N.Y. RANGERS ~ Blueshirts Paying High Price For Points

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Another Day; Another Injured Blueshirt; But Another Two Points.

*Henrik Lundqvist ~ Sole Owner of Third Place On Ranger All-Time List.


"Aah! My Fibula!"

No..Those were not the words of Brandon Dubinsky.  That famous line was uttered by Angelica Pickles. 

If you were raising young ones in the early 90's like me, the kids show RUGRATS was the bomb!  Even I looked forward to it everyday.  The Cat Clock on the wall was priceless.  Anyway, I remember having a Laugh Out Loud moment one day watching that show.  Little Angelica Pickles was up to her usual no good and harassing the babies.  In one episode she was begging for attention like the babies received, and yelled out, "Aah, My Fibula!"  That line has stuck with my wife and me ever since.  We say it all the time.

And now it applies to Brandon Dubinsky; out 3 to 4 weeks with a messed-up Fibula.  Life really does come full circle sometimes.

Yep!  Brandon Dubinsky is out for roughly a month.  The Rangers' top scorer joins the rest of the wounded back in sick-bay.  The Trainers and Med Staff have been eating 5-Hour Energy like morning Capt. Crunch just trying to keep pace with the rate of casualties skating through the door on stretchers.  Another injury and OSHA may descend upon Madison Square Garden like locusts trying to determine why there are so many work-related injuries at the Broadway Blueshirt Hockey Company. 

Tah Tah..So Long; See ya when you get back.  Next Warm Body, step up.

 (see F-Chad Kolarik -AHL Whale). 

That's the kind of attitude you have to start taking with all these crippling injuries the Rangers seemingly can not escape.

So who's next to lace 'em up?  Ron Duguay is looking dapper as ever.  Maybe he can take a few shifts for us?  If Boomer isn't too busy with his team, the WASPS, maybe he'd like to help us out?  Nick Fotiu?  Big Nicky is always welcome!  Perhaps Dave Maloney can put down is microphone for a period?

*SIGH*

For tonight's game against Toronto, Coach Torts gave Dubinsky's spot to Sean Avery.  I've been screaming for Coach Torts to give Avery more minutes and time on the second line or third line, or to be paired again with Gaborik for, I dunno..., all season!  But this is not the way I wanted his minutes to come.

First, don't deny me.  You've been reading my support for Avery here all season long.  Just look at the results.  Marian Gaborik scored his third Hat-Trick of the season tonight against the Leafs.  Two of those Hat Tricks were when he not only played on the same line as Sean Avery, Avery has assisted damn near every one of those six goals for him.  Tonight, Avery assisted on three of the four goals Gaborik scored.  What more can the man do to earn consistent minutes?

Look.  I'll be plain about this today.  The Maple Leafs suck this year.  I told you they were right team for the Rangers to get better against and for getting things on the positive side again after two weekend loses.  But they ARE the Maple Leafs and I wouldn't go getting all REX Ryan with ourselves about it.

...And so has Gaborik (sucked).  If Gaborik wants to impress me, score a goal a night for four games; not a Hat-Trick plus one.  Maybe he finally snapped out of his funk tonight?  We'll see.  Only the up-coming road trip will start answering that.  Tonight is just one good night for him; OK a spectacular night for him.  But for me, this still isn't really about Gaborik.

This is still about Sean Avery.  Whenever Avery has been given any minutes, he's been a good Hockey player for this team.  I am perturbed that it has taken a complete depletion of our Forward Lines due to injuries, for Coach Torts to HAVE to RESORT to giving Avery his due rewards; not with kind words into a microphone, but with more ice time.  Avery will be getting plenty more minutes in the games to come until Ryan Callahan and Dubinsky return.  And I'm telling you he not only will play very well, he will also stay in control of himself.  Time spent in the penalty box be damned!

Whatever it is that Coach Torts harbors against Avery that causes him to routinely limit Avery to the fewest minutes played possible, is something he's just going to have to let go of.  Right now he's forced to.  But for the future, it something he NEEDs to reconsider and correct.

The Rangers are beating the Maple Leafs in an Original Six match-up, 6-0 after two periods.  So that means they are wearing their cool new/old jerseys.  I'm not even going to wait till the end of the game to post.  Without a doubt, losing Brandon Dubinsky couldn't have come at a worse time.  But don't tell that to the Garden crowd who are now enjoying a 7-0 lead with 10:00 left in the Third.

Me?  I'm still cranky from the Flyers game.  So, let's make matters worse for the hell of it.  Ruslan Fedotenko left the game in the 2nd period with an apparent arm injury.  He has not returned to the bench and he looked far from good leaving the ice.  But remember, let's learn not to care.  It's the only way to protect our psyche.

The game just went final.  Rangers win 7-0.  Marian Gaborik scored four goals.  We even had a goal on the Power Play.  Whooop Whoop!  Break up the Rangers.



Henrik Lundqvist notched his 31st Career Shut-Out in a Blueshirt.  He now owns 3rd place on the All-Time Rangers Shut-Out List.  For the season, it was shut-out number seven for our benevolent Henri.

All Hail THE KING!!  There's just one problem and it's a biggie.  All the King's Horses and All the King's Skaters are succumbing to the Plague.


Blah!  Carolina is next.  Don't like them!


Pics; Montreal, Canada
Check out all the pictures from Montreal, Canada from Saturday's Rangers game against Canadiens:
http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/2011/01/ny-rangers-pictures-from-montreal.html



Mike.BTB