff-style hockey against the Pittsburgh Penguins last evening (their second meeting in two days) - hard checking, smashing hits, breakaways, super duper goaltending, post-hit shooting, Avery fighting giants - a familiar feeling was creeping into The Dark Ranger's belly, that feeling that something was going to go wrong and the Penguins were going to capitalize on some Backman or Rozzy turnover....

I couldn't have been more wrong. Official recap here.

The game belonged to Chris Drury and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

Drury scored a power-play goal 1:46 into overtime, giving the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday night. Drury has scored in overtime four times and has notched 44 NHL game-winners, including seven this season. The Dark Ranger declares Chris Drury our unofficial Captain of the New York Rangers, as he is someone to build the franchise around. Many in the blogosphere criticized Dark for breaking ranks and celebrating Drury and his potential mid-way through the fall -- at the time, he wasn't scoring goals, but he was doing everything else that didn't register in the stats. He remains the ultimate playmaker and, most likely, our future "Captain of the Blueshirts" (no relation to another Rangers superhero - The Dark Ranger).

"The King" was the master yesterday. It is obvious Henrik's magic is gaining momentum and hopefully he will sustain it through a successful playoff run. (crossing fingers) I am beginning to believe again, willing to go on the edge and wait. Hank...don't let me down!

Our Blueshirts (41-27-11) were eliminated from the division race Sunday when they lost the opener of the home-and-home series in Pittsburgh, after last evening's victory we jumped to fifth in the Eastern Conference - one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators. We are tied in points with the fourth-place New Jersey Devils, but are behind because they have two fewer wins.

This week we go to the Island to capture two more wins (optimism, folks!) and ending the regular season against our cross-Hudson rivals, The NJ Devils of Newark. We are 7-0 against NJ this season and another win would likely just piss-them-off going into a potential first-round playoff run against them. It's possible and that would make for some great hockey.

Three more to go....we might actually do something right this week.

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

A Wolf In Wolf's Clothing, NYR 4, Sabres 3

The New York Rangers (31-28-4) last night pulled out an important meeting against the Buffalo Sabres (30-28-4), largely in part to Sean Avery's gritty and relentless performance - his game winning goal in the final five minutes in the third period, ending the contest between two hotly contested Eastern Conference rivals. A goal and an assist reaffirms our knighting Avery a true New York Ranger. Folks, we have ourselves a true Blueshirt -- finally. Re-sign Slats...quickly. Official recap here.

What more could we ask for after Black Tuesday, as a 'win' against Buffalo answers the devastating loss to Montreal (we can try and forget that one) and puts a winning face back on the Blueshirts. Though still uneasy, the Blueshirts are on a bit of a roll lately at 9-3-2 in their past 14 games - maintaining their place in the playoffs, but as we all know anything can happen as they are eight points away from first place in the Eastern Conference and three points away from missing the playoffs. 'Cautiously optimistic' is The Dark Ranger's approach to the remainder of the season, while 'Anything Goes' is the operative slogan of this team. Currently the Rangers are tied with Boston in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo dropped to eighth, a point ahead of the New York Islanders and Philadelphia.

New York's goalkeeper money extraordinaire, 'Pauper' Henrik Lundqvist made some terrific saves and gave up some pedestrian goals. It was a mediocre performance at best and hopefully this evening we will see Stephen Valiquette take the net. Hank's nerves looked to carry over from this week's loss to the Habs. Time will show, but the money will be the same.

Jagr finally scored and after the game commented how well the Sabres offensively found the holes in the Rangers defense said, "I would love to play for Buffalo." Hopeful foreshadowing with two days left to the draft deadline, Mr. Jaromir will almost definitely remain a Ranger for now. The off-season is another story as Jags will most likely find a new home for his future hockey days. The Dark Ranger will happily thank Jags for revitalizing the Rangers organization post-lockout for a couple of years, shed one tear and look forward to the naming of a new Captain. You guessed it....Chris Drury.

Speaking of Drury and as would be expected, this was the first game against Buffalo in Buffalo for Chris Drury after becoming a NY Ranger -- so a large 'boo' rang through his former home crowd announcing the starting lineup, Renney choosing to start his line for this very reason. Every time he touched the puck, the crowd booed him....only making Sean Avery jealous of all that attention!

Tonight against the Florida Panthers at 7PM EST -- should be a 'win', but remember that we all know nothing.

tdr

Rangers Sucker Punch Sharks, NYR 3, San Jose 1

Prior to the game, I wanted to sucker-punch this guy for supporting the San Jose' Sharks and for looking like an ass, but I was pleasantly surprised that the New York Rangers sucker-punched him for me instead. Official recap here.

First and foremost, the Rangers are surprisingly 8-3-1 in the last 12 games and have captured 7 of a possible 8 points in the last four games. Currently they sit third place in the Atlantic Division - the NJ Devils of Newark are tied in first with the Pittsburgh Penguins - both with 71 points overall. The Rangers are only four points away from first place in the division. For now they are seeded in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, only seven points from leading the Eastern Conference with just over 20 games left in the season. If we can expect any consistency similar to the past four games, we can only climb from here. Playoff hockey two-thirds into the season and a majority of wins against our division rivals 'aint a bad place to be. F*** me!

When the heck did this all happen? Have I been consumed with complaining about my Rangers?

The Blueshirts opened with a truly physical game yesterday - a gritty hitting level of game - declaring to the bloggersphere and it's fans that the 'new Rangers' have arrived and after only 100 player line combinations, Tom Renney has finally found two lines that 'work wonders.' The first line Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr was impressive, as Dubinsky ripped up the ice with his 'go-to-the-net' philosophy - Sean Avery by his side instigating and Jagr conveniently double-teamed and trying to score (on a side, Jags still has no goals in 11 games -- ouch! Do you smell off-season extension? Not here.). The second line Dawes-Gomez-Shanny line was effective, but 'Coach Tom Renney kudos' go to the unexpectedly awesome Straka-Drury-Callahan line. Hurray. Bravo.

Our 'tenacious brand of hockey' kid, Ryan Callahan speared two goals into the Sharks and was afraid of NO ONE! He took the hits, made the hits, kept himself in the play at all times and scored goals. What more could we ask for in a rookie playing in the big leagues? (okay...maybe someone named Ovechkin, but I digress...). The kid showed heart and deserves the stars. So far he has scored four goals in five games after going 25 games without one following a score on opening night this season. I can only imagine how a reconditioning demotion to the AHL Hartford Wolfpack could raise Ryan's game. Now back in the NHL, I am looking forward to more of Callahan's enthusiasm -- just wish it would rub off some of his comrades.

Our future captain, Chris Drury, scored another goal and assist yesterday - making him look more worth the money the Rangers paid for him to begin with. Now at 19 goals for the season and seven goals in nine games, Drury is much more to this team than the 'clutch' goal scorer -- he is a leader by example. Though 'Toots' and Girardi provided solid blueline coverage throughout, Chris Drury was present at the crease on both ends of the ice -- offensive and defensive. Not only did he score the game winning goal yesterday, but he was the first Ranger to score on the power-play at MSG since January 8 - a span of nine games and 39 opportunities. Ouch. May the dry spell be over.

As difficult as this may sound, I 'peace-out' my war against Coach Renney and embrace his latest move with the combinations. I will actually respect the guy when he figures out the power play special teams. Nice job Tommy Boy.

Tuesday we again challenge the most successful team in NHL history, The Montreal Canadiens for the fourth and final time this season - the Rangers are 3-0 against the Habs so far. Tune in for more 'Rangers Dark-ness' as we continue to kick more ass and spread the great word of good hockey.

tdr

Chris Drury & NY Giants Win SuperBowl XLII

It was a 'Super' Sunday for New York yesterday as The New York Rangers defeated the red-hot Montreal Canadiens 5-3 and the New York Giants delivered one of the greatest upsets in NFL history, humiliating the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14. Both games were terrifying and exciting. Official recap here.

Okay, so Chris Drury had nothing to do with the football game, but the kind of press Drury is getting of late suggests that we might finally be seeing a little of the six million bucks the Rangers are footing this season for the renowned 'Clutch-man'. The Dark Ranger has received numerous emails criticizing my position that Drury is an "asset about to come alive" -- and I steadfastly maintain that this guy is going to contribute to the Rangers rebound this spring. My position is not a 'love-fest' (as one email suggested), it is just taking a position on someone I think will help to turn the team around. Jagr hasn't done it. Shanny hasn't done it. The standouts this season are simply: Brandon Dubinsky, rookies Dan Girardi & Marc Staal, resident instigator Sean Avery (when playing), Henrik Lundqvist (until recently) and now rightfully his turn, Chris Drury.

Yesterday when the Rangers were down 0-3 halfway through the second period (and yes, I gave up too!), Drury, who was 1-1-2 for his third consecutive two-point game, capped the comeback by scoring the eventual game-winning goal at 10:09 of the third period. All in all, and down by three, the Blueshirts led five unanswered goals and stole the game from Montreal. This was the most exciting game of the season - and they earned it. Even our coach has nice things to say.

“This guy’s been phenomenal lately. He’s been a great man all year long anyway, but it’s nice to see him get what he deserves and our team get the residuals of that.” — Rangers coach Tom Renney on the recent play of center Chris Drury.

Not that Tom Renney is the voice of reason, but he, along with the team, are looking for that someone who is going to step it up and lead by example. Drury is doing that for now. Other outstanding 'kudos' go to Brandon Dubinsky and his level of play. This kid is duping veteran All-Stars, outplaying his fellow players and, despite his inexperience as a rookie, plays with heart and tenacity. In fact, he is all heart and it shows. Sean Avery, once again, demonstrated grit and protecting your team. Fantastic show, folks -- a comeback game like this reminds us to never give up -- never say never.

On the football side of things, if we were to look at our 'Super Sunday' yesterday, you have to consider the underdog approach in sports and how the NY Giants were just able to make it into the playoffs and stage the greatest and unexpected of championships. The Giants had the perfect answer for the suddenly imperfect Patriots: a big, bad defense and an improbable comeback. Such could be said of our New York Rangers against Montreal and even larger, our Rangers against the rest of the season. The last three improbable Blueshirts wins puts us six points ahead, only three points from the division leader. In the end, we only need to qualify to get our shot in the playoffs. The NY Rangers are sitting seventh in the conference. Surprised? Stranger things have happened, but it does give The Dark Ranger hope.

So hang in there Rangers fans -- this may be the beginning of something very Dark.

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

Rangers Make Philly Fly'Less, 4-0

(Friday morning 1am) - After a brief hiatus, both The Dark Ranger (2 games w/o posting) and The New York Rangers (25-22-6) are back to make the fans proud with a shutout over our 'black and orange-ade' rival Philadelphia Flyers! Four Rangers goals tonight were scored by Nigel Dawes, Petr Prucha, Chris Drury & Brendan Shanahan. The division first place Flyers scored zip. The most delicious part is the Flyers have now lost 6 in a row at home against the Blueshirts (and I will be at the Wachovia Center in Philly next week for the 7th home loss to our Rangers!!!!! Ha!).

Official recap here.

With last night's performance, a display of restored confidence was evident shimmying the Blueshirts to eighth in the Eastern Conference - stepping out of the Atlantic Division last place slot and inserting the NY Islanders instead. This was the first Rangers win in seven road games and an exciting win at that. They showed signs of 'want' and 'team' - two words not used in this year's vocabulary.

Chris Drury undeniably stole the game from Philly on the Rangers third goal, a beautifully unobstructed slap shot and terrific assist on the second goal to Petr Prucha. Defensively he was there every step of the way. He played the post, freeing up space for Jaromir Jagr to play to his potential (now there you go, 'ole Captain), and selflessly set up his teammates for the win. I hate to admit that Marek Malik actually played a solid game of hockey, so I will reluctantly give him that - as earlier in the week our Czech veteran (a.k.a. Lurch or 'Skating Two-by-Four') was benched for disrespecting Rangers Coach Tom Renney (I must give Malik another one for that) which led to the removal of his locker room jersey, belongings and, most evident, an appearance on ice last week. Obviously, he was back in the lineup last night - now with increasing February trade value. Sean Avery was clearly in good hockey form -- motivating, not instigating, and contributed most by hustling to the puck. "Hurrah" to goaltender Stephen Valiquette who earned his first shutout playing in the NHL. He is a solid backup goaltender and Coach Renney should be playing 'Vally' more often, as it may give our 'Prince' Henrik Lundqvist more time to rest to channel the 'King'.

The second half of the season is upon us and The Dark Ranger feels that Chris Drury may be that sole player that reinvigorates the team, even though he has been disappointing thus far. Just as Sean Avery has given us an aggressive front line and newly found team spirit, Chris Drury will round out the team and find those clutch dirty goals and make the 'paper-Rangers' a true NHL threat. His performance tonight is what is needed for the Rangers to be competitive on the playoff push.

We have been here before. I know. We know. Perhaps I have the voice of an overly enthusiastic Blueshirts blogger who happens to hate the Philadelphia Flyers? Maybe last night was only a facade? Can we repeat last season? Probably not. Maybe so. There is one thing my dear readers of Dark that you can count on throughout the remainder of the season. We can hope and pray, perhaps for another day, but The Dark Ranger will never disappoint you again. I welcome me back.

Flyers suck. Rangers rule! Until next Saturday Briere lovers! But for now, we see another arch-enemy, The Newark Devils tonight. Stay tuned and keep your friggin fingers crossed.

tdr

What We Expect Of Our Team, Rangers 4, Habs 1

It's too bad every game cannot be against Montreal.

It was a celebratory night as The New York Rangers ended their five-game winless streak, and knocked out the Montreal Habs with four-sucker punches, 4-1. New York is 2-4-1 in its last seven games, with both wins coming against our favorite opponent at the Garden -- four wins in the last four home meetings with the Habs. It was the Canadiens' first regulation loss since Dec. 23 (5-0-2), despite eight power plays.

The system works when you play disciplined hockey.

Similar to the Rangers previous game (and loss) to Philadelphia, it was a game full of penalties by our Blueshirts, including two 5-on-3's, the difference this time our special team built for killing penalties managed the job - all of them. The defense finally played defense for a change, with the exception of a ridiculous Marek Malik turnover that could have changed the tone of the game, had the Canadiens delivered on the shot. Lucky for us.

Despite his -12 for the season, newcomer Chris Drury delivered on the first goal and looked strong as he buried himself into Habs goalkeeper Christobal Huet's far post throughout the game. It is a pleasure to see a consistent player, like Drury, playing the post looking for dirty goals. Jaromir Jagr actually skated hard throughout, Martin Straka, Petr Prucha and Nigel Dawes delivered on excellent goals, and our mentally ailing goalkeeper Henrik Lunqvist looked sharp, focused and unstoppable.

May this all continue 'hopeful Rangers fans' as it feels good seeing the win; it is what we expect of our team when we are on the verge of making/breaking the playoffs.

Currently The Rangers are in last place in the Atlantic Division and ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings (21-19-5). We are four wins away from the top division seed and four losses away from the worst team in the Conference, so needless to say, the race will be a close one. In order to secure and guarantee a spot in the playoffs, the Blueshirts will have to win two of every three games for the remainder of the season - a streak we haven't seen since this time last year.

Can history be repeated? Better yet, can last night be repeated?

tdr

Happy Holidays Rangers Fans! Rangers 1, Senators 3

The first period on last night's meeting between the Blueshirts and the Ottawa Senators was solid hockey. Scottie Gomez scored the first goal half way through, and even though speed-demon Jason Spezza scored for Ottawa toward the end of the first period, it appeared our Rangers were tired of the embarrassment and ready to play after a humiliating game against the Minnesota Wild and the OT loss to the Avs all in the same week.

Well, everything fell apart. After a strong first period, the Rangers seemed to magically lose energy, perhaps showing the effects of playing for the fifth time in eight days. Maybe Tom Renney gave them a few motivational tips during the intermission!!? In the end, the Rangers have won only two games in the last ten. Recap here.

The second and third periods, Ottawa proceeded to score twice and shutdown the Garden chants. Senator's Shean Donovan moved up and around Ranger's Marc Staal, forced to dive on his stomach to deny Donovan's progress after his stick broke, and got a shot in on Blueshirt Henrik Lundqvist. The rebound popped out above the crease to Kelly, who shovelled in his seventh goal to make it 2-1 with 7:44 left in the second period. Ottawa's Mike Fisher made it 3-1 when his shot from the right point, after a turnover by New York's Chris Drury, hit Rangers defenceman Marc Staal and caromed in at 9:08 of the third period. Game over.

Ryan Hollweg seemed to be the only player on the ice last night after the first period. He was appropriately forechecking, taking advantage of turnovers, shooting the puck, throwing himself into the goal.....gold stars to Ryan! First time I've ever said that, as I have never understood why Hollweg was essential to the team....until last night. Irony.

To prevent myself from tirelessly repeating the same critiques and comments about our beloved Rangers, I thought I'd give you the most accurate description of last night's performance:

Jaromir Jagr - blah.

Chris Drury - blah.

Brendan Shanahan - who?

Tom Renney - eh?

Malik - yuk.

Hossa - benched, yeah!

Lundqvist - sorry buddy

So with that Ranger's fans, I do think things will turn around in the New Year. One of my New Year's resolutions is for the New York Rangers to start winning games again - and I do believe Tom Renney will not hold a place on this team after February - 'the shake up is near' because things are not getting better.

Happy holidays to all and happy hockey to all!

tdr

Sir Captain Delivers, Rangers 4, Islanders 2 (14-9-2)

Captain Jagr of The New York Rangers must have read my previous posts and decided to do something about it tonight against the NY Islanders. Jags lead and delivered for the Blueshirts tonight punching home his sixth goal of the season and first goal of the game eight minutes into the first period. Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Brandon "Dubie" Dubinsky scored the subsequent goals, beating our rival New York Islanders 4-2 - the first win of four meetings this season. A pleasant surprise seeing our free agents and veterans dominating the scoring sheet for once. Whew...

Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the Rangers, who closed the season's second month with a strong 10-3-1 record and with this victory moved back into a first-place tie atop the Atlantic Division with Philadelphia. Both are three points ahead of the Islanders.

The Rangers ended with 2 of the 5 power plays, a huge improvement over our dreadful PP record this season.

Huge kudos to Ryan Callahan, though not scoring any points, gave everything he could in his debut return from injury-land setting up plays, taking the hits, crashing the DiPietro head first and getting back up to attempt the rebounds. This kid is the real deal and as long as Slats and Co. can keep him on the roster, our future is going places. Ditto to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal -- a.k.a. Mr. Cool and Mr. Collected -- who have provided those gifts we've asked Santa for this fine holiday season -- Marek Malik, our defensive starter continues to be out on injured reserve, and despite his injuries will be receiving a stocking full of coal. Jason Strudwick deserves special attention as he played a marvelous game of hockey. Impressive.

This Saturday the Blueshirts have our third meeting against the now-semi-struggling Ottawa Senators, the Rangers having lost two close matches earlier this season. New York brings an improved team to the table and we all expect our top game leaving the "Canadian Capital the Blues".

Jaromir Jagr deserves "the most improved player" award from The Dark Ranger, but I wouldn't go as far as saying 'he is back' -- for God's sake, tonights win was only the Islanders!!?

tdr

Are We Lost? Rangers 2, Panthers 3 (SO)

The New York Rangers lost in a shootout to The Florida Panthers this evening, 2-3, the Blueshirts gained a point and now close-out with a 13-8-2 record. Chris Drury scored both goals in regulation. Official recap here.

Some thoughts after tonight's performance:

Yes. We are in first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Conference.

Yes. We have one of the best records in the league for goals-against, and by far, one of the strongest goaltenders around.

Yes. Backup goalkeeper Stephen Valiquette again proved his worth. Second start of the year and showed an incredible performance.

And finally, Yes. Jagr sucks. There....I said it.

Never before have I seen a team that is solely built around one player. Coach Tom Renney continues to allow our Captain to decide the type of play and perhaps our dear coach should consider naming a co-Captain to Jaromir Jagr just to shake things up a bit. Maybe even bench him.

As the first place team, how is it that in the final two minutes of overtime, with Jaromir Jagr leading Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Brendan Shanahan (four superstars) with a power play advantage 4 on 3, cannot even manage more than a couple of shots? Because JAGR IS LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT PLAY that never came. Do I look fat in these jeans? Why is Avery getting girls like Cuthbert? Should I shoot the puck if there isn't an opening? Something has to change in his play and leadership -- we all thought going into the season, with Jags all healthy and proclaiming the victory ahead, and having lived through his last season recovery - The Dark Ranger imagined. He was going to show up. He was going to lead. He would make us all believe.

Nope.

Instead we've had to rely on 1. one-point wins and a semi-stable defensive system that does not allow any room for error, 2. our goaltending 3. Hartford AHL supplying us with an endless surplus of talent 4. most importantly, faith in our team, not the leaders.

When will this madness end? I'll take the point, I salute Valiquette for keeping us in the game, and I embrace Jagr's pretty-boy-non-leadership and look to him to change his friggin attitude, game and his need for pretty goals.

From now on, make'em dirty!

tdr

"Just Call Me Danny" Boy Briere Unable To Make a Difference In Shootout Loss to Rangers, 3-4

Last night The New York Rangers overtook the Philadelphia Flyers again, this time in a shutout shootout credited to our Blueshirt goalkeeping Savior King Lundqvist and NYR second shooter, Brendan Shanahan with the only goal of the shootout. Prior to, Chris Drury suggested to Henrik that his former Buffalo Sabre co-captain Danny "Boy" Briere would shoot low on his approach to the goal; this turned out to be a saving grace as "The King" threw his stick forward to prevent "The Boy" from scoring. It worked and it seemed to disorient the new 'High Flyer." Oh Danny Boy, the pipes the pipes are calling you....

Another win folks and things are looking up for our New York Blueshirts, the Rangers having won four straight games and eight of their last nine. Now tied for first place with Philadelphia in the Atlantic Division, our veterans players are serving the newbies and the true needed chemistry this season has been found in a mix of both. With Brandon Dubinsky on the first line, Jaromir Jagr is coming alive again. Our 'kill him' Sean Avery has enlightened and motivated our Rangers again - a 'need-to-re-sign' valuable asset to New York. The Dark Ranger is declaring Brendan Shanahan "not quite dead yet" for all the naysayers (thanks HH), extending his team goal-scoring lead with his sixth goal of the season last night. Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha, with Chris Drury centering on the third line has been one of the most effective & unexpected line configurations to boot!

Why didn't we play Ottawa later in the season? This may be a hindsight question asked my many Rangers fans as the team has found a new confidence, the lines appear to be working and outsiders are now looking in as we hope to stay on top of the division. The Atlantic Division remains one of the more evenly divided in all the NHL - brutal rivalries, brutal fans and a scrappy physical play.

Though, there is one thing that the New York Rangers have that no other team has:

The Dark Ranger!

If You Shoot, Goals Will Come

Home game = Rangers defeat Penguins, 4-2

Since the loss to the New York Islanders, Tom Renney's approach with the locker room has been one of the basics. Shoot the damn puck. It won't always hit the post. You won't always miss. You can only score if you try. Well last night, The New York Rangers scored four goals against the Pittsburgh Penguin's two goals - many shots hitting the post and many missed scoring opportunities excluded. It is sad that my fantasy hockey league doesn't categorize shots taken, because the Blueshirts would own it.

Go here for a recap of the game against Pittsburgh. One special honorable mention goes to "Brilliant Backhander Brandon Dubinsky," whose first NHL goal was like butter.

The Rangers are now 8-7-1, placing second in the Atlantic Division - one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers. Nice to see the Blueshirt front lines working together, with a hint of chemistry. Who would have ever guessed "Dubie the Rookie" would be playing on the same line as Jaromir Jagr?

All is fair in love & hockey, folks -- another win at MSG. Look forward to another out-of-town game this Saturday evening at The Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs; our NY Rangers still haven't won a game on the road. We will probably see the debut of Stephen Valiquette replacing our much-used Henrik Lundqvist as goaltender for the evening - ensuring a disadvantaged evening of hockey.

This Saturday I wanted to see the long awaited rematch fight between Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker, but alas, Mr. Tucker is hurt and on injured reserve -- so instead I will settle for team New York slightly beating on team Toronto.

Away Game = The _______smashes The _______.

Here goes nothing and here's hoping.

tdr