Rangers Regain First Place in the Atlantic

Tonight's game against the Islanders represented the halfway mark of the Rangers' 5 game road trip and gave the Blueshirts an opportunity to garner against their Uniondale rivals 5 out of a possible 6 points.

Some questions sticking in my mind before the game – how competitive would the Isles be given their owner's comments that certain players are now available. Also, which Henrik would show up – the troubled one from the Montreal game or the more solid one from the Ottawa game? The answers are below.

Despite the Isles residing in last place, no one should have expected a rout or easy victory given the Rangers' general scoring deficiencies and propensity of playing down to their competition. In fact, as events played out, it would have been foolhardy to think otherwise.

The Isles played hard all night long as evidenced by Tim Jackman pounding the living daylights out of Rosival and Staal with classic clean checks leaving them woozy in the first period. Meanwhile, the Rangers offense did little even when backup goalie Joey MacDonald was replaced by their 3d goalie, Yann Danis.

While the Rangers carried the initial play, a penalty on Chris Drury awoke the Isles midway in the first. The Isles proceed to launch a barrage of rubber against Lunqvist out-shooting the Rangers at one point by a margin of 16 to 1 during a period where the Isles out-shot the Rangers, 19-8. The Isles' pressure paid off with a goal by Chris Campoli who snapped a loose puck from the left circle and beat Henrik in the 5 hole with a little over a minute remaining.

In the 2nd period, the Rangers asserted themselves defensively and took advantage of 2 power play opportunities. The Rangers' first goal came on a nifty pass from Gomez to Drury with about 7 ½ minutes left in the period. Within 2 minutes, Dawes scored on a 2 on 1 assisted by Callahan. During that sequence, Blake Comeau had driven up ice aggressively looking for a shorthanded chance (recently, every team is taking chances against the Rangers when killing a penalty) but he committed the cardinal sin of missing the net, and the puck sailed around the boards and flew down the ice toward the Isles goal. (Whereas Callahan had done the same on Saturday vs. Ottawa, to his credit he scrambled back to break up a shot opportunity that could have turned that game around.) Here, the Rangers capitalized. Callahan picked up the puck, spotted Dawes on his left and he beat Danis cleanly. This play was the turning point of the game.

After that, the Rangers settled into a boring but ultimately effective defensive shell. Final score: 2-1.

The Blueshirts, while victorious, demonstrated their season lack of a killer instinct by failing to take charge of a last place team being backstopped by their 3rd goalie. Reminds me of the Ottawa game from Saturday night. Again, despite their lowly record, the Isles proved to be stiff competition for the Rangers.

Moreover, coach Renney's observation that the Rangers are a 2-1 team is becoming gospel as evidenced by recent games: 2-1 (shootout loss) in Buffalo, 2-0 victory in Ottawa and the 2-1 win last night. Not pretty, but they are points.

Again, as in recent games, the kids were the story -- Callahan and Dawes were noteworthy with their play. Lundqvist's slump seems to be fading away in the rear view mirror. As in recent seasons under Renney, the Rangers have started the new year by tightening up the defense (albeit against inept offenses) and doing the necessary slot-clearing to give their goalies clear views of the puck. It's still a work in progress.

The final 2 games of the road trip are difficult -- the rejuvenated Blackhawks await and then the initial NBC broadcast against the Pens. One is tempted to write that one off as a loss given the fact that the Rangers were awful last year home and away on these Sunday matinees. The Pens did the Rangers a favor by beating the Flyers last night so the Rangers are back on top of the Atlantic.

- Tony

You Too! Can Own A Tom Renney Chemistry Set!

Rangers fans across the globe are asking Santa for their own chemistry set in the hopes they might have the right line-changing ingredients for Coach Tom Renney, as the once top-of-the-league New York Rangers continue to spiral downward in the standings.

As you all know (and this is like beating a dead horse over and over), our infamous Coach Tommy Boy over the past three seasons has NEVER found a line that worked, except for the inherited line of Nylander-Jagr-Straka post-lockout - which was soon destroyed by not re-signing any of them, as they dictated how the game would be played without his input. It worked. They won games. Not to suggest that this is the right path, I have always defended our coach in that he, or any coach for that matter, needs to lead and instill confidence in the players, not the other way around. So I agree that they all had to go, but.... The "Jagr stability line" was the last line that worked.

The very fact that our forwards Marcus Naslund, Scott Gomez, & Chris Drury - all All-Stars - and a handful of terrific hard-working newbies (Dubie, Callahan, Zherdev) cannot find the right chemistry to score goals is tragic. Our confidence is lost. Our delirious captain Drury is seeing the positives in getting shutout again, as opposed to motivating the locker room with fear of loss, is even more tragic. But when the players cannot get it together, they look to the coaching staff and this all comes down to the chemistry set of Tom Renney.

A rare victory against the Penguins gave us a front line of Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev and we saw results. The next game we didn't so Renney TORE UP THE LINE AND REVAMPED AGAIN.

This has been the story of the Rangers for years. Perhaps the Rangers won all their games in the beginning of the season and are now losing most of their games because other coaches on other teams have let the lines evolve and let the players grow accustomed to winning AND LOSING together on the same line....there are nuances in playing hockey, clues and hints to how you play with your fellow linemates - it's hockey-line evolution baby! Tom, we're in the relationship business here...not some experimental chemical orgy! For Christ's sake! The only non-moving parts on this team are your special teams coaching staff - who should have been removed many seasons ago.

More tragic is our blueline (Wade Redden and Rozsival are scary overpaid hooligans), but we all knew this going into the season.

So, soon The Dark Ranger will be calling for the removal of NYR Coach Tom Renney and the entire coaching staff as the decline is their fault! We've all had enough, the team has had enough and this display of coach narcissism is embarrassing for the history of the franchise. The economy is falling, the ticket prices are too high, the corporate seats are half-empty and unpaid and good hockey is all we might have left over the next couple of seasons.

If tonight yields an embarrassing loss to another losing team - the Atlanta Thrashers - I will officially call for our coach's head to be shipped back to Canada where a developing AHL team awaits.

TDR

Drunk With Power?

Allow me to introduce myself. I've posted replies to previously under the alias "J". From now on, I'll be posting under my usual full pen name, J_Undisputed. The most generous, yet quite mysterious Dark Ranger has found it in his heart to provide me with the opportunity to post some of my rants as a Ranger's Fan on the Dark Ranger site. My thoughts on our beloved team often go against the grain, I am rather strongly opinionated and often longwinded, so I guess that can be considered a disclaimer that i'm usually not one for sugarcoating, but I promise that there is a method to my madness and i'll try to convey that over the course of any of my posts. -So with that in mind I bring you my first rant.....

There was a time when Tom Renney would ignore the cries raining down from the crowd to bench a player. Apparently Renney has seen the light.... in fact, he's probably tanning by it as you read this. What started a two weeks ago with the benching of Brandon Dubinsky, capped off (or at least we hope so) with the benching of Zherdev and Voros for a single game against Ottawa last night. Hey look on the bright side, at least Colton Orr got some powerplay time. Um, ....what? That's right, "Bobby" (a nickname Orr was given by his Teammates) saw time on the powerplay. Now coming off the summer, I have been one of Orr's biggest advocates. Seemingly the hardest working and most improved guy over the summer, Orr deserved more ice time for his efforts and more importantly his results. Does he belong on the power play, yeah sure... if we're up by 3 with 5 minutes to go... which was hardly the case last night. Who am I to question, right? This is Tom Renney's team and he now rules it with an iron fist. All opposing voices and opinion have been vanquished during free agency. There's only one dominant personality now, and it scribes away in a notebook, whispers in players ears and then slaps them on the shoulder to try to motivate them. Their reaction, perhaps confusion. The opinion of many is that Dubinsky hasn't quite played the same since his benching and only time will tell how it affects Voros and Zherdev. Well perhaps the verdicts already in on Zherdev. The winger was called upon to shoot first in the shootout after being benched earlier in the game for an extended period of ice time. Just the same, Zherdev went out scored his goal and returned the bench with no exuberance or jubilation at all and in fact almost seemed to wave it off in frustration/dismissal. While his English may not be good, his body language spoke volumes and his absence when his name was announced as a star of the game would seeming provide punctuation. Growing pains? Do we have another premadonna our hands? Neither was a cause for concern when the wing was signed, due to the nurturing reputation of our coach. So does the possibility of a situation with Zherdev come as a shock? Not to me... This is status quo for our coach. He coaches/ or non coaches himself into a corner and then looks for someone to bail him out. Usually its not a player he'd admonish minutes before.

In fact, he rarely admonished anyone just in case the situation presented itself, where his hide needed saving. That has changed. Considering the mixed signals, one could hardly blame Zherdev for his confusion. In fact there was a lot of confusion in last nights game... Proverbial thorn, Jaarko Rutuu, spent the night running, lining up and jawing with several of our players. One of the better agitators and a dirty little(expletive), Rutuu reminded many of us of exactly what our team is missing. Grit. Rutuu had the attention of several of our players, namely Dubinksy (who was left shaken up in a corner earlier by Rutuu), and self appointed policemen Voros and Mara. To top things off, Orr was sent out opposite Rutuu later in the evening to send a message. What that message was is anyones guess, as there was no stopping Rutuu... who taunted us even further by taking a second shot in the shootout after losing his handle the puck on his initial approach. This left many of our players incessed, our coach complaining and fans like myself with a lot of questions about this teams toughness and attitude. It's become quite clear that Girardi pushing guys down in open ice, Voros' fight simulation and Mara's beard are not intimidating anyone. So will there be hell to pay on Saturday when we visit Ottawa? Orr ko'ing guys is apparently something reserved for special occasions and doesn't do any good against someone who wont drop the mitts, unless we have a coach that's willing to sacrifice an instigator penalty to target somebody, an agitator to balance things out and get opposition off their game or a player that delivers bone crushing hits to make someone pay within the rules and has opposing players looking over their shoulders. When it comes down to it, the game is still hockey and there's no room for part-time/ fake tough guys on the bench or behind it...

- J_Undisputed

Tom Renney May Be The Problem

Commentary from "J" worth sharing:

"It would seem that the problem is our "new leadership" are suffering the same old problems because of the same old coaching staff.

We only have enough focus to right half the ship at a time, says Renneys little notebook. In Toronto, we came out early and got the goals and then coasted the rest of the way in route to getting burned. Now we start soft and put ourselves in the hole every 1st period and then finish strong and dig ourselves out by the end of the 3rd. Our coach has a tendency to play favorites and feels like if he gets the lines just right, there will be a click and every player in a rangers uniform will start to magically glow and play the best they'll ever be capable of... Whats worse, is our players are starting to adopt the attitude of the coach. "This is bad bad bad.. but say the right things, because we are a good team and have hope because good fortune is just around the corner." Good teams don't need to rely on hope and they create their own luck.

Our new captain feels he is leading by example, I think. Drury never really gave me the impression that captain is a role he relishes. Kind of like Leetch. It's an honor and you can't let the team down, but for a humble guy like Drury...you need a vocal leader like Shanny was for Jagr and Yzerman or a co captain like he had before in Briere. From what I've seen so far from the guys on the team, Naslund has the potential to be that guy as much as he would seem to want to keep a low profile himself.

Funny enough Shanny wasn't necessary, and neither was Avery during this free Agency period. The only 2 things that were consistent last season was that Avery was a pain in the @$$ whenever he was in the line up and Shanny was being proactive talking to the refs, the coach, the other players, the emotional captain and the media and anyone else he could get his hands on. That gave us an identity and a personality. We have a faceless team now and some of the guys that we signed are just trying to resurrect their own careers while playing a role in the whole teams success. Instead the team was placed on their shoulders. Naslund was probably used to it because of how he was treated by "the nucks". Same for Redden in Ottawa. Aside from Naslund, Drury and Henrik, there are a lot of guys avoiding the media these days and leaving quickly after the games... and Sean Avery is somewhere smirking over his prediction that our acquisitions wouldn't be able to cut it in NY. (remains to be seen, but one can't deny that neither has really carved out their niche yet)

Renney wanted to make it clear he was in control of this team. Jagr's gone, and Shanny's gone, as is Avery and the team is void of strong personalities. There's no one to bully him and get in the way of him coaching the "the kids" , which is supposed to be his specialty. The only problem is there's no one saving his ass anymore either (except Henrik, but you cant win games without goals). Renny's made a point so far of benching Dubinsky and Prucha (most recently), Malik (previously our worst defender) and Nylander a few seasons ago, but never really threw down with anyone with a strong personality or that would take him to task or could potentially save his rear when he needed some wins.

Probably one of the reasons Messier had him ousted from Vancouver."

-'J'

Another Losing Success

Well, Dark here.

With the pre-season almost behind us, another loss to Tampa last night (now 1-4 in the pre-season) and one more big one to go here in the states (Devils, Sat. 1pm at MSG) you can be sure that we will finally see what will be closer to our starting roster and get a better sense of what this team will look like.

Long gone are the declarations of the "Gomez-Zherdev" chemistry and "this is the year of Prucha", and aside from the Kalinen (Malik) disaster ahead, one thing or another is for sure having watched all of these Renny-pre-season-experiments:

1. We will struggle with the power play again -- maybe cuts need to be made with our special team coaches.

2. We will outshoot every team we play and have difficulty finishing.

3. We will be relying on Henrik Lundqvist to create the wall necessary to solidify our defense.

4. On the positive side -- we are a fast team and with good coaching and hard work, this mix of veterans and youth could chemically become (there I go again with chemistry!!?) a team that can compete on a Cup level. With the perimeter play of Jagr, Straka, and dare I say, Shanny gone -- whatever the squad looks like, Slats and Renney have answered one of the missing links to the Rangers of the least three seasons -- a 'going to the net' offensive mantra. Thank God. With our 'ho-hum' defensive system in place for another season, it appears as though this system will be counter-balanced with potentially explosive front lines. I have to admit this is exciting stuff.

5. Not one Rangers blog has mentioned "Mats Sundin" in the last couple of weeks. I am happy with that.

Some terrific links regarding the roster and last nights game I would recommend, here (Blueshirt Bulletin), or here (Ranger Pundit), or here (Rangers Report).

The Dark Ranger is back with 'loving and hating' the team I always admire -- look out for a swarm of followers and flash-mobs wearing the latest TDR t-shirts at the Garden this season. The spirit of The Dark Ranger will be in Prague looking to diffuse any stormy weather and Lightning ahead. Keep checking in and thanks for the summer time off.

Jagr is gone. A dark tear is running down my cheek.

tdr

"But It's Not Our Fault", NY Rangers 1, Anaheim Ducks 4

"I don't think they outplayed us, but they took advantage and had more patience," - Jaromir Jagr, Captain of the NY Rangers

"We have a hard time beating the West Coast teams," - Henrik Lundqvist, goalkeeper of the NY Rangers

"It's just one of those crazy things that can happen every year. You can't really put your finger on why it happens." - Scott Gomez, center for the NY Rangers

“The first period they came out hard, kept it simple. We played hard and should have won.” - Michal Rozsival, Defense on the NY Rangers

“We’re not going to win games by just playing hard and having good emotion and all of those types of things. We have to win by having poise and composure whether you’re winning or losing. There are a lot of teams we’ve struggled against. At least we’re not discriminating.” - Tom Renney, coach of the New York Rangers

"We have Marek Malik fighting Sean Avery during practice yesterday and the team is constantly making excuses or justifying in their heads that they're doing nothing wrong. No one is in control of the Rangers locker room. No one is willing to take responsibility. Three wins in a row and they believe - 'it must be last year again', but this is a very different Blueshirts squad and we lose the next two. Wrap your heads around that!" - The Dark Ranger, Objective Witness

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

A Long Road Ahead (24-21-6)

So we tied in regulation with the Atlanta Thrashers and the Blueshirts won on the shootout 2-1. Good. Official recap here. The official NYR site proclaims - "The Leech Night Thriller", but not sure if I was then watching the same game as the official Ranger organization was. The shootout went our way and that is all. The third period was the only period we played like a contender. The first and second periods were business as usual. I am certain Coach Tom Renney felt "there is room for improvement, but regardless we played hard and I wouldn't change a thing." An almost brilliant diatribe on Tom Renney and his inner-thoughts can be found at Rangerland here -- great stuff and so true.

On the trading and rumor front, I thought I'd share some non-credible hockey reading from Ecklund the anonymous hockey blogger who this morning wrote

Sundin. I was told 90% now that Sundin is moved. The latest rumblings include Vancouver and Calgary leading the way, but don't count out the NY Rangers I am told. With rumours of Malik being shipped to Chicago very prevalent, and also rumours popping up that the Sharks have interest in "another highly paid Ranger" I get the sense that the Rangers are up to something big. I would be pretty shocked if Mats would decide to go to NY however as everything I have heard is still pointing him towards a Western Canadian team, and he has told people he will ONLY play for a team he feels can win it all.

For once I hope Ecklund is right and Blueshirt management is doing something before the deadline. I actually don't believe Jags is on his way out, but Malik is a sure thing which would free up an additional $2.5 million in cap room - which would allow someone to come in around the $4 million mark only. Knowing Slats, he would probably guarantee a multi-year contract plus bonuses, spurring a 'dumping salary spree' come the off-season.

Whatever happens, I do think the Rangers are in for a major re-organization this June/July.

Enjoy the break everyone - and look for our 'very own and grown' Dubi playing in the kid-All-Stars game this weekend.

(clap, clap, clap, clap....'LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!)

tdr

Dr. Jekyll Ranger Shuts Out Thrashing For A Living, NYR 4, Atlanta 0

Last evening the New York Rangers played like a solid hockey team should and blanked the Atlanta Thrashers four-to-zip. In typical Blueshirt fashion - a huge win can always be downgraded by a visit with Mr. Hyde Ranger, who could make an appearance this Thursday as the Rangers play a double-home-header against Atlanta twice in the same week.

The Dark Ranger is reserving comment on last night's victory and will address both games in one shot Thursday evening. Here is the official recap. As it stands the Rangers are last in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the Eastern conference -- but a string of wins could make them a contender, as they are only seven points away from first place in the Atlantic and second in the Conference. As stated before, the Blueshirts need to win 2 of every 3 games generally to insure a playoff run.

One comment worth mentioning is a reserved 'kudos' to the coach (this is hard for me) for finding the Avery-Gomez-Jagr line, as it appeared to have sparked a little speed in our dear Captain Jags. The Beast is Back! (or for a game at least)

tdr

Truth Or Rumor?

Word on Broadway these days suggests that the New York Rangers locker room is divided into two camps, the first being the Jaromir Jagr Lemmings (anyone European including Lundqvist) and the second being the Shanny-Grit Camp (Drury, Gomez, Avery, including Valiquette). Jagr trade rumors are frequent and what will that mean if it's real?

I want to hear from you dear readers of Dark. Is this a bunch of crap? Where is this going? Which camp does Tom Renney support? What does it mean for him?

Maybe we all can collectively figure out what the hell is wrong with this team, as The Dark Ranger has run out of new ways to say "this team is sucking the barrel."

tdr

Buffalo's Woes, Rangers 2, Sabres 1

Two wins out of eight games is certainly better than ten losses in a row.

This was the case as The New York Rangers handed the tenth to the Buffalo Sabres last night, obviously hurting without their now-Blueshirt Chris Drury. Though disappointed in Drury's performance as a Ranger this season, I felt satisfied in that we were able to acquire him (big deal! - double meaning), that we finally beat the team responsible for knocking us out of playoffs last season and contributing to their double-digit loss streak - a horrible achievement for any hockey franchise.

The win leaves a slightly less bitter taste in Ranger fans' mouths, as we take the win with a 'grain of salt', as this team needs to demonstrate more than a win here or there. Three in a row would get some of us back.

I had tickets. I was supposed to be there. Work, work, work. Needless to say, I couldn't be there and I am not able to comment on the game, but was pleasantly surprised by the updating scores through text messages.

I highly suggest you link to the following terrific NYR sites for information on the game, including the next two games against the Boston Bruins back-to-back this Saturday and Sunday. I highly recommend visits to Scotty Hockey, The Ranger Pundit, Pucks on Broadway, Blueshirt Bulletin, or the bias official website NYR. Perhaps one of our guest bloggers will make an appearance on the blog!!?

I will not be posting this weekend as The Dark Ranger will be in Toronto researching and meeting with various hockey spies, seeing family, visiting the Hall of Fame and enjoying the company of certain hockey retirees.

More to come from the Darkest of Hockey Bloggers on the net.

tdr

Their Kids Are Better Than Ours, Rangers 1, Penguins 4

Forget about "my Dad can beat up your Dad" because the Pittsburgh kids took care of it on their own. Not only did the kid-Penguins bitch-slap our rookie-Blueshirts, they virtually immobilized the entire Rangers team, limiting the Rangers to one mercy goal late in the third during last night's meeting. The Rangers have now lost five out of the last six games, including four losses in a row on the road.

Stellar goaltending by newcomer Penguin Ty Conklin and a hat-trick by the amazing 'faster than Scott Gomez' Pittsburgh Penguin rookie Evgeni Malkin handed us another loss on the road, ending our one-game winning streak. "Captain With Training Wheels" Jaromir Jagr scored the only goal in the third period preventing the shutout.

Tom Renney's not happy. Post game he looked spooked. What's next?

Echoing throughout this blog are '500 Ways To Say They Are Bad', and the Blueshirts are on a path of loss, as our coaching staff is back to his old ways: Marek Malik in the starting lineup and a perimeter offense again molded around our crusting and half-speed Captain. Always tough to watch.

The only redemption in the final twenty seconds was seeing Marc Staal stepping up for his team mates and with no reason other than on principle, he launched into retaliation. THIS is a reminder that the team needs to look out for each other and show their strength. We lack 'grit & hit' on the Rangers and if Tom Renney isn't willing to lift their confidence and spirit by coaching, the Rangers may be able to lift it through their fists.

Hit back Blueshirts. The season end point could be near and the 'fight back' might, at least, keep it interesting for the fans.

tdr

TOUCHDOWN!, Philly 6, NYR 2

It keeps getting worse, now five losses in a row. What could possibly be next? Please hit the panic button now!

The Dark Ranger's nemesis the Flyers spanked The New York Rangers tonight at The Garden, peeling off another layer of the Blueshirt's confidence. It appeared that after Ryan Hollweg (the offensive machine!) scored the first two goals of the game ending the first period, the tide was turning as the fourth HBO-line enforcer was the least likely player on the team to score against our rival Flyers - let alone two of his fifth career goals. This was followed by an onslaught of six Philadelphia goals - the hockey touchdown - shutting down any last drop of hope and ending another horrible loss to the New York Rangers. That leaves our boys with one point in five games. Good grief!

Due to unforgivable consecutive Blueshirt penalties at the end of the first and second (Dan Girardi cries, "Throw me your stick, Chrissy!") the Flyers opened the second and third periods with the power play advantage, flipping Henrik Lundqvist into mediocrity & the Rangers' momentum into a wave of 'orange & black.' Everything went downhill from there. As Mother Theresa would say, "we suck."

Objective recap here.

Over forty games past the half-way point, last in the Atlantic Division and All-Stars still unable to play with each other (let alone against other teams) this is a professional hockey team on the outside looking in. It is looking grim. Thinking back to the opening of the season, it is ironic that anything short of first in the division and 'top two' in the Conference would have been an utter disappointment. I am embarrassed to have admitted to friends that I believed a Stanley Cup was in our future. I just wish I never said anything, as it's ringing in my head over and over and over....

It especially hurts losing to the Philadelphia Flyers. Tonight we sadly bow our heads, suck up the loss to a 'town known for cheesesteaks' and understand a little better how they might have felt all of last season. (sigh)

tdr

An Open Letter To Tom Renney

After a surprising New York Rangers' loss to the Tampa Bay Horrible-Hockey Team, 5-3 last night, in the spirit of directly speaking with members of the Blueshirts - I offer a personal letter to Tom Renney, coach of The New York Rangers, this time in a language that is 'most-appropriate' to how NYR fans are feeling these days.......in Pig Latin:

==========================

Earday Oachcay Omtay Enneyray,

Asway ethay esteemedway oachcay ofway Ethay Ewnay Orkyay Angersray, ouyay avehay away esponsibilityray otay otnay onlyway ethay eamtay andway anagementmay, utbay alsoway otay ethay ansfay. Ethay 5-3 osslay otay Ampatay Aybay astlay ightnay, ethay econdsay orstway eamtay inway ethay NHLAY, isway agictray. Ouryay oachingcay ethodsmay areway agictray. Ethay onlyway opehay asway ethay irdthay eriodpay, utbay ywhay adn'thay ethay Ueshirtsblay ayedplay atway atthay "irdthay eriodpay" evellay omfray ethay eryvay eginningbay?

Ultimatelyway, anotherway osslay orway otway isthay eekway illway anghay onway ouryay ouldersshay, Omtay -- andway erethay isway onay easonray atthay otway 600-oalgay orersscay, away eamtay ofway Allway-Arsstay, away Ezinavay-ominatednay oalkeepergay, away NHLAY-atedhay instigatorway andway away unchbay ofway alentedtay ookiesray ouldn'tshay ebay ickingclay ogethertay. Ethay "orkingway onway eamtay emistrychay" orway ethay "eway ayedplay away eatgray amegay" oundbitesay isn'tway orkingway orfay ouyay anymoreway.

Isthay illway allway estray onway ouryay ouldersshay ymay iendfray. Oonsay ouyay illway onay ongerlay ebay away iendfray ofway ethay eamtay, ethay ansfay, andway areday Iway aysay, anagementmay?

Etgay itway ogethertay obray, asway ouryay avygray aintray aymay ebay eavinglay ethay ationstay.

Incerelysay,
Ethay Arkday Angerray

(The Dark Ranger)

Rangers Are Stampeded in Calgary, NYR 3, Flames 4

No folks, it wasn't that annual Calgary Stampede that brought New Yorkers to the Great North, it was a good 'ole fashioned hockey game; one that the New York Rangers lost.

Though, the score would suggest that it was a close game - one would think - the Rangers were outplayed for most of the game and Henrik Lundqvist performed poorly when it really mattered. Spectacular saves in the first period led to the Blueshirts 1-0, but the final goal against the Rangers was below average for that guy in net that call "The King". Not sure where he has been lately.

Official recap here. Despite what is stated on the NYR site, it was not a close game. The West Coast Flames were quicker and controlled most of the game throughout. Jagr and Shanahan were invisible, with Scott Gomez a bona-fide 'fast skating loner'.

Tomorrow's bout against the Canucks in Vancouver will prove to be the toughest of the Canadian swing this week. Tune in.

Short & sweet -- The Dark Ranger has been in deep work mode, so sorry for the brief synopsis (and sorry for skipping the Montreal game) . For more thorough recommendations over the next month, I would highly recommend Scotty Hockey, The Ranger Pundit or The Blueshirt Bulletin. Great work from three of the best Ranger sites out there.


Let's go Rangers -- show 'em a little East Coast Attitude.


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

The Sinking Ship, Rangers 1, Coyotes 5

Yesterday, The New York Rangers were beaten badly by the Phoenix Coyotes. Wayne Gretsky appearing as coach of the Coyotes again demonstrated to 'the most famous arena in the world' that his skills (now as coach) were top-notch, despite his suffering from the flu, unable to speak. One thing was for certain, Phoenix arrived at The Garden, having beaten the Newark Devils the day before, with a belief that they can win. That they did. They slaughtered.

I held myself back from the typical Dark Ranger 'love/hate analysis' because so many others hold parallel views of our tragedy named The New York Rangers, but here's a brief summary. The coach is bad. The captain is bad. The offense is bad. And now, our defense is stinky. The combination of all of these, leaves us with an outstanding goalkeeper, Henrik Lundqvist - who was (strangely) dressed as a backup to Stephen Valiquette's on-ice massacre at The Garden of Hopes & Dreams. Poor Vally, the game wasn't his fault. Strange bounces led to the first couple of goals, but then all was lost due to everything! The only player who always looked ready to play was our once-resident enforcer, Ryan Hollweg, oddly benched by Coach Tom Renney yesterday to motivate his level of play. Strange coaching methods, I must say.

I am not alone in my desire to have a winning team. My criticism of Tom Renney as coach, Jaromir Jagr as Captain, and the defensive system by which the Rangers are losing more than winning, is a means to a better team and system. The third worst team in the NHL, the Phoenix Coyotes, with an average age of 26 years old on the entire team, came into the Garden and destroyed an All-Star team because of a solid system, a willingness and want to give it "their all' and a damn-good coach to boot. There is no better an example of how the basics win games.

But enough of me, may I present my fellow Blueshirt Bloggers. Without them, I would be an enigma. Anyone should start with Scotty Hockey who cautiously outlines a dwindling Coach Renney; when he's not transforming himself into 'hockey dancing elves', I highly recommend the Ranger Pundit, whose dubbing Tom Renney 'Coach Clueless' points out that there is no short-term solution to our proud players in Blue; Dubi of the definitive and always objective Blueshirt Bulletin has a rare slamming of the team (this NEVER happens), which means it's a cold day in hockey-hell, folks; Larry Brooks of the Post in his 'Coyote Ugly' piece; John Dellapina of The Blueshirts Blog with Tom Renney stating post-game that his team has lost their confidence asks "How is it possible that a team with two 600-goal scorers, two other guys who have won Stanley Cups and a goalie who has been a Vezina Trophy finalist in both of his first two seasons is playing with absolutely no confidence?"; and lastly Pucks On Broadway leaves us with the inevitable question, "Where do we go from here?"

I need nothing more than to find support amongst my fellow bloggers. We all feel the same way. The fans all feel it. I wonder what the owners & Glen Sather are feeling right about now?

tdr

The Great One Returns

No, not you Jaromir. Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky is coming back.

The former 'Blueshirt Michael Jordan of Hockey' will be returning to MSG for the first time this Sunday as coach of the losing Phoenix Coyotes (13-16-0), and this time, the lagging New York Rangers (16-12-3) hope to 'kick his ass' and finally bury the post 1995 years for good.

As a New York Ranger in the 1990's, Wayne Gretzky was not the player he used to be, but the Great One was still the one to watch. His play was pure Picasso. "How can you stop a guy who disappears on you?" former Flyers coach Wayne Cashman says. "You don't. You just hope for the best. I saw him in a game once where a huge defenseman was going to put the biggest hit in the world on him. You know what Gretzky did? He passed the guy the puck. He was so surprised it stopped him in his tracks. Then Gretzky flipped up the guy's stick, took the puck, went right around him--and was gone!"

May his coaching skills be less than his play.

Regarding our game Sunday, the good news is that Marcel Hossa is out with the flu and will not play against Phoenix. The bad news is it appears our PIM-heavy "Ranger Savior" Sean Avery also will not be in the lineup on Sunday (maybe Tues vs. Pittsburgh, but definite on Thurs vs. Minn). Ranger Coach Tom Renney is seeing red these days and management will be paying close attention to how the Blueshirts will attack the game against one of the worst in the league. Last evening the Islanders easily beat the Coyotes, the New Jersey Devils of Newark will play at 1pm against them tomorrow and the tired team will play against NYR on Sunday, giving the Blueshirts the advantage they need to rebound. The Rangers have dropped three in a row, four out of five, but somehow are second in the Atlantic Division - two points behind NJ.

To all that have suggested in comments and emails, I agree with you. CHRIS DRURY SHOULD BE ON THE FIRST LINE. This is all a matter of 'when', as opposed to 'if'. Our newly acquired 'clutch-man' is a more consistent center than Brandon Dubinsky and will adapt to Jaromir Jagr and Straka if our coach actually gives a damn. There are no other choices on this issue. IT IS TIME, RENNEY!!!! Take care of business or I'll get the Ranger Pundit all over your mess!

As to Gretzky, we wish you well in the beginning of the game & we celebrate your achievements as one of the best hockey players ever. We salute and honor you.

Though, we hope you are a terrible coach and have an emotionally devastating trip back to the desert after a tragic loss to your former New York Rangers.

tdr

Tom Renney Coaching 'Bad Ice', Rangers 4, Caps 5 OT

Oy. The Dark Ranger is getting tired of this.

Maybe New York Rangers Coach Tom Renney will have something to teach his professional hockey players this afternoon, after the Blueshirts lost to the Washington Capital 5-4 in overtime last evening. "We didn't show a lot of poise and we didn't show a lot of maturity," said Renney, whose team blew a 2-0, first-period lead and is 1-3-1 in the last five and 4-5-2 in the last 11. "We got the lead, and we got comfortable. "

Way to go coach! Full game recap here. Fellow "questioning our coach" bloggers here, here, here.

Last night reminded me of our first meeting with Atlanta this season -- a display of horrible leadership (coach and players) and team effort. The brain-dead Rangers have dropped four of the last five games, the one win against New Jersey now feels more of a fluke than a win. The opening first period welcomed two unexpected Rangers goals by Scotty Gomez and Martin Straka holding the lead at 2-0, but two minutes later answered by the Capital's Joe Motzko scoring, ended the period 2-1.

The first intermission was a time of answering the breakdowns in the first period, the lack of cross-checking and maintaining lines, a reflection of playing smart hockey -- a good coach makes the team hopeful, smart and decisive. Well f**k me!

The second period brought forward a wave of Washington Capitals, outshooting the Rangers 10-0, the antithesis of forward motion and our defensive system. The Blueshirts looked disorganized, barely focused and slow, until Washington rookie Joe Motzko scored again - his first two goals of the entire season (a rookie playing for the worst team in the NHL scoring on the best goalkeeper in the league). Now we looked just plain bad. Hhhmm. The last period, the Big "O"vechkin scored, followed by another unexpected wave of New York Ranger offense -- Straka scoring his second goal, Brendan Shanahan lighting it up to tie the game 4-4 and heading into overtime. Point taken.....then.....

...the trip on 'bad ice'.

With only a minute and a half left in overtime, heading toward the shootout (Go Henrik!) Ranger's Chris Drury sent a beautiful cross-ice pass in the Capital's zone to Brendan Shanahan. Shanny's skate buckled underneath him, he tripped and fell leaving the puck wide open "alone and looking for love in all the wrong places." Capitals Defense saw the turnover opportunity and proceeded to two-on-one Henrik Lundquist letting in the winning goal by Capital's Mike Green.

"I'm not sure if I'm disturbed or perturbed. We just weren't very smart," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "I thought we handled the puck poorly, we managed it poorly, we had disjointed line changes, we had defencemen caught out for two-minute shifts because we couldn't get out of our own end."

So Rangers fans, aside from the "Mystery of the Disappearing Power Play Unit", I leave one more question to ponder after another hideous loss, "Where was Tom Renney in all of this?"

tdr

Renney In The Hot Seat, Rangers 2, Thrashers 4

After the Rangers swept the Thrashers in the first round of the playoffs last season, Atlanta coach Bob Hartley had a short leash to start this season, and he was fired after an 0-6 start. The Thrashers are 14-7-1 under general manager and interim coach Don Waddell, including two wins over the Rangers.

Never underestimate the momentum of three big losses. The New York Rangers lost 4-2 to the Atlanta Thrashers last night for the third loss in a row. A potential loss tomorrow against the red-hot NJ Devils, having won every contest against them this season, could create an unstoppable downward spiral. Hate to say it again, Coach Renney is in trouble.

Henrik Lundqvist sat out last night, replaced by Stephen Valiquette - who I still feel played an adequate game, though without any team support he was overwhelmed by on onslaught of offensive Atlanta thrashing. If Henrik sits out against tomorrow -- all is lost -- because this means Tom Renney has lost confidence in his goalie. It doesn't matter if Henrik has lost his confidence -- a good coach instills confidence in his players.

NYR General Manager Glen Sather fully expects Tom Renney to exploit his new purchases this season -- the speed demon Scott Gomez, the clutch-man Chris Drury -- and the All-Stars that make this team such an attractive franchise on paper - Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Straka, etc..plus one of People Magazine's sexiest "we love to hate"....of course, he needs no introduction. The philosophy that these players cannot connect is ludicrous and insulting. Coaching makes the match. Dubie on the first line with Straka and Jagr? Heaven's to Betsy.

I continue to be a huge supporter of Dan Girardi and Marc Staal - and even with Marek Malik sitting out last night - it is apparent we do not have the blueline this team needs. Duh. I am back on my pre-season vow to trade for that much needed "D-Man." Scotty Hockey does a convincing "what if" Schneider from the Anaheim Ducks wants to be a Ranger (I agree, Scotty, but he completely injury prone), though, with Sather & gang vs. The Salary Cap precedent - there is minimal room to consider it.

The losses hurt less the more pathetic the Rangers get, so I'll leave with "there are plenty more games in the season", but a shake-up is required to find or motivate that All-Star chemistry we all bought into. Someone can do it. A good coach can do it.

My fellow BlueBlogger "coach-disappointed" Ranger Pundit feels Tom 'Coach Clueless' Renney is not up for the job and I may soon be jumping on that bandwagon. Let's see after tomorrow's meeting.

tdr