N.Y. Rangers ~ Boogaard Missing Before Fight With Carkner

NEW YORK RANGERS: 
*   What Happened to Derek Boogaard?
*   Rangers Miss Colton Orr!

Derek Boogaard and Matt Carkner of the Ottawa Senators dropped gloves with each other Thursday night.  Boogaard landed an early shot.  But Carkner landed a hay-maker that ended Boogaard's fight on his feet.  Then Carkner just wrestled him down.  Boogaard fell hard with the mass of a mighty Oak onto his shoulder.  It was the same shoulder that caused him to miss three games in November.  Derek is not traveling to Columbus with the team and is headed back to NY to get that shoulder check on.

But when I asked what happened to Derek Boogaard, that has nothing to do with Thursday, Matt Carkner or a bad shoulder.

What I really mean is what "HAPPENED" to Derek Boogaard?

He has been so unimpressive in a Blueshirt.  When he was on the Minnesota Wild, he actually had a little skating in him and a nice hard shot to justify his ice time.  He was slimmer; quicker; and won every fight handily.

In a Blueshirt, his fights have been quite unimpressive to say the least.  Derek is out of playing shape.  In plain speak he is fatter and getting sloppier.  He is tiring faster in fights and skating slower.

I can only think of one point of merit in Boogaard's defense and that's the fact Coach Torts only gives him about four minutes a night.  But let Matt Carkner serve as all the evidence we need of Boogaard's downturn.  Derek in years past routinely laid out Matt Carkner before.  It seemed as if Boogaard was too slow to the punch against Carkner this time.

Boogaard is still young in his late 20's and I thought from the moment we acquired him it was a tremendous addition.  He will no doubt miss a little time, and while he does, I can only fix my mind on one person; Colton Orr.

Colton Orr has been the biggest loss as far as Ranger toughness is concerned.  He was another casualty of Sather's inability to manage the Salary Cap.  And to compound this Ranger fan's dismay over losing him to Toronto, he routinely kicked Matt Carkner's behind!

Sather was fresh off shovelling loads of bad money at Redden, Rozsival, Gomez and Drury, when it came time for Colton Orr to ask for his money, Sather pretty much told him to beat it because Colton wanted three to four years.

Glen Sather's solution? - Signing the ancient Donald Brashear for pretty much the same money but for only two years.  Incredulously, Sather signed the same guy who cheap-shot'd Blair Betts the year before.  Brashear played maybe 5 minutes before he fell apart and disappeared.  He is still collecting a pay check from the Rangers this year.  Derek Boogaard was signed for the same dollar range as Orr was requesting.

Both players signed for the same dollar range Colton Orr was requesting.  While Brashear was a total mistake and Boogaard has been unimpressive and out of shape, Colton Orr is playing good hockey in Toronto...and can kick Matt Carkner's ass.

Ponderous.


Most recent NYR posts:
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/ny-rangers-settle-score-against-ottawa.html

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/nyrangers-torts-plays-3-card-monty-with.html

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/ny-rangers-its-long-grind.html

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2010/12/ny-rangers-loss-against-tampa-still-on.html

TONIGHT

NEW YORK RANGERS

(17-12-1; 35 points)

vs.

Columbus Blue Jackets

(15-11-1;  31 points)

GAME NOTES:

* Sean Avery is tied for the team lead in assists with 13.  He is +5.  Avery also leads the team in penalty minutes with 103.

* Michael Del Zotto is back in the rotation.

* All 7 of Derek Stepan's goals were on the road.

* The Rangers won the last time these teams met at MSG.


GAME FINAL:
Rangers  1
Blue Jackets 3

*RANGERS Goal ~ Marc Staal (Power Play)

This game was just a shame to lose. It was very well played by both teams.  The game was tight until 14:54 of the 3rd period.  That's when the game unravelled on the Rangers.  Rick Nash took a bad angle shot from BEHIND the red line over in the right side corner.  Henrik Lundqvist was pressed against the goal post for the shot.  But somehow the puck still found it's way through Henri's left leg and trickled into the net.

Rick Nash would finish the night with two goals.  Marc Staal was the lone Ranger scorer with a goal on a Ranger power play.

The best player on the ice tonight besides Rick Nash may have been Columbus's goalie Steve Mason.  He's been having an up and down season.  But tonight, he was mint with 32 saves.

Get over it guys.  Tomorrow the Washington Capitals will be in MSG for a 7pm game.

Mike.BTB