N.Y. Islanders ~ Long Island Clubs the Penguins..., TWICE!

From the desk of:   NYR  ~  A "RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS" - Special Report!

THURSDAY NIGHT FINAL

New York Islanders   5

Pittsburgh Penguins   3

NEW YORK ISLANDERS:  Hey Rangers!  Look What Long Island Did to Pittsburgh..., Again!


Tonight, the New York Islanders completed a two game drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  And no one is more happier than Blueshirt Nation.


In the series' first game played Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh, the Islanders repeatedly beat Marc Andre Fleury high on his glove side, on their way to a 5-3 victory.  Frans Nielsen netted two goals for the Islanders.  Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner, and David Ullstrom, also scored for Long Island.


The Isles jumped out to an early 2-0 first period lead.  But Pittsburgh answered back within the first five minutes of the second period to tie the game at two.  Long Island then reeled off three goals to close the period.  The Penguins picked up one more goal in the third.


Early in the third period, Ivgeni Nabokov left the game with an injury.  Al Montoya filled in.  He and the Isles held on for a 5-3 win.


The series shifted to Long Island Thursday night, where the Isles picked up where they left off.  Only this time, the Islanders found success against Pittsburgh's goalie by simply keeping the puck on the ice and sliding it passed him.  In the two games, the Isles wound up giving Marc Andre Fleury the 'ol High-Low treatment.  In outplaying Pittsburgh over the course of six periods, the worst scoring team in the Eastern Conference clubbed the Penguins with ten goals.  The NHL's top scoring team responded with six against two different Islander goalies.


Former Rangers' farm hand, Al Montoya made Thursday's start for the Isles in place of injured Ivgeni Nabokov.  He faced twenty-nine shots.  And over the first eighteen and a half minutes of the game, he limited the Penguins to just two goals.  In all, he stopped twenty-six shots for his seventh win of the season.


In the first period, Marty Reasoner scored his first goal of the season to stake the Isles to an initial lead.  After Pittsburgh tied the game 1-1 midway through the second period, Kyle Okposo scored on a power play, and Josh Bailey scored a shorthanded goal to close the period.


Kyle Okposo's third period goal was his third in two games against Pittsburgh, and his second of the night.  Then Pittsburgh struck back.  After Jordan Staal scored to make it a 4-2 game, Al Montoya gave up a late goal to Ivgeni Malkin with a minute and a half left in regulation to bring the Penguins to within 4-3 of the Isles.  But with ten seconds left, Josh Bailey out hustled Pittsburgh who had six skaters on the ice, and scored his second goal of the game into an empty net.


The Islanders skated away with their second straight 5-3 victory over the Penguins.


Brilliant!  Great freakin' job!





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ NY Islanders; The Rivalry, Game Two

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS  vs.  New York Islanders

The Rivalry - Game II

Somehow, the Islanders have created a goalie controversy for themselves with rumors they will trade Ivgeni Nabokov.  The Isles have maintained three goalies because if you even look at Rick DiPietro the wrong way, he gets hurt.  Apparently however, GM Garth Snow said there is no goalie controversy.  But if I were Coach Capuano, I'd just make Al Montoya the starter anyway and call it a day.  But at least the quasi-controversy has people even talking about the Islanders. 




I mean, C'mon.  The Islanders have scored the least amount of goals in the league.  A goalie controversy?  John Tavares and Michael Grabner have combined to score thirteen goals.  The rest of the team has scored sixteen.  They are now buried in last place of the Atlantic Division so it would seem to me they have more problems than a goalie controversy.  They are 1-9 in their last ten games with a six game losing streak mixed in.  Their lone win during that time came against Washington.  They are coming off a three game road trip where they lost in Boston, lost a back-breaker in OT to Colorado, and dropped their most recent game Sunday night in Vancouver.  Coach Capuano is pissed off about it too and let it be known.




For the Rangers, this is the start of a four game road trip.  And they'll be looking to extend their six game winning streak in Long Island tonight.  They will then go to Montreal, Florida, and Washington before returning home.  They've taken care of business on home-ice so far with a 5-1-1 record.  As they start this road trip against the Isles, they've held their own away from MSG with a 4-2-2 record.




After fifteen games, Marian Gaborik has nine goals.  How do ya like him now?  It almost makes us wonder even harder as to just what happened to him last season?  Such as life....  In addition to his good start, it so happens Gaborik has some healthy numbers in his career versus the Islanders.  We'll need another good game from Marian tonight, because while he might like playing the Islanders, the Rangers as a team might not.  Long Island hasn't been too friendly to the Blueshirts these last two years.  The last time they met this season, the Islanders defeated the Rangers back on Oct. 15th, in Long Island.  And over our last four meetings, the Isles have woefully outscored the Blueshirts.




That brings us to Brandon Dubinsky, who finally broke the seal with his first goal of the season.  Now, he needs to sustain what he started.  Ranger fans have been patient and pleased with his maturation process these last few years.  But now, the signed young Vet has expectations on him.  The truth is, the Rangers, as has been our problem, need more scoring.  And I'm expecting Brandon Dubinsky to provide more than just an average share.  As young as this team is now, he needs to be one of the leaders here, and do that in part by scoring goals. 




While the Rangers have scored fourteen more goals that the Isles this season, so far there are eleven teams in the Eastern Conference with more goals scored than the Rangers.  Defensively however, the Rangers have given up the least amount of goals in the Conference even as Marc Staal remains sidelined.  Coach Torts has to be happy with at least that....no?

TONIGHT

The Rivalry; Game Two

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New York Islanders

From the Nassau Mausoleum in Uniondale,

LONG ISLAND, N.Y.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. ISLANDERS ~ Carolina Hurricanes Blow Into Long Island

TONIGHT

Carolina Hurricanes

9th Place ~ 37-30-10 ~ 84 Points

3 points behind N.Y. Rangers

vs.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

30-36-12  72 Points

From Uniondale, Long Island

NEW YORK RANGERS ISLANDERS:  We're Friends Right?

Hi neighbors!  So uh...., How are things?  How's the family?  I hear Billy Joel decided against writing his autobiography?  Was there good fishing in The Sound this year?  And how about that Al Montoya?  I...uh..

OK Islanders' fans, you got me.  This really isn't about you.  I didn't mean to lead you on.  This is about us; the New York Rangers.  We're friends right?  All the Potvin Sucks chants are in fun right?  You guys have one for us.  It's all good....Ain't it?

Alright fine!  The enemy of my enemy is my friend.  There!  We (the Rangers and fans alike) n..ne...nnnnnuh..

We NEED YOU!

You have to beat the Carolina Hurricanes for us tonight!  Because this is the time of season when our Coach starts to lose his mind.   We've lost our ability to manage our own future.  The Blueshirt Power Play couldn't score in a brothel.  And now we can't find our backbones.  So now....Well.., now we need help.  And who better to appeal to for that help than to the most gracious, four time Stanley Cup Champions; fellow Empire State/New Yorkers; our suburban neighbors; - 

...The New York Islanders!

You guys are so cool!  We are like family right?  Sometimes we don't always get along...just like some  brothers; but we're brothers none-the-less. Yes??

That's us Man!  Brothers!  Arm in Arm Man..., United As New Yorkers!

Hey!  did I ever tell you I think your logo is one of the best logos in all the major sports?  Yea...It's true.  Honest.

Did you guys enjoy whooping up on us last Thursday?  Sorry that we had so many unruly fans filling your building that night.  Someone left our gate open and they got out.  And don't worry about Sean Avery's bloody eye.  Stuff like that happens...ya know?  I'm sure it was just an unfortunate accident; could have happened to anybody.

By the way, the kind of game you played against us the other night (no hard feelings) and against the Penguins...yea - the Trevor Gillies game - Can you guys have another night like that tonight?

Please?

I know you guys have had an awful time with Carolina over the years.  They've pretty much had their way with you.  So the time to rise up is now!  Beat the 'Canes!  Youuuu Can Dooo-eet!

I promise you, if you help us out and we do make the playoffs, for my part, I promise I will neither initiate nor participate in a Potvin Sucks chant throughout the time we survive the playoffs (which will probably only be the first round anyway).

I don't think I've treated you guys badly in my blog.  Have I?  I've been cool...right?  So can you do me this solid?  Can you beat up on the Carolina Hurricanes for me?

Thanks a lot!

signed,

A Ranger fan From Brooklyn

Mike.BTB

N.Y. RANGERS ~ Blueshirts Get Pucked-Up By The Islanders

NEW YORK RANGERS:  The Blueshirts Got Punked!

FINAL
New York Rangers  2
New York Islanders 6

Rattled; Battered; Bullied; Demoralized; Embarrassed; Humiliated: Disrespected; Intimidated:

In addition to all the above, - We Got Punked!  The guys from the city went out to Long Island with a throng of fans in tow, thinking they were going to roll a bunch of hicks in their own school yard.  The city boys flat out got their asses kicked!  News at Eleven!

It's not like the Islanders haven't been involved in these game-long melees before?  Coach Capuano's club had absolutely nothing to lose and most reasonably minded Hockey fans could have seen this game coming.  Do not get me wrong.  I'm not disparaging the Islanders in any way.  I'm not blaming them for anything about this game.

My ire is reserved for the New York Rangers for allowing themselves to get punked-out.  I blame them for leaving their spines in Buffalo.  The New York Islanders made the Rangers look like jelly-fish Thursday night.

The Blueskirts got shut-out by Buffalo's back-up goalie then followed it up with one pathetic goal against their former draft pick; Al Montoya.  It might have well been a shut-out because the Rangers never had a chance.  The Rangers first goal to open up the scoring was nothing more than a pretty smile before a date from hell.

The Islanders pretty much dominated the early portion of the first period until Vinny Prospal got the Rangers on the scoreboard.  Then our Long Island neighbors spent the rest of the first period trying everything in their power to give us the game. But the Rangers wouldn't accept. The Islanders started running wild taking punk-penalties; four to be exact, and the Rangers never capitalized.  All hostilities were precipitated by a Marian Gaborik Boarding penalty. 

After four unanswered goals in the second period?  Ponderous.

Dejected;  - A raucous Rangers' crowd travelled all the way to Uniondale for nothing and went back home with less.  If anything, the Rangers loss against the New York Islanders was a clinic in how to buckle under pressure.  They bloodied us, battered us and beat us.

We're going to Broad Street to meet the Bullies next.  They better be ready!





Mike.BTB

N.Y. RANGERS ~ The Rivalry, Part VI

TONIGHT

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs

New York Islanders

From Uniondale, Long Island

Rangers lead season series 4-1

New York Rangers:  Way To Go Guys!!

Last Night's FINAL

New York Rangers  0

Buffalo Sabres  1

They didn't play badly.  They just didn't play to win. 

Henrik Lundqvist got beat high on the blocker-side, and that was that.  Tim Connolly of Buffalo blasted a slap shot past Henrik while everyone was still looking the other way.  Well...it was more like we had a three on two short-handed opportunity; had a shot attempt blocked; and then Buffalo skated back the other way, post-haste, and scored a power play goal for the Sabres.  The one goal held off Marc Staal's 2nd period interference penalty.

Jhonas Enroth; Remember That Name Ranger Fans.  Because if you guys fail to make the playoffs this year, I'll never let you live it down!  You got shut out by Jhonas Enroth in the most crucial game of the season.  Buffalo's back-up goalie stepped in because Ryan Miller was suffering a "lower body injury" and proceeded to blank the Rangers when they could least afford to lose.  We only managed 23 shots against him, while Buffalo peppered the Blueshirts with 35 shots.

The Rangers had a goal waved off...  But whatever.  Last night was Total Fail - Failure to seize the moment!

They chose to continue doing this the hard way.  So now the Rangers sit in eighth place because of tie-breakers.  Carolina is only three points away. 

Great..   Way to go.

From Buffalo to Eighth to Long Island......  What's next?

GOTTA WIN Boyz.  No choice.

For The ISLANDERS ~ Former N.Y. Ranger draft pick; Al Montoya will start tonight in goal in place of Rick DiPietro.  The Islanders lost to the Devils last night 3-2 at The Rock in Newark.



 

Mike.BTB

Rangers; Devils; Islanders ~ FRIDAY NIGHT FACE-OFFS

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS FACE-OFFS

THE OTHER MARCH MADNESS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Their Eleven Game Road to the Playoffs is Riddled With Dangerous Potholes.

Time is short.  There are 11 games left in the Rangers' season. 

They've spent the last two weeks ping-ponging in the Conference standings between 7th and 8th place.  It's unrealistic to think they can win every game left.  But it's not out of line to say they desperately need almost every one of the 22 points left on the table in order to make the playoffs.

Buffalo's early season fall wasn't as steep a drop as it was for the Devils.  And Buffalo's subsequent ascension through the ranks wasn't as daunting a task as it still is for the Devils.  But Buffalo's remarkable turn-around from a very distressing start qualifies as unbelievable now that they have gained a say in the Conference playoff race (with 76 pints; two behind the Rangers).

Carolina can not be trusted!  They just recently defeated Buffalo 1-0 in a brilliant game I watched on Versus.  They are sitting in the 9th slot with 74 points; trailing Buffalo, then the Rangers.  Cam Ward is hanging up 40 save wins like fine suits in his closet.  The guy is unconscious right now.  And we all know hot goalies mean everything this time of year.  The season series between the Rangers and Carolina is done so they won't face each other before season's end.  But the Rangers still have a game against the Sabres on March 30th.  And there is no doubt in my mind that game will carry the weight of the world with it.

Toronto is sitting in 10th place with 72 points.  Congratulations to them, but who cares!?  The New Jersey Devils are about to render them irrelevant once they pass them in the standings.  The two teams can end tonight tied with 72 points each depending on how things go.  But when the Devils do pass them (...and they will), Toronto can start calling their travel agents.  As I write this post, both the Devils and Maple Leafs are losing.

The Devils are a miraculous six points out of the eighth place spot with 13 games left to play.  What the Devils are in the midst's of accomplishing is astonishing.  The Rangers and Devils will play on April 9th in what will be the Blueshirts' last game of the season.  That game, along with the Rangers/Sabres game on March 30th will most likely decide our season.  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a game against the Thrashers on April 7th being equally critical to our playoff survival.  The rub regarding that final game against the Devils is that New Jersey will still have one more game against the Bruins left to play.  And if the Rangers playoff invitation isn't written by that time, they may be forced to watch television for a day to see where they stand.

Points are of the essence.  How's that for the under-statement of the year? 

I'm still a little burnt up about Quacking up those two points in Anaheim.  But what this edition of Blueshirts has done over and over again, just when the old Ranger fan in us wants to throw our hands in the air in disgust, is remind us they're a group built on a solid foundation of fortitude.

The went to San Jose and took a big bite out of the SHARKS when they needed to most and then followed up by storming the Fightin' Islanders at home. 

The Rangers are 4-1 in their last five games. By defeating the Islanders, they evened their home record to .500 (...finally).  Six of their last eleven games are at home now and they get to end their season with three home games. As I mentioned, the last one will be against the Devils.  And while it's starting to sound like a broken record now, the Rangers have to; absolutely need to play better at home; if not only to make the playoffs, but they'll need to be better at home through the second season for as long as they can last....If..

FRIDAY

March 18, 2011

Montreal Canadiens

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Madison Square Garden

33rd Street and 7th Avenue

NEW AMSTERDAM

This Friday night should be a raucous evening at the Garden.  The NHL is The Other March Madness.
My son and I will be in attendance, and our expectation is to experience an exceptionally rambunctious crowd.  It being Friday night with the Rangers clinging to their playoff lives should make for a most lively night at the Garden.  And Oh No!...if the Canadiens score first..., you know how the place gets.  It's like they killed John Lennon again at center ice.

Two thirds of the old N.J. Devils' "Egg-Line" and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens are coming to town for a good old fashioned Original Six match-up.  Montreal is one spot above the Rangers in the standings sitting in 6th place.  But Montreal has a five point advantage on the Rangers. So, the Blueshirts future lies in their ability to secure the seventh or eighth spot.  So again I say, points are of the essence.

There are no soft spots left in the Rangers' schedule.  Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Jersey, Buffalo, Boston two times, and Philadelphia all remain on the Ranger docket.  Tonight, Ottawa is giving the Devils all they can handle...Again!  We'll be facing Ottawa again shortly.  And if you care to under-estimate an upcoming game against Florida, do so at our peril.  Add in another game against the Islanders that's what the rest of the schedule looks like.

I've travelled smoother roads on the moon cratered surface they call the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, than the road the Rangers must negotiate in order to get into the Second Season.  They just gotta strap up and follow the Black and Blue Road.  They have their work cut out for them.  But they are a resilient bunch with a lot of tenacity. 

The problem is we just don't know whether this team is slipping; sustaining; or surging.  It's hard to tell.  But who said life was easy?  If life were that easy, we'd be scoring more goals and that's something I don't want to get into today.

Coach Torts vs. Sean Avery:
I posted this last night; Avery and Torts Rift is Now a Chasm
I have taken up Sean Avery's cause all season.  In spite of his penalty minutes, I think he'll be more helpful than harmful to us with consistent ice time and playing on better quality lines.  As a Ranger fan who also likes Coach Torts, I think his handling of Sean Avery this season has been completely wrong.  Coming off Sean Avery's performance against the Islanders, I'm too curious to see what Coach Tortorella has in mind for Sean against the Canadiens.  I'm not defending Avery's performance Tuesday night at all.  But if Avery had spent more time this season playing like he did two nights ago, Coach would be far more justified in his treatment of his forward.  But Avery hasn't been "that" way.  Closer to the truth is the fact he's been a more than respectable citizen in spite of erratic, and logic defying randomness with regard to ice-time Coach Torts allots him.  Sean Avery is one of this team's most complete players; in the sense he's a jack of all trades.  Look through the nonsense (that hasn't existed this season) and you'll see a very good Hockey player.  His season-long under-utilization can only be emanating from something personal Coach Torts has against Avery, (which was never a secret to begin with).

I'm just calling for Coach Torts to give Sean Avery a fair shake for a change instead of shaking his head at Avery, it seems, every time he skates out on the ice.



NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Look what Ottawa did to you...Again!

What ever it is the Devils are selling, the Ottawa Senators aren't buying it.  For the second time down this playoff-stretch, the Senators poured a bucket-o-cold-water on the Devils' flaming play.  The Devils are 5-2 in March.  Both losses have been against Ottawa.  After tonight, the Devils have twelve games remaining.  Because Buffalo was idle tonight, the Devils remain six points behind the Sabres for the number eight spot.  But the bad news is Atlanta beat Philadelphia and leapfrogged ahead of the Devils again, joining Toronto (who lost tonight) with 72 points and four away from Buffalo.

FRIDAY NIGHT

Washington Capitals

vs.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

The Rock

NEWARK, N.J.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS:  The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The Long Islanders can give the Blueshirts a huge assist Friday night with a win over the 'Canes in Carolina.  The Islanders still have reasons to go all out, but their chances at a playoff spot are fading fast.  If they can get a couple of shots past a possessed Cam Ward, what a help that would be to the Rangers.

You-Tube sensation Rick DiPietro, is back after getting devastated by a left hook as a result of a bad decision he made against Pittsburgh.  If, and when does he start again? Who knows.  Al Montoya has been OK.

FRIDAY NIGHT

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

vs.

Carolina Hurricane

Some where below the Mason Dixon Line

Mike.BTB

ISLANDERS vs. RANGERS ~ The Rivalry; Game Five

THE RIVALRY

New York Islanders

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK RANGERS: It's High Time This Rivalry Mattered Again...Starting Tonight!

These aren't Mike Milbury's Islanders anymore.  They are young, gritty, feisty and are refusing to go away quietly while a number of teams above them jostle for playoff spots; to include the Rangers and Devils..  The Islanders are a hard luck 10-3-4 over their last 17 games because a couple of over-time losses prevents their recent record from sparkling even brighter.  Otherwise, they are playing as near ferocious Hockey as the Devils.

The Islanders and Devils just played a dooozy of a game against each other last Saturday; won by New Jersey 3-2 in over-time.  Islander Coach Jack Capuano had nary a nice word for the refs after the game and I for one can't blame him.  The officiating was horrific and to my eye, one sided indeed; tilted the Devils' way.  While the Devils' surge is no fluke, the Islanders got jobbed out of an extra point they desperately needed to stay alive.

But take notice; the Islanders are back in the local conversation again.  The Islanders to their credit, are staying hot on the Devils' trail, as the Devils themselves continue a hell-raged charge towards a playoff spot.  Now, after Long Island's latest tough-luck loss to the Devils, this young, still contending, and now angry team is coming to Madison Square Garden to try and add to the Rangers' own list of problems.

Ex-Ranger farmhand, goalie Al Montoya, picked up by Long Island from Phoenix' AHL team, has stabilized the Islanders goalie situation ever since Rick DiPietro and Evgeni Nabokov (and four other goalies) were lost for the season, all in incredulous fashion.  He will be starting against the Blueshirts tonight.  Al Montoya was drafted by the Rangers back in 2004 and was supposed to be our Goalie of the Future.  But one day on their way to the ice, a guy named Henrik Lundqvist happened to the Rangers and well...., Montoya never made it here in a Blueshirt; and Henrik and the Rangers are still trying to write history.

The Bad Ranger Fan in me looks at tonight's game and sees Al Montoya as the newest Rangers' black cat that's about to cross our path; - and well....you know what happened to Leo Durocher.  It's all set up.  The Rangers are 15-16-3 at home. 

Some how; Some way....The Rangers managed to take a bite out of the Sharks but couldn't do Quack against the Ducks.  Now that they are back from their Californication, with a dozen games left in the Rangers' season, it's time for these guys to take back their house.  It's time for re-establishing Madison Square Garden as a very inhospitable place for opposing teams to play.  There is no better time, and no better team to get started against, than the New York Islanders; our grand old enemy.

The Islanders aren't coming into the Garden tonight as that little woeful, impish team we've grown accustomed to recently.  These guys are willing to hit, harass and won't hesitate in trying to ruin our Ranger lives.  We avoided disaster in California.  We all know exactly what the next 12 games mean to the Rangers.  We know what we need to do and how we need to make it happen.

But tonight fellow Ranger fans, it's time.  It's finally time...again.

Ranger fans!  It's time to hate these guys again.

.....because tonight, we can't afford not to.



Let's Go Rangers!!




Mike.BTB