King(s) of New York

HENRIK MAKES 43 SAVES AGAINST DEVILS

It was fiercely contest game. Well the second half anyway. Despite assertions from on again/off again coach Lemaire that there was no rivalry till his team started playing better. The opinion either was the ramblings of a disillusioned soul or a strategic chess move from a would be evil genius.

Read the official recap here.

Apparently, we were too busy gloating from the beating we gave the other trespassers from Long Island to start this game full throttle. Its not often I find myself applauding anyone in a rangers suit for their honesty, but during the first intermission Sully hit it right on the head when we acknowledged we were being out played and getting "killed in the corners". I personally took as a bad sign when Girardi got hammered at the buzzer and moped away like it was nothing.

We were sticking close to the evils ones from jersey long enough to feel like applying ourselves and beginning the exorcism. Throughout the second we showed signs of life and and went 1 up off a lucky bounce and the tension started to build. Things would eventually Boyle over (pun intended) in front of the ranger net as Brian Boyle found himself paired up with Zubrus emerging from a scrum. After half a game of turning the other cheek, we had finally had enough and raised the level of our efforts completely shutting down Jersey in the final period.

Ron Dugay pointed out the exact difference between these two teams. "The Rangers can play without Marian Gaborik but the devils haven't found a way to play without Parise". It made all the sense in the world watching last nights contest. With cap problems abound, guys like Rolston being sent to the ahl and being rerun through reentry waivers in the hopes that someone would pick him up and ease the Cap Hell the devils are sinking in because Kovalchuk wanted prestige and notoriety as a hundred mil player. The last thing they need are returning guys like Arnott missing 2 chances at an open net and guys like Corrente stalking Avery while looking for blindside hits that haven't much to do with any plays developing in front of their net... and lastly, their aging backstop only showing glimpses of what earned him the leagues favoritism in seasons past. With one foot in the past and the other in the sh*thouse, maybe Lemaire was right. There is no rivalry. The domination of the islanders and sinking of the devils only alludes to the fact that we have risen to the top of the tri state area. While other teams we trampled regardless of the leagues favoritism will play each other in the winter classic, we may have to sit back and realize that the only thing standing in our way, is ourselves and that sooner or later .... There comes a time for every team to fulfill its destiny and recognize its own greatness....

First New York, then the Tri State Area, Next the Eastern Conference.... and soon Maybe the league.... Lets Go Rangers!!!!!!!

Till next Time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

P.S. -For those watching the Crosby Streak. It's over... we now return to your your reguarly scheduled sensationalized NHL marketing campaigns. :P~

Happy Holidays and Happy Hockey

...or (insert) the head of Ilya Kovalchuk

Nothing better than a good Turkey Shoot, eh?  

As the holiday season begins, here at The Dark Ranger we wanted to wish everyone safe travels and a fun-filled weekend of hockey! We appreciate your readership and hope that you continue to visit for some good fan insight and, better yet, a good laugh.
 
Happy holidays to all and see you tonight in Tampa Bay.


The Dark Ranger        Graying Mantis       J_Undisputed

Bruins and Devils Fall This Weekend

Sat NYR 3, Bruins 2

Sun NYR 3, Devils 1

Woh.
Are you as stunned as I am?  This weekend the New York Rangers treated us to some of the hardest working and hardest hitting hockey we've seen all season; all this without Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Chris Drury, all out on injured reserve. 

We may now be witness to the realization of the Utopian John Tortorella system and the kids are listening while the overpaid watch on the sidelines.  With these kind of results, what is a coach to do when your injured are feeling better?  Play Gaborik, sit Prospal & Drury?  I'm just sayin....

Ryan Callahan has been kicking ass the last 3 games

Tonight's win against the NJ Devils at home makes for three wins in a row (4-2-1) erasing earlier worries that we couldn't be a playoff contender.  I know, I know, it's too early to even go there, but our weekend warriors pounded our opponents - the Bruins Saturday night (Official recap here) and tonight against the NJ Devils (Official recap here).  On both occasions, the Rangers outworked our opponents, played aggressive forechecking two-way hockey for 60-minutes each game (Yeah, really!).   It makes everyone believe for a moment or two or three (wins) -- they are united and they know what they need to do.   Even Micky Rozsival played solid hockey (with the exception of that Kovalchuk goal in the 3rd period tonight).

I couldn't be more thrilled and we'll get to more on the games after this Kovie update:

Kovalchuck, in the first season of a 15-year, $100 million deal, returned tonight to New Jersey's lineup against the Rangers a night after he was benched by coach John MacLean for undisclosed reasons.  The NJ Devils proceeded to lose to Buffalo 6-1.

Okay, so let's back up and read that again.

Trouble in paradise NJ Devil's GM Louie Laminated?  Karma catching up to you 'ya salary cap dodger?'  Did the bionic $100 million dollar man have words with Devil's coach McLean before the game?   Perhaps Kovie is blaming everyone else around him for the Devils slumping season -- or perhaps the rest of the team is pissed that he was paid circles around what they're making?    I simply love this.  This is picturesque.    This will continue to be a problem for the Devils.  So much Devils talk for a Rangers blog, but this small digression absolutely has everything to do with the Rangers...

...because we won tonight.  Even more than that, we controlled them tonight.

Kovalchuk back in the lineup had ZERO effect on the game, with the exception of his one goal.  NY's Ryan Callahan played Kovie man-to-man much of the game, and very effectively at that, and the Blueshirts shut them down.  Not until the last four minutes did we see a threatening force attacking the Rangers goal and waking up a hibernating Henrik Lundqvist.  The only redeeming force on the Devils side tonight was Mahhh'ty Brodeur in goal.  That's it.  He prevented numerous Rangers scoring opportunities, but our boys never let up and never stopped believing.  Pound the net, push forward and shoot...and shoot....and shoot.....  "Gooooaaaal......."

Those last 30 seconds of defensive hockey were awesome.  Thrilling, adrenaline inducing and proud moments for a fan.

The King Henrik is back with Prince Biron at his side. 

Last night against Boston and tonight against the Devils are the perfect examples that we have finally left the days of the Jaromir Jagr perimeter-hockey system - or simply, the 'play the outside and look for the perfect shot' system.  Even Rozsival & Dubinsky seem to be moving toward the net with more frequency.  We have now entered 'dirty goal heaven' where you shoot no-matter-what and dig and grind your way in.    It also appears that Tortorella's message of 'stick up for your own' is having an effect on the boys, as there haven't been many hesitations on our end to stick up for a player that might have been wronged.  Yes - there were a couple of clean hits that we retaliated against (i.e. Sean Avery/Boston) but it sent the right message to not f*ck with us and keep the game fast and clean.  But most importantly, we are seeing the results of "LET YOUTH BE SERVED" a bold statement made by coach John Tortorella in the off-season.  We are seeing just that and these kids want it and are earning it.   Amen.

We all acknowledge it's early in the season - the Rangers sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference (NJ is 15th) but it is this crucial time that a team develops the chemistry necessary to pound through another 75 or more season games together.

Things are looking up for this young Rangers team and, for the moment, we are proud fans and proud devotees of this very special Original Six franchise.

Let's Go Rangers and see you Wednesday against The Thrashers.

tdr

Always A Favorite Picture of Mine....he he eh eh  MAAHHHHH-TY

WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Devils!

All this makes me really happy.

The New Jersey Devils of Newark haven't won a game, spent $100 mill on Kovalchuk who has been lackluster, the bloated contract alone is leading to serious cap problems and Fatty Brodeur is shitting the bed this season.  Wah! 

from Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice,

Devils coach John MacLean halted the team’s morning skate today at HSBC Arena and ripped into his players for being listless and sloppy during one of the drills.
MacLean stopped the drill, called the players over to him at center ice and then began yelling with several profanities mixed in. Then, he made them restart the drill they had been doing. MacLean apparently spotted one player shaking his head after he yelled at the team because I heard him say, “Don’t shake your head.”
“I thought it was a little too laissez faire for a team that hasn’t won a game yet,” MacLean explained afterward.

from Mark Everson of the NY Post,

In this upside-down world of the desperate and winless Devils, here’s another injury that could help general manager Lou Lamoriello temporarily manage his salary cap and short roster dilemma.
Forward Brian Rolston is receiving a second opinion after an initial examination suggested a possible sports hernia. If confirmed, he could require surgery and the Devils likely would place him on long-term injured reserve and temporarily free some $5 million in vital cap space to restock their short-handed lineup.
Rolston and defenseman Anton Volchenkov (stiff neck, broken nose) are to sit out their second straight games tonight when the Devils visit the Sabres tonight.

 tdr

Two Words For Rangers Fans

Frolov & Stepan.

Aside from the sloppy and uncoordinated play during last night's first pre-season game at MSG, the half-rookie/half-veteran Rangers scored a win against the almost-fully-loaded NJ Devils of Newark in overtime, NYR 4, NJ Devils 3 OT.  Nothing feels better than the hockey season opening and a handful of rookies taking it to Fatty Brodeur.   Marty Biron was in goal for the Blueshirts, and later replaced by Chad Johnson.

It was a fine game.  It was a crappy game.  Its pre-season!!  So there isn't much to criticize, but some thoughts on the game in general:

With sniper Marian Gaborik scoring two goals last night, including the overtime game winning goal -- it was a pleasure seeing Frolov on the same line feeding both to Gabs, with Derek Stepan stepping up during the second period with confidence and belonging -- he opened the night hesitant and conservative, but that all changed once he realized there were hardly any fans throughout MSG to 'boo' him if he didn't deliver.  It all changed from that point forward -- if last night was any indication, we could have a natural first line that scores goals often.  (It's been a long time since we had 3 who could deliver on the same line, I dare to say pre-lockout? ) 

Fighting to make the team as a rookie, Derek Stepan didn't make Erik Christensen look good, as both are fighting for the top line center between Frolov and Gaborik.   As a buddy of mine said of Stepan's debut, "this guy could be our #1 Center!!", and though it's hard to know this early in the game, between what coach Tortorella has been saying about the kid throughout camp, what scouts and beat reporters have reported, and last night's taste of what he brings to the ice -- he could fill the vacancy.   This is a positive result of the Rangers organization vesting in the youth and the prospects for years now -- one of the best ways to legally circumvent the salary cap restrictions, 'get em while they're young and don't go broke during free agency.'

Both Dan Girardi, and especially, Marc Staal did their best impressions of the Tin Man -- as you could see the rust falling off them.  Ryan McDonagh has arrived as promised, delivering a solid, conservative performance that will certainly make the Rangers-Brass think about not using another defender's $6.5 million toward the cap this coming season.  Who could that be?

Everything else about the game felt pedestrian and 'as-would-be-expected' for a pre-season opener.  The game could have gone either way -- but some of these highlights made it worth showing up.

Unrelated to last night's game, I am reminded that New York Rangers fans are the best in the world --- when we are playing our hardest, we know it.  That's why we show up.  To support and criticize the team we love.  But we also know that pre-season games are an extension of camp, where coaches introduce new players and the wins/losses are secondary in the big picture.  We are a civilized bunch.  On the other hand, across the land of Canada -- freak-like Toronto Maple Leaf fans and even scary-French-Canadien Hab-fans treat their hockey a little differently, holding their beloved teams to the highest degree even during these pre-season games.   See here for the Leafs.   See here for the Habs.   Although any clinical pyschologist might consider this fan reaction of 'having to win' a form of addiction (or maybe alcoholism?), you should probably take the casual advice of Damien Cox of The Star and Carey Price and......CHILL (THE F*CK) OUT!

So, see you at The Rock on Saturday night as we face Farty Brodeur a second time this week.  If you happen to pass a large carcass of rotting meat in the Prudential Center prior to the game, just let it be as Marty will later engulf his prize; if any of you are new to the NJ Devils, it is widely known that goaltender Marty Brodeur eats large amounts of meat when he loses.  It's a fact.   ;)     Some teams throw octopus on the ice, some throw Grade B loin scraps. That's Marty for ya.

It's great to be back in Ranger Land, folks and we look forward to your commentary and continued readership.

Let's Go Rangers!

tdr

If Kovalchuk Was Offered Less Money Than He Wanted....

Here's a random funny clip that made me think of Ilya Kovalchuk being told by his manager that The Devils were offering him less money than he was asking....and his subsequent reaction.

With everyone closing the door on this schmuck, the Los Angeles Kings taking themselves out of the running and now the rumored NJ Devils closing the door -- he is most likely preparing to take a trip to the KHL.

So enjoy my visualization of Kovy getting upset, or maybe it represents a Knicks season ticket holder's reaction to watching LeBron's special at 9:10pm tonight on ESPN....or maybe your crazy Uncle George on the Fourth of July after one too many.....

With no news on the Blueshirt front - enjoy.



tdr

Can Our Baby Rangers Win a Cup?

Good, thoughtful reading from Nick M. over at the 'up and coming' The Rangers Tribune --- I have been enjoying his site and insightful commentary, so check him out.  He conjectures on how the Rangers organization is on the right track (and even suggests trusting management along the way --- what do you think of that readers of DARK?).  Go here for the post, but below is a snapshot:

The Blueshirts have one of the better systems in the NHL when it comes to their prospects. They have more depth than most organizations and the plan is to eventually bring that depth to the professional level where they will have the chance to develop into a solid contending squad. This is the process that the Chicago Blackhawks had to go through. This is the process the Pittsburgh Penguins had to go through. This is the process the Washington Capitals had to go through. Well, look how those teams turned out. Just look at them now and for once, imagine the Rangers finally being that good. 

As Herb Brooks once said "Great moments are born from great opportunity." That is what the Rangers have here. They have great opportunity to slowly but surely become a contending team again. One that will actually have fans at the edge of their seats instead of slouched down ashamed to show their faces. Whether management and staff realize that, I cannot confirm for you, but I will say that is the correct direction to move this team in. It is the right way of doing things and it will eventually lead to success on the ice of Madison Square Garden; something we are not used to at all.

I couldn't agree more -- and from your lips to the hockey Gods' ears, may we find the re-building we've all been asking for.  Though, it would still be nice to dump Redden in the minors, free up 5 to 6 million in the cap and bring in a Bobby Ryan or untouchable Ilya Kovalchuk, wouldn't it?  Remember we still need to score goals...and free agency can allow that to happen.

tdr

Announcement! Devils welcome Kovalchuk.

NOW YOU CAN TOO! 

But We Scored Five Goals!!??

NYR 5, Caps 6

'Bittersweet' is the word to describe tonight.

Not only is former-super-sniper Atlanta Thrasher Ilya Kovalchuk officially now a New Jersey Devil, but the Rangers lost in regulation for the seventh time in eight games and have slipped below the post-season cutoff in the Eastern Conference.

But we scored five goals???!!!!

Here is the tsn synopsis:

The Rangers carried play in the first period and took a 1-0 lead at 8:58 when Callahan tipped in a shot by Jokinen, snapping New York's 0 for 25 power-play slump over seven games. Gordon tied it with 3:20 left in the frame, despite Washington being outshot 15-5 at the time.  Prospal got that one back just 10 seconds later, and New York finished the period with a 2-1 lead and an 18-6 shots advantage.

The tide turned in the second as Washington quickly caught up in shots and on the scoreboard. Knuble's 20th goal made it 2-2 at 4:41, and Ovechkin's power-play tally at 7:16 gave the Capitals their first lead.  Jokinen, in his second game since being acquired from Calgary on Monday, scored his 12th of the season and first with the Rangers to make it 3-3 at 12:19. Prospal put New York back on top 40 seconds later.  Dubinsky's power-play goal with 1:12 left in the second made it 5-3 and had Madison Square Garden rocking.  It didn't last long as Ovechkin quieted the crowd by netting his NHL-leading 38th, scoring a one-handed goal with only 8.5 seconds left in the middle frame.  Former Rangers defenceman Poti tied it 5-5 just 59 seconds into the third, 36 seconds after New York newbie Michael Del Zotto was sent off for high-sticking.

Despite the loss, it was an awesome game to watch, complete with all of the short-handed turnovers, too many penalties, and defensive gaffs one comes to expect as a Rangers fan, but there was a confidence from the start in our Blueshirts very different than the level of play we've seen throughout this losing streak.  They were fast and hungry and they fed off the Garden, something I don't remember in some time.  Henrik Lundqvist was solid in goal, regardless of how many he let in --- if he hadn't played to his level, the Caps would have scored five more goals.

Alexander Ovechkin is truly a marvel to watch.  He is a guy who loves to win, is motivated by The Garden, and is the consummate hockey player.  I wish he was on our team.  Is it me, or am I the only one scratching my head with Rozsival covering Ovechkin one-on-one?  TORTS you ineffective Napoleon!!!!  - one thing is for sure, Torts has his favorites and sure loves benching Redden.  He's got it half right.

Some quotes of the night:

“For sure this is very, very tough to take, but we screwed it up ourselves,” Marian Gaborik said after the Blueshirts yielded three power-play goals while shorthanded nine times overall, including three times in the second period and five times in the third.  "We have to be disciplined; we can’t take that many penalties against anyone, certainly not against a team like that.  It’s our own fault.”

At the very least, it's refreshing that we're not being fed the usual "We played hard, we're just not getting pucks in the net" sound-bite that bites the ear.

Recently acquired Olli "Twist" Jokinen scored a goal and an assist and pushed the puck forward --- with Proust doing a great job with the body throughout.  The team has improved with them in the lineup.  Time will show what happens, so if our newly acquired Westerners can beat the historical "Lackadaisical Garden Syndrome" (the disease that gradually slows down hockey players to not work so hard, but still hastily cashing their checks), they might improve the tempo of the game.

The NJ Devils of Newark tomorrow, with Stanley Cupping Kovy on their side.  I call on Sean Avery to rise high and make fun of Fatty Brodeur, and do what he does best.  Be a pest.  Throw off their game.  Let's win this one and remind Kovy why he should have taken his Atlantian $100 million dollar contract, rather than one that belongs to a half-attended, half-hearted hockey town.  Yeah...they're on top right now, but a loss to the Blueshirts would do wonders in elevating our half-feeling team.

Who knows?  If not the Devils tomorrow, maybe we'll win a game one of these days!!?  10th place in the Eastern, by the way folks.

tdr