Rangers only wing Detroit before losing 5th straight.

Exploding out of the gate and owning the first period still wasn't enough to earn us a win. In fact while most of the commentators seemed to be impressed with how less sucky Jimmy Howard was in net for Detroit, I was unimpressed. Overall, it was great Original 6 game with lots of energy and battles all over the ice, but for all the rushes, scoring chances, and back and forth play... the score hardly tells the tale.

Read the official recap here.

With no disrespect to the Howard, it seemed many of our shots where channeled straight up the middle, exactly where the defense wanted them. As with many of our past games, we seemed to out shoot our opponents and still wind up on the short end of the sticks. This could only point to our quality of shots. The bottom lines echoed by commentators across different networks and analysts throughout the league are always commending our high energy game and tenacity, but whats missing is that our game is also very easy to read. The other teams defense is slowly migrating toward the board where they they can apply pressure and take away our puck movement and what few goal that we've scored in the past 5 games, have come from a higher percentage of bad angle shots.

The wings came out flat last night and our energy and defense too over causing turnovers and quick rushes toward the Detroit net. After the first period, the tides began to reverse as Detroit up its game and started to play a smarter game. Going to the boards and digging the puck off to where they're fowards could play us in open ice and then crash the net for rebounds. It was telling that Datsyuk could outplay two skaters and our backup with only inches of space. Energy alone doesn't win a game and it has to be directed with consistent lines and fundamental basics like crisp passes without cycling the puck around the endboards hoping to confuse the defense. While it creates space for players like Prospal who seems like hes on his own mission these days; going rogue and crashing the net every opportunity he gets, the itch to play certain shows but it heard seems like the rest of the team is aware of his objectives and his of theirs or theirs of each others. As a team, the only way to roll forward is communication and repetitive practice in open ice with room to work around defensive pressure.

Till Next Time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

Impudent Gomez and Impotent Offense Doom Blueshirts | MON 2 NYR 0

When the post-mortem of this season is written and the Rangers do not find themselves among the 8 teams in the playoffs or in 8th place ready to get swept by the Flyers, they will look back on games like yesterday's as the reason why.

In fact, they can look at pretty much every game since the All-Star break as a reason why epitomized by the Rangers' again being unable to score early in games, falling behind heading into the 3rd period, mounting a frantic rally in the 3rd period and falling one goal short.

This perilous recipe for success has not worked its early season magic recently. Throw in the fact that the Blueshirts are 0-for-3 against Montreal (so far), 0-for 3 against the Flyers (so far), 0-for-2 at home to Carolina and you can count up points left behind on the table.

Instead, the Rangers were shut out by Montreal, 2-0, in a matinee before the usual packed house at the Chambre du Horrors known as the Bell Centre. The recap is here. The team's losing streak is now 4.

Proving once again that goaltending is the least of the team's problems, Mary Biron was saddled with the loss despite showing an excellent glove hand, being a 3rd defenseman with his adept puck-handling and zone-clearing passes, and making some outstanding saves. Unfortunately, Carey Price bested him by playing well but helped by plenty of blocked shots, one too many passes by Ranger forwards and overall hesitation by the team in trying to finish plays.

Bodies Everywhere. Despite only 6 penalties
called in the game, there was plenty of hitting.

Let's also not forget the incredible ineptitude of the Rangers' power play -- the one that had 4 straight chances in the second period and came up with one lone shot on goal during those 8 minutes of a man advantage.

It was during this stretch that the game was lost. The Rangers simply had trouble keeping the puck in the zone at times. At other times, 3 Rangers would cycle endlessly behind the net enabling the Canadien defenders o collapse in front of the goal.

No Rangers were in front of the net and the Rangers did nothing to stretch the defense by getting the puck to the net. When the Rangers actually succeeded in doing that, Del Zotto had the lone shot on net during the 3rd power play. What became noticeable was the fact that because the Rangers created no momentum during the power plays, Canadien players did not seem to exert any energy. In fact, after each power lay was concluded, the Canadiens burst into the Rangers' zone to attack as if they had been resting.

It was, of course, not surprising, when after the 4th power play failed with 2:04 left in the 2nd period, within 40 seconds, Montreal scored the game winning goal. That play showed sharp passing along the blue line first by Yannick Weber at the right point who sent a sharp pass over to the left point to Alexandre Picard that got the Ranger players moving out of position.

Picard shot the puck that went wide to Biron's right where it caromed off the board to the left side of he goal where an unchecked Gomez calmly collected it and went up high over Biron's left glove. Whether it was a deliberate pass or an errant shot, the passing at the point opened up space that enabled Gomez to exploit the opening. This was exactly the kind of passing and chaos the Rangers could not create during their power plays.

Gomez collects the puck from Picard's shot as Biron scrambles from the right post to cover the left.


Gomez roofs the puck (puck is to the left of the "G" on his uniform); Biron had no chance . . . .


and can only watch the puck as it starts to tall into the corner of the net. Game over.


Picking up a recent theme, the Rangers came out flying in the 3rd period and held a huge territorial advantage and scorched Carey Price with 19 shots. Montreal had 6. Price was skilled and lucky enough to withstand the onslaught.

Why the Rangers have fallen into the habit of raising their offense in the 3rd period instad of earlier is a mystery. Perhaps they are in fact a better conditioned team. But the tactic, such as it is, is not working because the Rangers come into the 3rd periods of many games trailing or tied and that adds pressure to score an equalizing or winning goal while keeping the other team off the scoreboard.

It has not worked in the last 4 games -- the Rangers outshot Florida 11-1 (and outscored the Panthers 2-1 but that one shot allowed was the Florida game-winner), Pittsburgh 11-3 (no goals and a shootout loss), Devils 15-2 (no goals and a regulation loss) and Montreal 19-6 (no goals and a regulation loss). 56 shots yielding 2 goals and 1 point in the standings.

Dark Days Coming? 10 games ago, the Rangers were tied with the Capitals at 55 points for 5th in the conference and led Montreal by 4. Things have changed now thanks to their recent 3-6-1 streak including an abysmal 3 game (and pointless) home losing streak (Florida, Pitt and NJ).

The teams ahead of the Rangers in the conference are putting some serious distance between them and the Blueshirts. Over the past 10 games, the Canadiens have outgained the Rangers by 7 points and lead them by 3, the Caps - 4 points, the Pens and Flyers - 9 points each, Tampa - 7 points.

That is a lot of territory to try to make up as the number of games dwindle. Carolina beat the struggling Thrashers to replace Atlanta as the number 8 seed and are within hailing distance of the Rangers.

Where there was talk during the All-Star break that the Rangers could make a run at a top 4 conference slot, that dream may be disappearing as quickly as Marian Gaboirk's ability to score in consecutive games.

The Rangers are off to Detroit for a Monday evening game on Versus at the Joe. Fortunately, the Red Wings have been inconsistent recently with their own 4-5-1 stretch. If there's any consolation, anyone notice that the Black Hawks are 11th in the conference.

---The Graying Mantis

RANGERS FANS UNITE, SAY 'NO' TO SHELDON SOURAY

Remember Wade Redden, kids?  He's worse!

This scares the hell out of me.  Even at the beginning of this 2010-11 season, Sheldon Souray was put on waivers and no one in the entire NHL inquired.  Just say no!

Go here for yet another attempt to scare all Rangers fans into oblivion.  Please stop.  Enough.

tdr

King Lundqvist Was Overthrown, NYR 2, NJ Devils 3

A much needed regime change was in order last night

It was to be a battle of two elite goaltenders, Mahhhhh-ty Brodeur on the Devils side & Henrik Lundqvist on the Rangers side.  With Brodeur having one of the worst seasons of his career and Our 'King' Lundqvist having one of his top seasons, no one could have predicted that Blueshirt backup Marty Biron would be the one to keep the Rangers in the game.

Official recap here.

Shameful to watch and eerily feeling like watching Rick Dipietro in net, Henrik Lundqvist was in the Twilight Zone throughout this match of the elites.  Kovalchuk connected on New Jersey's first shot to give the Devils the lead 1:04 in,  a hard shot that caromed in off the post.  Shortly after, Dainius Zubrus' scored.  By the second period our very own Zuccarello (Hobbit) failed a clearing attempt pass to Chris Drury, which Elias stole and assisted Brian Rolston who scored giving the Devils a seemingly comfortable 3-0 lead.  Lundqvist was pulled like pork from the bone (and we 'aint talking about Brodeur and his meat fetish).

This is what was left of Henrik.

Marty Biron replaced the fallen goalie, and managed to keep all subsequent pucks out of his net.  

That 'nostalgic stomach gas feeling' filled Rangers fans at this point (see picture to the right), made even worse that half of MSG was filled with strangely happy and cheering Newark fans.  I thought all Devils fans had their heads between their legs this season???!  What motivated them to buy an overpriced Garden ticket in the first place when all hope had been lost?

In his second game after missing 19 because of a broken hand, Callahan took a pass from Anisimov and fired a shot from the bottom of the right circle that beat Brodeur over the left shoulder to make it 3-1 with 3:35 left in the second.

Hope filled the room...maybe.

It got busy at Marty's Meathouse

The third period furthered our hope and positioned the Rangers to comeback, as Vinny Prospal - in his first game of the season after prolonged injuries - scored on Brodeur less than 2 minutes in the period, leaving 18 minutes left for the Rangers to tie up the game, and who knows? maybe even take this one away from the Devil-losers

There were scoring chances....and more chances.....and more chances.   All missed.  The closest scoring opportunity arrived with only 2 seconds remaining in the game, with a blitzkreig of shots and bodies in front of Marty Brodeur's net, Brandon Dubinsky finally found Marty vulnerable, laying on the ground upside down like a spicy rotiserie chicken from Price Chopper with the legs facing the sky, took the shot hitting the post with one second left.  Tie goal, almost..

Cheap Eats if you ask me.  Game effin' over.

The Blueshirts are now 7th in the Eastern conference, only two and a half losses away from sliding into the eighth & last slot for playoff qualification, so let's move on toward a successful points-run starting tomorrow night in Montreal.  Should be an easy one!  Right?

Let's Go Rangers!  Don't let the once-injured vets mess up the chemistry that has won us games!

tdr

Nabokov Meets With Bettman

Courtesy of the Houses of Hockey Waiver Wire!

Brilliant!

A-Bylsma-L....

RANGERS LOSE IN SHOOTOUT TO PITTSBURGH SUPPORTING CAST.

Returning from the all-star break, there were questions floating around about possible rust on the team and the returning forwards. Would we instantly be better with all the players healthy or would it sour the mojo that our patchwork quilt of reserves and only slightly injured players had been building?

Read the official recap here.

While the rangers were trying to feed off the energy of the returning Callahan. Bylsma's $h*tbirds were trying invoke the spirit of Crosby and Malkin (who were probably at home engaged in a Halo deathmatch). It seemed to be working Marc Andre Fleury managed to wander outside the small blue patch in front of him and hit the ice after ranger player brushed by him. Jordan Staal managed to do his part by suckerpuching Brandon Prust while in a scrum and sullying the family name. After all, it wouldn't be a Penguin team without at least one cheapshotting douchebag known for his scoring, to jump and unsuspecting player in an effort to lead his team by example. (Stall got a match penalty and a 1 game suspension)

In the first period, during the usual Vs. fanfare, They managed to pull Tortorella away from important stuff like coaching in order to do an interview. His response to the euphoria of the interviewer over scoring the first goal against the media hyped, league hyped, vs. hyped Pittsburgh hockey Juggernaut, was simply "I dont think we're playing that well and the score is deceiving... They're making too many long passes and we're not taking away enough space in the neutral zone..." Boy was he ever right. Attribute it to rust, returning players, or fear of penguin team (what vs. would love to have you believe at the leagues request).. but our Defense was G*ddamn atrocious. Players not getting their sticks down, missing coverage, weak and lackadaisical switching off. Creating just enough holes for players to shoot without paying for it and wristing shots from far off distances. It was a see saw battle back and forth for 3 periods because we allowed it to be. We didn't shut down this team and we didn't commit to a plan. Instead a mixed batch of players were sent out on the ice as if they needed to evaluated all over again and our offense seemed to be adlibbed as the game progressed. Rushing to get up ice and attempts at low percentage passes to Gaborik without first drawing the attention elsewhere; Scampering in errant directions and trying to chip the puck up ice. Our game last night was one dimensional and our apprehension showed in overtime as we wasted time volleying the puck between d-men in our own zone rather than moving the puck up ice. Only slightly more anti-climactic were the pedestrian shots taken by our shootout selections. With all the success guys like Wolski and Zuccs have been having the shootouts with fancy stick work, the feeling last night was "who wants to be typecast as a dangler...? Kids stuff". It was indeed a let down for the returning Lundqvist who must have been hoping for an easy night after playing against the best players in the world while most of the rest of the team had the week off.

Ref Reality check- No Vs. Broadcast would be complete without idiotic commentary, annoying announcers and watching Sean Avery take a blind side hit without a ref's acknowledgement, but somehow the same officials manage to exponentially inflate Newbury brushing by Fleury outside of the crease into a full blown elbowing call. Fortunately "hockey Lives on Versus" because calls like this, will have it dying everywhere else.

And for the sake of all that is Friggin right with the world, can someone explain the link between chemistry and linemates to our coach. Is it so hard just to make substitutions for the injured guys and let them try to fill a role? I feel like i'm being haunted by the Tom Renney Line changer...

Dubinsky-Anisimov- Callahan

Gabby - Drury (till Christiensen comes back)- Avery

Zuccs- Stepan- Wolski

Prust - Boyle - (Newbury... till Fedotenko comes back)

THE RANGER revealed

(Thanks to The Rangers Tribune for breaking the update)

Thanks to Stan Lee and the NHL, every team now has a superhero that represents each franchise as a way to appeal to kids of all ages and identify them with the team, and not necessarily the players on the team.  Closely resembling McDonalds and their 'playground' tactics, this is probably one of the stranger things the NHL has done to attract kids into the sport.



Not sure what it has to do with hockey, but I am sure on January 30 they will explain everything.  The only true evil are the guys I can think of are behind making this deal for the league (i.e. Dolan, Bettman, etc...)  Truth be told, maybe the NJ Devils and NY Islanders could use a real-life superhero at this point in the season - the Atlantic Division could grant them this handicap.

Well one thing is for certain - our name lends itself to creating a superhero.  The Ranger.  Easy to remember.  Has a fighter adjective built into the name.  But what happens when you are the Maple Leafs or The Islanders???  Hilarity.

Completely ridiculous...

This is all Stan Lee could come up with?

Sad that THE DARK RANGER was the original unofficial superhero of the New York Rangers, but we accept the new guy in town and understand that it's time to move on. 

Though, we'll stick with the bad photoshops and hold our heads up high!

DARK

He Giveth and he Taketh Away.

RANGERS DROP CLOSE ONE TO CATS OFF ARTIE'S BACK...

Henrik Lundqvist must have felt as if he was blindfolded for most of the night and by the end... maybe he was hoping for a cigarette and firing squad. The Marksman however might be aiming elsewhere; in the direction of Artem Anisimov.

Read the official recap here.

It was just the night before where young Anisimov would play the hero and lose his goose egg on Shootout tallies... however last night Anisimov would play guest bumper twice on shots that got past Henrik Lundqvist, including the deciding goal. Some, you win and some, you ....facepalm, then sink between two players on the bench hoping to not be seen or noticed, the hope avoid the shower of debris that rains down from the stands... For young Anisimov, this is just one of many stumbles that every player in blue has experienced at some time or another. As long as his gaffes don't come with a signature (Malik, Roszival, Poti, etc) , he'll move on and tweak his game so that they don't happen again.

So much was made of the fact that we didn't play like a team that had went the distance the night before with another team. I can't say I beg to differ, but I did notice that our game wasn't up to snuff. By that I mean, while conceding we played with intensity and energy that has become synonymous with the team. We didn't have the level we needed to beat the team we played last night. The Panther team that came into the Garden last night, started a game with hard checking and muscling players off the puck. Unfortunately for us, their game is much like ours and they knew exactly where to find us. In the corners and along the boards are the places we hope to lure other teams where our cycling around the boards and slight of stick game has the defense moving enough that eventually a lane opens up to the front of the net. Florida brought a heavier checking game than we expected and played us tighter in the places we normally get the most work done. While the scoring for both teams came in spurts, this game was decided on resiliency and ability to adapt. The Panthers for the most part took their game off the boards and up high instead of working in the traffic jam that occurred in front of the net at both ends of the ice. Multiple deflections and weird bounces and screened shots seemed to cause havoc for Henrik most of the night. For the most part, his facial expressions ranged somewhere between "How the hell.." and "SONOVA...". The Returning Del Zotto actually made one or two extra effort plays that would make you think he's found purpose in his game again. Though the team overall seemed to be treading water hoping for a break, there were a players that did stand out out. Avery getting top ice time of all the forwards must have been such a humbling moment for Torts, who eventually had to put all his eggs in one basket to generate some offense with Boyle centering Avery and Gaborik and forcing things down low. The defense picked up and only allowed one shot for Florida in the third. A little deflection and screen from Anisimov would be all that it needed to go in.

As we head to the All star-break, we can perhaps look forward to a week that will give our players the rest and rehab they need... and we'll settle back for a Dive Free Allstar game with both Crosby and Malkin out.

Till Next time Ranger fans,

J_Undisputed.

The Hobbit Shoots and Thrashes / NYR 3, Atlanta 2 (SO)

 ASSOCIATED PRESS below (DARK thoughts tomorrow):

Atlanta Mats Zuccarello scored in a shootout, Brian Boyle's goal forced overtime with 5:19 left in regulation, and the New York Rangers rallied to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 on Saturday night.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 20 shots through overtime and then was perfect in four shootout rounds for the Rangers, who avoided losing for the fourth time in five games over seven days. Wojtek Wolski added a second-period goal for New York.

Anthony Stewart and Nik Antropov had goals for the fading Thrashers, who have lost six of seven.
Stewart's 12th goal gave the Thrashers a 2-1 lead 18:01 into the second period. Bryan Little's shot from the right circle glanced off Stewart's backside, but Stewart gained control of the puck and scored to Lundqvist's glove side.

Atlanta made it 1-0 on Antropov's tip-in -- his eighth goal -- 6:47 into the first.
Wolski scored his ninth goal to lift the Rangers into a 1-1 tie at 2:43 of the second period. He was skating toward the bottom of the slot when Derek Stepan sent a pass to him from the right circle.
The Thrashers seemed to get a boost from a penalty-killing unit that started the night ranked next to last in the NHL.

Atlanta wasn't short-handed until 14:33 remained in regulation, but Ondrej Pavelec stopped three shots while the Thrashers were down two men.

Boyle set up his 17th goal, tied for the most on the Rangers, with a hit on defenceman Johnny Oduya that forced a turnover. Boyle slid the puck past Thrashers defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, as both players skated past the Atlanta blue line, before regaining it and beating Pavelec.

The injury-ravaged Rangers had six rookies in the lineup, including Brodie Dupont, who made his NHL debut. New York coach John Tortorella gave only seven shifts to Dupont, the team's third-round draft pick in 2005. He is the eighth rookie to make his Rangers debut this season.

New York, which lost forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko this week to injuries, also saw defenceman Dan Girardi get banged up. Girardi had a bloody upper lip and nose after he fought Andrew Ladd in the second period.

Notes: Wolski has three goals and six points in six games since the Rangers acquired him from Phoenix on Jan. 10 for defenceman Michal Rozsival. ... New York captain Chris Drury has no goals in 19 games since returning from a broken finger. ... Girardi was trying to avenge a clean hit on defence partner Marc Staal when he grabbed Ladd's jersey and fought the forward.

CSI - Carolina Scene Investigation -- Nothing to See Here | CAR 4 NYR 1

Hockey once again proves to be a strange game. Your team can look invincible one night and the very next night very, very ordinary.

Witness this week. The Bruins laid a 7-0 shellacking on Carolina on Monday and beat them again the next night 3-2. Then they lose to the lowly Sabres 4-2. The Leafs got steamrolled 7-0 by the Blueshirts at the Garden on Wednesday and then rock the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 the very next night.

You know where I am going here -- the Rangers -- victorious with the aforementioned butt-whipping of Toronto on Wednesday -- put forth a follow-up pathetic performance losing 4-1 in Raleigh to the Hurricanes. The recap is here.

Thanks to the Bruins, the Rangers did keep some distance between themselves and Carolina but when the task was in their hands to drop Carolina further, the Rangers came up woefully short. Today, the 9th place Canes trail the Blueshirts by 5 points and have 2 games in hand.

There's little about the game to discuss without my wanting to simply hit my computer's off switch. In fact, I am not using any pictures from last night's game since there was nothing noteworthy and I want to spare myself and readers from those horrific black home jerseys that Carolina donned.

Casualty Concerns. So far this year the Rangers already have lost nearly160
man games to injury. Last year -- 78 for the entire season. The number
will continue to increase by 6-7 games for the next couple of weeks at least.

Excuses are plentiful -- back-to-back games while Carolina rested. The infusion of green youngsters (including yesterday's call-up, Chad Kolarik) to replace the missing players: Prospal (Gaborik misses him for sure), Christensen, Frolov, Callahan, Dubinsky, and Fedotenko.

Note the last 3 names on this list -- the bedrock for penalty killing and backchecking -- and you have to admire how well the Rangers have been able to play with all the Hartford call-ups filling the roster. But fans sense (and rightfully so) that the team's resilience can only be stretched so far in the face of losing so many top-line players.

Still, performance from those highly paid to do so is required and it was sorely lacking everywhere except in goal -- Gaborik and Avery had no chemistry last night due in large part to Carolina's making Gaborik a focal point. Chris Drury looked s-l-o-w.

Hartford Express Derailed. Whether the Rangers can keep up
a winning pace relying on several call-ups remains to be seen.
Even at full strength, we have seen that the Rangers do not match up well with speedy teams like Tampa and Philadelphia.

Based on Henrik Lundqvist's quote -- “It was too open a game, too many scoring chances and not the way we wanted to play. They were fast and came at us with a lot of speed.” -- it looks like you can add Carolina to that mix.

Last night's game was lost early in a depressingly similar way to the last weekend's losses against Montreal and Philly as the Rangers fell behind once again 3-0. Only this time, they could only pull to within 3-1 midway through the 3rd period before Carolina closed the door with an insurance goal by rookie Jeff Skinner.

At least this time, from the opening whistle, the Rangers tried to match Carolina's attack. Although outshot 16-11, the Rangers had ample opportunities to score but either failed to finish or were thwarted by Cam Ward, who had a solid game.

Artem Anisimov had 7 shots on goal -- several quality efforts. Wotjek Wolski had several pretty moves that could have been rewarded.

Henrik Lundqvist had a solid game, bordering on spectacular, but was abandoned several times by his defense. The Rangers' play in the defensive zone the entire night looked ragged like their effort against the Leafs in the 3rd period the night before. The loss of 3 of their defensively-expert forwards was very noticeable.

The Rangers defensemen, other than a beautiful goal-denying swipe from the crease by Dan Girardi early in the game, had a forgettable performance. There is nothing more disheartening than seeing Marc Staal's #18 as he was beaten when Brandon Sutter scored to make it 3-0 in the second period.

By the way, Ward's and Lundqvist's numbers so far this season are eerily similar:

• Ward 20-14-5 2.67 .921
• Lundqvist 20-15-3 2.26 .927 .

These are both elite goaltenders. Henrik has been the beneficiary of a much more solid defense that has permitted many fewer shots than Ward has faced. Those blocked shots do pay off.

I watched the first 2 periods of the game from my personal man-cubicle (my office) last night. My work neighbor and I watched the game from our respective computer monitors -- each of us muttering to ourselves about what we were seeing.

Toward the end of the 2nd period, I saw that CSI was coming on -- so I simply flicked it on for the 3rd period and relied on my neighbor's outbursts to tell me what was going on.

So I missed Brandon Prust scoring to make it 3-1 (assisted by Chad Kolarik and Ryan McDonagh, both of whom notched their initial NHL points) halfway through the 3rd-- my response to my neighbor: Let me know when it is 3-2.

After hearing that Skinner scored to make it 4-1 -- my response: how much snow are we getting tonight?

Meanwhile, I came to some acute observations while ignoring the 3rd period:

(i) although admittedly a Bruckheimer t.v. addict (Without A Trace, Cold Case, and CSI Miami and CSI NY), I learned that the regular CSI show really is awful. But it was still better than the Rangers' game;

(ii) if I am a cop or detective or treasure hunter and this incredibly too-wonderful-to-be-true good-looking woman "befriends" me and takes a much too curious interest in my work, then I should be watching my gun, my back, my self-respect, and most of all, my privates. Too often, all 4 become victims.

(iii) My final observation needs pictures. . . lots of pictures.


"It Moved." Suffice to say if I am a victim in a CSI Miami episode and Emily Procter and/or Eva La Rue are poking around me, you can be damned sure they will find a pulse. I may be a corpse, but I ain't dead.

Let's hope the Rangers show some life as their ongoing 3 game road trip continues -- Atlanta on Saturday night and Washington on Monday night.

---The Graying Mantis

Rangers Bag leafs 7-0

GABORIK EMERGES FROM SLUMP TO SCORE 4Wow, it was just one of those nights where things clicked and pucks started bouncing in our favor. Prior to the game it was announced that Dubinsky could be out a month with a stress fracture, and as hopes sunk deeper... the prayers were with Gabby to break out of his slump. His extra practice shown on a pre game feature. He delivered like only he could.

Read the official recap here.

Poor Gustavsson in the Toronto net was apparently so starstruck playing against his Idol, in Henrik, that he couldn't see any pucks coming. Actually he saw plenty, in fact his defense abandoned him on so many plays, there should have been a welcome mat painted between the hashmarks in the Toronto zone. The tandem of Avery Gabby and Anisimov, seemed almost unstoppable. It also put a little more shine on the Stepan/Zuccs pairing and the every improving Boyle and hard working Fedotenko (who looks to me like he dislocated a shoulder last night and should be out for the same amount of time Gabby missed earlier this season.) Stoning every Toronto shot he faced, Henrik closed it out in style and racked up another shutout in his meteoric rise to the top of the Rangers list in that category.

It seems to be there could be two sides to this Gaborik issue. There are some of us that will hail Tortorella a genius for calling out Gabby and sitting him for extended periods the other night. I have a hard time buying into that completely and may have the unpopular opinion. I think he's a good coach and I like him taking players to task, but there seems to be some disparity on how things are played across the board. I wasn't of the opinion that Gaborik was slumping, just uninspired by misuse. Its not long ago that we had a captain who was a great player but had more mood swings than a schizophrenic going through menopause. He was often coddled, given familiar linemates, consulted about what kind of game he thought we should play, etc. ... and I hated it. It doesn't mean that I don't recognize its effectiveness. Gaborik is a player cut from the same cloth. Not really prissy because he doesnt back down... but he's a prolific scorer than under the right conditions can produce miracles and magic pretty consistently. Lets face it, Gabby hasn't been given consistent linemates for which to build any chemistry. It also seemed apparent before that Avery on Gabby's line produced the other time it was tried. Then poof just like that after a game, it was disbanded and never came together again without even the smallest of afterthoughts. Oooh, I have one... Perhaps Tortorella couldnt stand the thought of rewarding Avery with as much ice time as he would be receive having to be on the ice every time Gaborik was on even strength.... At least not without Avery first bowing to Tortorella and complying with the coach'es image of Avery. Avery's a better player than many people give him credit for but he has to work in a confined space. Sometime he needs to stretch the boundaries of that in order to be the Avery that we love to see mentally distract the opposition... noone knows that better than Avery...so for once, trust the guy and give him an occasion to rise to. I'd rather have him be preoccupied with scoring than the many things that run through his mind while sitting on the bench. For a guy like Dubinsky, who's the apple of the coaches eye for developing in the system, it's rewarding to see him progress but it also feeds the coaches ego and strengthens the idea that everyone should play his way or not at all. It's a bit idea that has its merits. Its the basis for a coach player relationship, but having players of different talents means learning to use them all effectively.

By the way, anyone else find it rather rewarding to see Colton Orr turn into a penalty minute collecting hack?

Till Next time Ranger Fans,

J_Undisputed

All-Star Playground

So, NHL All Stars are borrowing from an old schoolyard tradition to beef up their All Star game by having team captains pick their teams.

Doesn't it bring a tear to your eye remembering the good ol' days? Who wouldn't want to, for old time's sake, revisit the innocence of childhood? It was a time when things were simple and happy. A time when the most popular, the strongest and fastest kids ruled the schoolyard and got to determine every kid's fate by virtue of the stripes they earned rubbing other kids' faces in the dirt. It was the last time you can recall natural selection on display each and every day. Seeing that pitiful look on the face of the kid picked dead last was like watching a weak-ass-back-of-the-line baby zebra get ripped apart by a den of lions.

Based on how this fantasy pick gimmick is being marketed, we're supposed to be excited that the best players - the coolest kids, as voted by you, hockey fans - get to pick their own teams. Feel your pulse - quick! With a chance to tackle the real issue with the All Star Game (i.e. that it's a pointless shinny game rife with self-aggrandizing and goofballing), the NHL and particularly the NHLPA, have instead found inspiration from a simple schoolyard tactic.

Why stop there? Why don't they add a burping contest into the skills competition? They could also gang up on the guy picked last and towel-snap his ass. I'm sure Phil Kessel would eventually get over the humiliation. At the first intermission they could make up dirty poems using the name Pelekanc.

To inject some legitimacy and fan appeal into this All Star game, some real leadership is needed. Instead, NHL fans are being spoon-fed a bunch of kidstuff. Come on, grow up, guys.

"Now put away your toys, sit on the mat, put on your thinking caps and come up with another super-duper idea for fixing the All Star game, mmmkay? Sidney, sit up straight."

- General Ganz

New York Rangers 2, Philadelphia Flyers 3

From Yahoo Sports because The Dark Ranger is too emotionally pissed off to write anything:

FLYERS 3, RANGERS 2: The Rangers are slumping offensively again with just 13 goals in their last nine games, including successive road losses by the same score on back-to-back nights in Montreal and Philadelphia. In both games, the Rangers fell behind early before a third-period comeback fell short. They also have scored just twice in their last 32 opportunities on the power play, including 0-for-3 on Sunday.

"We can't spot (teams) a 3-0 lead and expect to win," leading scorer Brandon Dubinsky said.

John Tortorella has remained patient throughout star winger Marian Gaborik's scoring woes this season.
Until Sunday night, that is.

The two-time 40-goal scorer, including a team-best 42 in his Broadway debut last season, hasn't scored in eight games and was benched for most of the second period in Sunday's 3-2 loss in Philadelphia.

"It's just (that) we need production from him, I'll leave it at that," Tortorella said. "We've got guys grinding their (butts) off. We need some of our skill guys to score a goal for us."

Gaborik played just 12:45 against the Flyers, including just 2:25 over five shifts in the middle period. He finished with two shots on goal and a minus-1 rating. Tortorella added that there are no physical issues with Gaborik, who missed about a month early this season with a shoulder injury.

"Obviously, I haven't produced much lately. Obviously, in these types of games, it's a big game. I'm not giving up, I've just got to work harder, just try to get out of it, that's the bottom line," Gaborik said. "Confidence is a very big part. The last few games, I felt good and we created chances. I think things were happening but it was not going in. It surprised me (Sunday) to get benched. It's the coach's decision, that's the bottom line. I have to produce and help this team win games... You definitely want to go out there and prove you should be on the ice."

And So The Story Goes...

Duh-binsky Made The Loss / NYR 2, Montreal 3

"I swear I'm better than Brad Richards!!?"

With the Blueshirts alone on the scoreboard more than halfway through the first period, NYR Brandon Dubinsky gave the turning point for Montreal when he took an adolescent (albeit minor) penalty against P.K. Subban in retaliation for liberties Subban took against the Rangers on home ice earlier in the week.   A complete breakdown by Lundqvist and our blueline followed - lazy, panicking and simply horrible.    So what happens there, Blueshirt's Newbury in his first NHL game decides that he is the schlump to throw some fists and attempt to turn the momentum.  You sure it wasn't Prust or Avery?  No chance.  We were then treated to three Montreal goals in 2 minutes and 44 seconds.  Sound familiar?  Thank goodness this happened in the first period as the forthcoming disappointment was expected for the rest of the game.  At least this didn't happen in the third period. 

Which leads to the second period with only eight minutes left and no change in score, Dubinsky pulls another stupid penalty, this time tripping.  One would naturally believe another Montreal goal was on it's way, but that did not happen.  With the Canadiens power play taking over six pot shots on Henrik and our boys unable to clear, Dubinsky was bailed out by The King, some of the greatest Henrik Lundqvist saves of his career.   The game could easily have been 5-1.   The momentum turned when  Lundqvist was slammed by Montreal's Paccieretti -- and at that point Henrik decided he had enough and jumped him with fists flying.  Goalies that fight.  HEN-RIK....HEN-RIK....  Various penalties were given, but the Rangers were on the power play once again.

Henrik provided more 'turning point' material than Don Rickles at the Flamingo Hilton in his heyday.

So what followed was an anemic power play opportunity with 'zero' shots on goal.  Second period ends with both teams bear hugging each other and no one actually throwing down the gloves.  Emotions running high, frustrations wearing on their sleeves and Torts looking down with one period left, the refs decide the little scrum wasn't worth handing out penalties, the first sign of leniency to our boys in Blue.

For anyone watching the MSG broadcast and interview with Scott Gomez during the break, I have only one thing to say, "You're not funny Scotty...go f*ck yourself!"  Why do we bother?

I hate this P.K. Subban guy.  Cheap shot artist

The third opened as a virtual Montreal shooting gallery against the Rangers, the Montreal defense pushing forward preventing any of the puck-moving-Torts-system to be effective.  At best, the Rangers looked a version of the NJ Devils of years gone by - defensive hockey and stellar goaltending.  But behind on two goals and no shots on the Montreal, oh sorry....one shot that period by Marian Gaborik....(hiccup) we looked like the team that is only capable of scoring one goal a night, as evidenced by our loss to Montreal earlier this week, our win against Vancouver on Thursday and tonight. 

Then off a beautiful Derek Stepan feed, Mats Zuccarrella scored the second Rangers goal to give us hope and life once again.  Whew.

Then something changed the last six minutes of the game.  The Rangers took control and owned puck possession.  Multiple scoring chances, open nets and a new confidence dominated, but still unable to close a tying goal, they were given a gift from the nail-biting Gods, Montreal's Gill committed a bad penalty with a minute and a half left giving our Blueshirts the opportunity needed to tie things up.  Scoring chances a plenty , followed by an incredible Brian Boyle high rising tap toward the Habs net, Montreal goalkeper Carey Price made the best save of his career giving Montreal the win.

What we never saw in the first two periods, we saw in the last minutes of play.  Not quite the three periods of blue collar hockey we've come to expect from this 'black and blue' Rangers squad.  Two losses to the same team in one week marks the spot.  Embarrassment?  Shame?  Nah.  Just suck.

That's how I see it, but if you're interested in how MSG spins it, the Official Recap is here.

While the Rangers were losing in Montreal, the Philadelphia Flyers took to Central Park a day before our meeting tomorrow night and practiced at the outdoor skating rink.  I am sure there were some beautiful photo opportunities, but shouldn't Mayor Bloomberg have something negative to say about Philadelphia pissing in our backyard and marking their territory the day before?   Just sayin...

Maybe it's a foreshadowing of a Rangers / Flyers Winter Classic in New York City!!?

Tomorrow night.  Philadelphia Flyers 7pm.  Pray.

tdr

Rangers Swarm Canucks in Finals Quality Contest | NYR 1 VAN 0

In a game that had 1994 Stanley Cup Finals intensity written all over it, in front of a vociferous and appreciative Garden crowd, against an opponent with the best record in the NHL, the Rangers protected their King and home ice like a hostile swarm of bees against invaders from the Northwest, the Vancouver Canucks, in perhaps the most intense game of the year by prevailing 1-0. The official recap is here.

Henrik Lundqvist recorded his 30th shutout in his career (and 6th this season) -- he is now tied for 3rd in the Rangers' record books. He outdueled Corey Schneider, who entered the game with an 8-0-2 record.

How good is Vancouver? Let's try these little nuggets: They had not lost in regulation since December 5 -- a 14-0-3 stretch. They were 13-5-3 on the road. During their previous 22 games, they were held to fewer than 3 goals, 4 times. (Meanwhile, during their past 7 games, the Rangers have scored 3 goals ONCE.)

Oooops. "We're going to need some goals
tonight," Tortorella said before the game. "We're
not going to win a hockey game 1-0 tonight."

Fans, forgive me, were buzzing all over the Internet last night about the game. At my office today -- with its semi-regular "Jeans & Jerseys Day", plenty of employees proudly sported their Rangers sweater. The Rangers' play has started to capture the spirit of New York fans even in the face of the upcoming hate contest this weekend between the Jets and Patriots. When the Blueshirts took the ice this fall, who would have thought that.

Wall of Blue. The Rangers protected their Swedish King
all night long against Vancouver's high-powered offense.
The game did not start off well when Derek Stepan took an early penalty and the Rangers seemed to be on a different flight schedule than their visitors.

From the opening faceoff, the Canucks sped around the ice leaving the Rangers flailing behind at times. Fortunately, other than Stepan's early penalty, the Rangers did not panic and although outshot early by 8-3, they settled down and the scoreless first period ended with Vancouver only having an 11-8 edge. During the period, the Rangers blocked 14 shots (and 24 for the game).

Save of the game? Henrik stretches out to use his toe to (maybe)
deflect Mason Raymond's effort to go top shelf in the 1st period.

During the second period, Vancouver found out about the Rangers' lunch pail, blue collar mentality.

Outshooting the Canucks by 16-9 and defending the blue line and Henrik's goal with wave after wave of checks, blocked shots, stick checking, and faceoff wins, the Rangers dominated play territorially, and most importantly, on the scoreboard.

The Rangers' aggressiveness was rewarded with 2 power plays early in the second period. The first was called on Manny Malhotra for hooking at the 6:49 minute mark.

Within 30 seconds, the Rangers would score the game's only goal as the Rangers won a faceoff to Corey Schneider's left. Marian Gaborik immediately shot the puck after the faceoff win and after Schneider stopped the puck, new acquisition Wojtek Wolski moved his way to the goal and pounced on the loose puck to shoot into the net.

Fedotenko. More than 19 minutes played. He has been rock solid
all season long. Here, he gives Henrik Sedin a chance to rest his jaw.

During the remainder of ther period, the Rangers pressured the Canucks and Schneider denied them every step of the way.

He registered 34 saves for the game, but as in Tuesday's game against Montreal, the Rangers failed to finish plays, shot wide or high and let Schneider off the hook several times just as they did with Alex Auld of Montreal.

The playmaking, passing and skating -- which were missing early in the season -- have developed. What is needed is some finishing.

Conversion Rate Issues. Against Montreal and Vancouver this week, the Rangers have come tantalizingly close to scoring but have been foiled by good goalkeeping, bad luck or simply poor decisions. Here, Boyle cannot use his 6'7" frame to get the puck into the open net. Later, Gaborik failed to convert a breakaway in the 3rd period, a miss that could have proven fatal.

The most important stretch of the game occurred late in the second period. During a Vancouver attack, Marc Staal was guarding the front of the net when Alex Burrows stuck his stick between his legs, toppling Staal with a cheap and dangerous shot to the groin.

On his way down, Staal whacked at Burrows' ankle, knocking him down. Of course, that was what the ref saw, so Staal was whistled off for tripping with 5:07 to go.

Jewel Heist Averted. Marc Staal celebrated his 24th
birthday by nearly losing his delicates to spearing by Alex Burrows.
The Rangers proceeded to start to kill the penalty when Chris Drury, who won 7 of 11 faceoffs, tried to clear the puck out of the Rangers' zone. The puck took an unfortunate deflection off his stick into the crowd for a delay of game penalty.

Two questionable (to be charitable) penalties to a team that has a PP success rate of 25% did not bode well. The Rangers persevered to kill the 47 second two man advantage. The home crowd cheered and gave the team a standing ovation in salute for the efforts. The second period ended with the Rangers leading 1-0.

In the third period, the pace was frenetic with few stoppages and no penalties -- reminiscent of playoff hockey. Both teams had 11 shots in the final 20 minutes. Marian Gaborik, with perhaps the Rangers' best chance of the period, failed to score on a breakaway that gave Vancouver some hope.

Ultimately, it was the Rangers' stingy defense and the work of the Prust/Fedotenko/Boyle trio that shut down the Vancouver offense. During the final minutes, the Rangers worked hard to keep the puck in the Canuck end and keep Schneider from leaving the net.

Finally, the goalie was able to get off the ice and play remained in the Rangers' zone for the final 40 seconds or so. With the teams fighting for every inch, the game ended. For once, an opposing team's media acknowledged how well the Rangers played.

Meaningless Regular Season Game? Brian Boyle -- with nearly
19 minutes of ice time -- kneels on the ice after the final horn mercifully
sounds. His improved play this season epitomizes what Tort's coaching is all about.

There is no rest for the weary. For Saturday night, the Rangers travel to Montreal for a Hockey Night in Canada tilt with the Canadiens.

Then they return to MSG for a Sunday night contest with the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Flyers, who will be visiting NYC for the first time this season.

--The Graying Mantis

Can the Blueshirts Win the Cup? - Analysis

A Message From Fran Pizzani

A Ranger is an original. Like no other.

A Ranger is a symbol of hard work, drive, determination and character.

A Ranger is someone very special. He plays with heart. He does not back down from a fight.

A Ranger does not fear hospitals. Does not shy away from blood work, intravenous medicines or more tests.

A Ranger can beat a fever of 105.

A Ranger can survive very little sleep in a noisy ICU.

A Ranger can survive a coma. A 14 day coma. He can survive organ failure, even organ shutdown.

A Ranger will go through dialysis or a ventilator if they are needed to help him.

But, a Ranger cannot do it alone. He needs family, friends and a great, great deal of support.

We’ve all seen the Rangers raise their sticks at the end of a win to the Garden faithful. I have always loved that. It always made me feel like I was a real part of that win.  I am writing this to thank all of you for all of your support through all of this. I have read all of your comments over and over again and have been crying like Mark Messier during one of his speeches. I am overwhelmed by all of you.

The Ranger community, actually, even better, FAMILY, has amazed and inspired. I am so, so grateful to The Dark Ranger and to each and every one of you for all of your comments and support. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I have been home for 6 days now after close to 30 days in the hospital. Most everything is a challenge. Just getting dressed can be exhausting. Walking 8 blocks was like climbing Everest. But after all of the love and support I have seen, I am not backing down. I will chase the puck, I will I charge the net, I will finish my checks. Yes, I will drop the gloves and fight to get my life back.

My name is Fran Pizzani and...

I AM A RANGER!!!!

FP

Injury ReHAB too slow for Rangers

RANGERS START 3rd SLOW; LOSE ONE AT HOME.

Last night was the first meeting this season between the Rangers and Habs. Or maybe we should say Hartford and Habs. Don't misunderstand, this isn't a jab at our young players who have been developing nicely in their time with the big club, but the Canadian team might have seen more Rangers last night in civies hobbling around the backstage area, than in uniform.

Read the official Report of Last nights game http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010020635&navid=sb:recap">here.

Altogether, it wasn't a horrible game as both teams started off with some good energy and worked their advantages. The Canadians for their part showed why they had the second lowest goals against totals in the league. Their high pressure game was difficult one to get past. I was almost sure the style would be a nightmare for our blueshirts and our only consolation would be that former and brief Ranger Alex Auld in net for Montreal and whiles he's no slice of swiss cheese, he's rarely a wall. However, he was made to look like an all star as his team did their best to keep the pressure off him and succeeded. For two periods the teams were neck and neck and scratch and clawing for possession. This was hardly the shooting gallery the Bettman campaigners were looking for when shrinking goalies equipment and thinking up new tippy tap penalties to open up offense and pave the way for higher scoring games. This was essentially a defensive chess match between two teams riding their defense in the absence of some of their more offensive players. It was up to the players left to step up and unfortunately it happened for the habs before it happened for us (last night's Hab nots) as Poullion wristed a beauty of a shot, that dare I say is almost impossible to pick off when when you're trying you make yourself as big as possible in net, as a goaltender.

The other story for us last night was new Ranger Wotjek Wolski. Assumed to be an offensive force, with an underlying motivational defect that saw him moved twice already. He didn't seem to play that bad of a game. Especially considering he showed up shortly before game time and was only given one instruction in a pregame pow wow with Coach Torts: That being "Play...". It was probably best to keep it simple for a guy who probably thought twice about putting his pads on while on the plane if he was going to make the game on time. In between periods we found out a little more about Wolski. One, he's not a heavy accented Polish player who stuck playing a euro perimeter style... He grew up mostly in Canada from an early age and speaks and plays as such. The second thing we found out about him is that thoughts about free agency would have had him looking forward to the possibility of being a Ranger. I know a lot of players have said that before just as their eyes gleem over with Dollar signs and they begin to mull over colors for their new sportscar and Wolski's one game has yet to give him a chance to play like a Ranger, battle like a Ranger and above all BE a Ranger... but I have to say I like what I saw out there for a kid who was simply trying to fit in. He wasn't afraid to use his size and throw the body (God knows we need someone like that), take shots and defer to thoughts of Gabby before winding up and shooting. I think there may be a few more games for him to get into a comfort zone... but he can eventually get there... and show us what he has and whether hes worth hanging on to when his contract ends after next season. At the very least, we might have at least more than a snowballs chance in hell (with Zucc's and Wolski) in the shootout sans Christensen. Let's hope he can get comforted fast as next up is Vancouver and last night's 3rd period shows how much we are missing Callahan's energy.

Wolski / Rozzy Trade Analysis