N.Y. Rangers ~ Blueshirts Land Rick Nash

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Brandon Dubinsky ~ New York Rangers

2006/2007 - 2011/2012

NEW YORK RANGERS:  After Decades of Searching, the Blueshirts Finally Captured the Elusive Anti-Smurf.


The Rangers have their man.  He cost them a very popular player in Brandon Dubinsky, another gamely young center in Artem Anisimov, defensive prospect Tim Erixon, and a 2013 first round draft pick.  In exchange, Rick Nash will now don a Blueshirt.


Many feel he is the missing piece that will get the Rangers over the top.  But more significant are the pieces the Rangers did not send packing for Columbus in order to complete the deal.  Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, and Chris Kreider are all still Rangers.  Had the Rangers pulled the trigger on this deal at last season's trade deadline, the trade would have cost the Rangers substantially more.  Instead, they now have their cake, and can eat it too.


This is the second time Glen Sather recently showed excellent patience and didn't act in haste to reel in an impact player.  He landed free agent Brad Richards with patience, and has now acquired Rick Nash, albeit in a trade, through patience as well.  The Rangers are now well stocked with all the pieces they need to surround these two centers.


Rick Nash is exactly the kind of player the Rangers have needed for decades. Think tough, think scorer, and think championship!  That's right, I said it.  He is the anti-Smurf.  He's big, immovable in front of the net, and can put the puck in goal with consistency.  He's not a one dimensional player.  He's a total package play making centerman.  He will also be accountable on defense and play it with tenacity.


I'm very sorry to see Brandon Dubinsky go however.  He was part of the original group Coach Tortorella identified and decided to move forward with.  Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Henrik Lundqvist formed the initial core that has delivered us to this day.  Brandon Dubinsky will go down as one of the most popular Rangers ever.  And I'm sure we will remind him of that the first time he returns to Madison Square Garden next season.


But make no mistake, I am excited to have Rick Nash on board.  He fits in extremely well here.  Rangers fans, we finally have a player like Nick Fotiu again, but one who can score on a regular basis.  The puck on next season can't drop soon enough for me.


Let's Go Rangers!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Game Six Filibuster in Washington

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

GAME SIX FINAL

Rangers   1

Capitals   2

Score Corrected from 2-0 final on 5/10/12  9:43 a.m.

Just goes to show I didn't watch the last minute of play and tuned out!

SERIES TIED 3-3

NEW YORK RANGERS:  The Blueshirts Will Either Wilt

or Shine Under the Bright Lights Off-Broadway.

Game Seven ~ Saturday Night

WASHINGTON CAPITALS SCORE THEIR THIRD GAME-WINNING POWER PLAY GOAL!

It is what it is.  Like I said in my last post - He who scores on the power play, wins.  On Alex Ovechkin's power play goal at just 1:28 of the first period, the Russian sniper simply meandered into the slot when two Ranger defenders inexplicably vacated the space.  Ovechkin was left wide open for a one-timer and the eventual game winner.  I know Coach Torts is going to freak in the film room over that one.  Meanwhile, the Rangers had a four minute opportunity and came up empty.  On the night, they were 0 for 5 with the man advantage.  The rest of the game is all about hockey drills and fundamentals.  Simple.

The Capitals have won three games by a decisive power play goal.  If not for the Rangers scoring with seven seconds left in Game Five, it could have been four.  It IS simple as that.  There's much to pick-on about Game Six for sure.  But the bottom line is, Washington has scored three game winning power play goals.  I'll say it again and again.  They only have four PP goals all series.  Almost everyone has mattered.



The Rangers pretty much got shut-out by Braden Holtby in a 2-1 Game Six in Washington.  The Rangers took thirty one shots on goal.  Holtby stopped all but one shot inside the final minute of regulation.  Henrik Lundqvist made twenty twenty-one saves.   ...all academic - It's now back to Seventh Avenue for the Rangers' second consecutive Game Seven at the Garden in these playoffs.



And so, a second call to arms is in order - the King's Horsemen must come through.  All of them.



Brian Boyle must reestablish his presence.  Ruslan Fedotenko and his experience must find a way to contribute again as well.  Artem Anisimov needs to stop being so up and down.  Chris Kreider and Carl Hagelin need to turn their speed into a weapon again.  Include Derek Stepan, and here in lies a group of players the team can really use a goal from.  In Game Seven against Ottawa, those winning goals came from our defensemen; Girardi and Staal.  That's risky business heading into Saturday night.  The Rangers preferably need to score a little more conventionally with their forwards this time around.



Brad Richards has pretty much carried the Rangers through the playoffs to this point.  There can be no issue with him, even should he not factor this Saturday - much.  But it is incumbent upon Marian Gaborik, of course, and our Captain, Ryan Callahan, to help deliver the Rangers into the next round in some way shape or manner.



I just can't see hanging this on Henrik Lundqvist, although, yes, everything hinges on him.  Jason Chimera drifting into the crease unmolested and left to clean up a rebound is Henrik's fault?  That was goal number two in a virtual white-wash, but that needed to be asked.  Speaking of Jason Chimera, the man was a beast all night, up and down the ice.



It is incumbent upon the forwards of this team to stop making Braden Holtby look like Tony Esposito, Ken Dryden, and Patrick Roy all rolled into one.



That's my first pass.  More to come.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Captain Callahan and Blueshirts Pound Sens

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

Stanley Cup Playoffs

QUARTER FINAL ROUND

GAME ONE FINAL:

Ottawa Senators       2
New York Rangers    4

Rangers lead best-of-seven series 1-0

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Ryan Callahan is a Big Hit Under
the Bright Lights Off-Broadway.

The Ottawa Senators' success in Madison Square Garden over the last few regular seasons meant absolutley nothing Thursday evening during the opening contest of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs' quarter-final round.  To the Rangers, there is no previous history.  There are no prior failures.  For the Blueshirts of 2011-2012, there is only right now.

Ottawa promptly peppered Henrik Ludqvist with fourteen shots on goal, and largely carried the first period play.  Brandon Prust and Stu Bickel committed a pair of overly aggressive penalties, which the Rangers successfully killed off.  The Rangers themselves were 0 for 1 on the PP in the first period and mustered only eight shots on goal.

But it was the Rangers' Captain; Ryan Callahan; who seized upon the first big moment of the game and wound up setting the tone for the night.  At 12:01 of the opening period, he out-muscled Filip Kuba in front of Craig Anderson and wristed a shot past the Ottawa goalie into the back right corner of the net, for a Rangers 1-0 lead.  The Captain then took it upon himself to turn up the physicality of the game.  He found and flattened Matt Gilroy into the Ottawa back boards.  Then found and drove a shoulder into Jesse Winchester at mid-ice.



In the second period, the Rangers missed an amazing opportunity to make it 2-0 game, when after Craig Anderson came way too far out of his net, the Rangers missed a shot at the empty goal.  But it was Ottawa which continued to out-shoot the Rangers over the first half of the period.  With seven minutes left, Michael Del Zoto got whistled for a very questionable tripping penalty in the Rangers' zone which the Blueshirts successfully killed off for a third time in two periods.



The Blueshirts then struck again.  Rising up as if on que, the Rangers' leading regular season scorer cashed in on a crafty play.  Marian Gaborik netted his first goal of the second season with three and a half minutes to go in the second period.  After a fake, a hesitation, and some fancy stick handling, Gaborik slipped an (unassisted) puck passed Craig Anderson for a 2-0 Rangers lead.



The Rangers carried play now, and managed to draw a hooking penalty by Filip Kuba.  They wound up being unsuccessful on their second power play opportunity of the night.  But with less than a minute left in the second period, Brian Boyle gave the Rangers what they were looking for.  A lot of hard work to keep a play alive in the Sens zone paid off for Boyle, as he scored the first ever playoff goal of his career.  The Rangers took a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.



The Rangers came out in the final session and continued to dictate the pace of the game.  And early in the third period, the Rangers fore-check started to take it's desired effect.  They forced a turnover behind the Ottawa's net when Carl Hagelin stormed in upon his man and separated the puck.  He found Brad Richard skating down the slot who recieved a good pass and wristed the Rangers' fourth goal of the evening behind a bewildered Craig Anderson.



Halfway through the third period, Daniel Alfredsson finally did what he does so well.  He deflected a shot towards net beyond Henrik Lundqvist for the Sens' first goal of the evening.



With twelve minutes left, the Rangers went on their fourth power play of the evening.  And for the fourth time, they came up empty.



For most of the third period, each team limited the other to just two shots on goal.  And wouldn't you know, with less than three minutes left in the game, Ottawa made their third shot of the period count.  The Sens pulled within two goals but had little time to score two more.



With only seconds left on the clock, Ryan Callahan took a shot from the Ranger end towards an empty Ottawa net but missed.  He might have missed, but it was appropriate that he should take the last shot of the game.  He scored the Rangers' first goal, and laid some pretty big hits over the course of the game.  The Captain's Rangers won Game One, of their quarter-final series against the Ottawa Senators by a 4-2 final score.



Ottawa's two third period goals did little to diminish Henrik Lundqvist's stellar effort tonight.  Although the two goals did tarnish it a bit.  On Alfredsson's goal, Henrik had absolutely no defensive help.  The second goal, well, it was scored off a hell of an angle.  There's no taking away however, Henrik was huge.  He faced thiry-two shots and turned back thirty.



For the Rangers, their big names stepped up big time.  Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik, and Brad Richards all showed up to shine in the bright light Off-Broadway.  And it couldn't have been possible without the supporting cast of Brian Boyle, Artem Anisimov, Carl Hagelin, and solid play by the Blueliners.



If there is a way to start a seven game playoff series, this was it.  The Rangers got off to a questionable start.  But before the game got away from them, Coach Torts called a time out and readjusted his team's attitude.  The results from that moment on, led to a satisfying Game One victory.



Hey!  Hey!  Hey!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Beasts of the East; We're Number One

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

THE NEW YORK RANGERS HOCKEY CLUB

2011-2012

Atlantic Division and

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS

Tuesday Night Final:

New York Rangers   5

Philadelphia Flyers   3

RANGERS WIN #51

POINT #109

What the Rangers couldn't do Sunday against the Bruins, they took out on the Flyers Tuesday night in Philadelphia.  Needing just one point over the remaining three games to clinch the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, the Rangers powered up against the Flyers with four goals in the first period on their way to cementing their position as the Beast in the East.

And more in the spirit of division rivalries, the Rangers have just completed a season sweep of the Flyers in their series; six games and six victories; to include the great Winter Classic win.

In Tuesday's game, the first three goals of the first period were all delivered by the Rangers secondary scoring corps.  Ryan McDonagh, Brian Boyle, and Artem Anisimov spread out their goals over the first eighteen plus minutes.  When the second season starts, the Rangers will need every goal these skaters can muster.

Ryan Callahan quickly added another goal just after Anisimov's net finder, for a 4-0 Blueshirt lead.  But there was no way Philly was going to let that continue without a fight.  And because this is the Flyers we are talking about, I mean fighting in a literal sense.  In the first period at least, that was the only response Philly could offer.

After two periods, the Flyers started making a game of it with two goals.  But the Rangers managed another score when Marian Gaborik found net for his team leading forty-first goal of the season.  The Rangers took a 5-2 lead into the second intermission.

At that point, I'm thinking -  Look Out! -  because the Flyers have already started to lower the level of sportsmanship.  The most recent Flyers/Penguins melee flashed in my mind.  For after the second period and into the third, the scent of Broad Street Bully musk was no doubt starting to permeate the building.  But not much transpired however.  If anything, the Rangers were continually goaded into penalties which kept putting the Flyers on the power play; eight times in all.  The good news is the Rangers were successful in killing seven of them.

Philly scored midway through the third period on nobody in particular's first goal of the season.  And with five minutes left in the game, the Rangers had just killed off another penalty while still nursing a 5-3 lead.

Henrik Lundqvist made it stand up.  Over the course of the game, he was typically brilliant again.  And he needed to be.  Philadelphia peppered Henrik with forty shots on goal.  Lundqvist made thirty-seven (many fantastic) saves to earn his 39th win of the season, which is a new personal career best for the Rangers' goalie.  The win comes in his 61st start, which over the previous five seasons, is still below his average number of starts.  Minus one season in which he started sixty-eight times, he averaged seventy-plus over that span.

As mentioned with his 41st goal, Marian Gaborik continues to score consistently.  Brad Richards helped set up two Ranger goals.  And Ryan Callahan scored his 29th goal of the season.  I won't lie to you - I want Ryan Callahan to score 30 goals this season, in a symbolic "Captain" sort of way. 

Offensively speaking though, the best news of the night no doubt has to be an improving power play.  They stunk up the Garden Sunday night.  But in Philly, the special team unit scored three times in six chances. And since March, they've been making decent strides.  It goes without saying how imperative it is to have an effective power play in the playoffs.

Although the Garden crowd was denied on Sunday, the Rangers went down the turnpike and gained their fifty-first win of the season, which ranks second in their club's history.  The all-time club record is fifty-two wins.  They also earned their 109th point of the season which they've now accomplished for the third time in club history.  With two games remaining, they have an outside chance to surpass the all-time club record in wins and breaking the club record of 112 points in a season.

So if you felt gypped over Sunday's game, don't.  If you attended any game this season; even just one; you still saw the team that just authored one of the greatest seasons in TEX's Rangers history in person all the same.

Lastly, and somewhat unrelated to what the Rangers have accomplished in the Eastern Conference, I can't help but think back to when Joe Thornton called the Rangers the SOFTEST team he ever played.  As his own team perilously holds on to the Western Conference's eighth playoff spot, the New York SOFTIES have now officially clinched the One Seed in the East, not to mention, they will wind up finishing with among the highest rate of fighting majors in the NHL.

Good luck with that eighth spot tough guy.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ N.J. Devils; Battle of the Hudson - V

from the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Battle of the Hudson - V

Series Tied 2-2

I - NYR 4; NJD 1

II - NJD 4; NYR 3*

III - NJD 1; NYR 0

IV - NYR 1; NJD 0

*shoot-out

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New Jersey Devils

From,

THE ROCK

Brick City - Newark

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:   In Spite of Their Current Struggles, a Strong Season Has Served the Devils Well.  Winning Just One Game in Their Last Six, New Jersey Still Commands Sixth Place in the Eastern Conference.

Recently, I've been extolling New Jersey and proclaiming here come the Devils.  Now it's more like - There go the Devils.  New Jersey and the Penguins have swapped roles.  Pittsburgh is hot, and the Devils are not...; anymore.  Ever since joining the seventy-point club and creeping into second place of the Atlantic Division, the Devils have had a hell of a time getting any further along.  They are 1-5 in their last six games.  Over that time they've been outscored 13-12, and were shut-out twice by their local rivals; the Islanders and Rangers.  Their only win over their last six was a 5-0 trouncing of the Capitals.  But for Washington, what else is new?  In spite of their recent slide back to fourth place in the division behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the Devils still have seventy-seven points which is good enough for sixth place in the Conference standings.

Rangers vs. Devils:

The Devils still have a chance to be the first team to defeat the Rangers three times this season.  They'll have the advantage of playing in Newark tonight in game five of the Battle of the Hudson.  The season series is tied at two apiece.  Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist have taken turns shutting each other out in the last two meetings between them.  On February 7th, Brodeur added to his All-Time records for wins and shut-outs when he handcuffed the Rangers 1-0 before a dismayed Garden crowd.  I know, I was there.  Then in the teams' last encounter, Henrik Lundqvist added to his NHL season leading shut-outs total by tuning out New Jersey 2-0, also at MSG.

The Devils (65) have played one more game than the Rangers (64) this season, and have scored exactly one more goal (180 to 179) than the Blueshirts.  But it is on the defensive side that the Rangers continue to dominate the League along with the Blues.  Speak of Family ties - no surprise John Davidson is running things out in St. Louis.  They have given up 131 goals this season.  The Rangers have allowed 133 goals, and New Jersey 175 thus far.

And here's your difference heading into tonight; in the last four games, the Rangers have secured seven more points in the standings since the trade deadline.  The Devils gained one over the same stretch.  The Rangers have extended their overall Eastern Conference lead over the Boston Bruins to twelve points now.  While the Devils have slipped to fourth in the division.

Regardless of tonight's outcome, it is now the Pittsburgh Penguins who pose the biggest threat against the Rangers; and the Devils for that matter.  After the Rangers, the Penguins are only the second Eastern Conference team to reach the eighty point plateau.  Led by the NHL's scoring leader; Ivgeni Malkin; Pittsburgh is in a full blown surge.

NEW YORK RANGERS:   LOOK WHO'S NUMBER ONE.

Who Ever Said Grinding Was Pretty?  The Blueshirts Lead the NHL With Ninety-One Points and it's Beautiful!

Since last Monday's passing of the anxiety riddled trade deadline, the Rangers are 3-0-1 with seven points.  They did well to keep the Devils, Carolina, and most importantly, the Bruins, all down, while suffering only an overtime loss to Tampa.  But don't look now, the Penguins are only eight points away with eighty-three points.

The Rangers did not make the big move to secure Rick Nash which means they have to get scoring from whom they have.  And in their last four games since last Monday, they have scored twelve times, and allowed nine against.  They defeated New Jersey by a two goal margin.  But the other three games were all one goal differences.

Who's scoring?  The Blueshirts' skill player, Marian Gaborik is.  He has three goals in the last three games.  Carl Hagelin keeps making Coach Torts play him more and more.  He has two goals in the last four games and has twelve goals since becoming a regular forty-six games ago.  He has twenty-eight points and is a +18 on the season.  The Pruster, Fedotenko, and Stepan have all chipped in also.  And they've been doing this in the relative absence of Ryan Callahan who is nursing a welt from yet another blocked shot.

In the tough love department, Artem Anisimov survived Coach's earlier season attitude adjustment, and has upped his play accordingly.  He too has two goals over the last four games.  Then, of the players who've scored over the last four games, we are left with Brandon Dubinsky.  Man did he piss-off Coach against Carolina.  But that was one big goal he scored against Tampa, even if it went for not.

The Rangers are getting a little bit from every one; every one except Brad Richards.  If the Rangers didn't have ninety-one points..., lets say the Rangers only had eighty-points, he'd be getting targeted by the Garden crowd by now like Scott Gomez and Chris Drury did before him, wouldn't he?  Funny how winning covers up real issues.

There is still no word on Michael Sauer.  We may have lost him for the remainder of the season.  But to end on a more positive note, with every minute of ice time, Marc Staal is steadily becoming one of this team's elite players again.

Let's Go Rangers!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ King Henrik Sacks Boston - Nuf Ced

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEXT!

THURSDAY NIGHT

Chicago Blackhawks

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From,

Madison Square Garden

33rd Street at Seventh Avenue

NYC

NEW YORK RANGERS:   Blueshirts Increase Their Eastern Conference Lead to Nine Games After Rolling Over The Bruins.

TUESDAY FINAL

New York Rangers   3

Boston Bruins           0

One of the big bad Bruins punched Brandon Dubinsky in the mug.  He needed stitches to close a cut and had a tooth or two chipped as well.  It's plainly evident Boston has a size advantage over the Rangers.  It's something that stands out whenever they play each other.  Tuesday night, Boston out-played the Rangers as well and that too was clearly evident.  The Bruins took forty-two shots on goal.  They took more and more with each passing period, and eighteen shots against Henrik Lundqvist in the third period alone.  Defensively, they held the Rangers to just twenty shots against Tim Thomas.  New York's shots on goal total red like this: Twelve - Five - Three.  On the outside, those dwindling shot totals do not read like a recipe for success.

That said, the Rangers were never out-matched; out-classed; nor out-done by the Bruins in Boston.  They met Beantown head-on, hit for hit.  The Bruins took the body thirty-two times against the Blueshirts.  And the Rangers responded by initiating thirty-one body shots of their own.  What's closer to the truth about Tuesday night's game is, the Rangers were just better.  Period.



The Rangers and Bruins exchanged one power play opportunity all game.  Boston was denied their chance to score with the man advantage.  And for them it came too late anyway.  The Rangers were only two more minutes away from closing out yet another cleanly played, and convincing win.  For their part, the Rangers continued to cash in on their most recent PP opportunities.  One chance for the Rangers Tuesday produced one goal.  It was the game's first goal.  And it was delivered by the Ranger Captain who is riding an offensive surge.  But his goal also set the tone for this game.  The Rangers turned Boston's night into a dilemma when the Bruins found out nothing short of perfection would beat the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist; at least on this night.



And there's the rub.  The New York Rangers capitalized on nearly every mistake Boston made.  The Blueshirts played superlative hockey inside their defensive zone causing nine Bruin turnovers and took away another eight pucks on top of that, while only committing one turnover themselves all night.

Two first period goals by Ryan Callahan and Ryan McDonagh put the Bruins in an early hole.  Then the Rangers seemed contented to play defense until Artem Anisimov's sweet third period goal sent the Bruins to sleep for good.  As I write, my clock just struck midnight and the Rangers are now nine points ahead of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference lead.  Please allow me to say that again.  The Rangers are nine points ahead of the defending Stanley Cup Champions for the Eastern Conference lead.  They now have seventy-nine points on the season.



One of the biggest reasons why is because of the guys between the pipes.  First, props to the best back-up goalie in Hockey; Marty Biron.  He did not start Tuesday night.  Lundqvist did.  I'll get to our Liege in a moment.  Martin Biron is 10-2-1 this season.  His Save % is .919 and maintains a 2.03 GAA.  He authored two of the Rangers' nine shut-outs this season.



Shut-out number nine of the season came Tuesday night against Boston via Henrik Lundqvist.  He was masterful in turning back forty-two Boston shots.  This was his seventh shut-out of the season and the forty-second of his career.  The King is now 27-11-4 this season and well on his way towards a seventh straight thirty-win season.  His career best is thirty-eight wins.  If he achieves that number this season, it will not have been out of necessity this time.  Instead, he can possibly hit his career high for wins this time through sheer brilliance alone.  He is no longer needed to start 70; 72; and 73 games a season.  And the results speak for themselves.



They also just made another strong case for why they should be left alone come the trade deadline.



See you at the game.   Let's Go Rangers!






MIke.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Turning Up the Power

Fromm the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:   The Blueshirts Powered-Up Against Tampa Bay and the Flyers.  Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are Next.  Come Get Some!


And My Thoughts on the Trade Dead-Line



Hey folks, the Rangers are taking requests.  While they seem to be in a giving mood, think quickly  about what we want from them next.   Lately, the Coach, the Media, and the Fans have all been  clamouring for more overall scoring and for some improvement on the Power Play.  The Blueshirts heard our pleas and delivered on both counts.  But some still feel it wasn't enough.  There's some truth in that.  But as far as this year's expectations, you might be talking to the wrong guy.


Over the last two games against Tampa and then in Philadelphia on Saturday, the Rangers have produced four goals on the power play.  Don't quote me, but I believe that doubles their efforts over their last fifty opportunities.  That's not poking fun. Unfortunately that's stating fact.  The goals came though.  And they came against the Flyers.  For that I am grateful.  Few things make me happier.


There's no doubt the Rangers need more goals.  Today, they are only ninth in the Conference in scoring.  And we're at the point in the season now when names start to get named.  Brad Richards was probably the biggest Blueshirt name of mention.  So he responded with the game winning overtime goal against Tampa.  The Captain's name has been mentioned; by me included; and responded with a hat-trick in Philadelphia.  Artem Anisimov's name has been called to task big time.  And he too responded in Philly.  If you're feeling generous, Artem was also involved in what could have been the last second, game tying goal against the Devils when they last met.  Then there's Brian Boyle.  No one is expecting last season's output.  But his goals along the way can, and do help a great deal.


Over their last six games since returning from the break, the Rangers have scored four or more goals three times, and have scored a total of eighteen over that time for a three goal-a-game average.  They beat Philly twice with identical 5-2 scores and out-gunned Tampa with four goals.  Behind the blue line, they gave up twelve goals over that stretch.  Four of those came against New Jersey in that 4-3 shoot-out loss to the Devils back on January 31st.  But since then, the Blueshirts have held their opponents to 0; 2; 1; 3; and 2 goals.


That said, the Rangers continue to be the stingiest team in the League having surrendered only 108 goals this season.  In the Eastern Conference, Boston is second with 120, while overall, St. Louis comes in second to the Rangers with 111 goals against.


The Rangers have responded with very positive responses to recent criticisms levied against them indeed.  All except for the conundrum the Devils have created for them.  Earlier this season, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs whom the Rangers didn't have an answer for.  They wound up clarifying that matter for me with a sweet 3-0 pounding of the Leafs on January 14th.  Now, for the moment at least, the Devils have stopped the Blueshirts cold on two occasions since coming back from the All-Star break.  So if the Blueshirts are taking requests, I'd like to see that rectified because we'll be facing  New Jersey several more times down the stretch.  And I'd also like to see the Rangers play better overall hockey against the Northeast Division; namely Montreal; Toronto; and Ottawa.  Outside of that and the Power Play, that's all I have.


Don't forget, if you're not enjoying the ride, you're doing yourself a disservice as a fan.  These Rangers have brought me great joy this season by the way they've stepped up to every challenge so far, and competed.  When you keep things in context and think about how they've built this team, and then watching them grow together over the last two years, it makes their present situation wildly satisfying. And they've done it by being very consistent and very resilient.  By watching them play, you couldn't tell whether they were at home or away; nor trailing or leading in a game.  That's a great workman-like trait.  It's their identity.


The trade deadline is coming.  I tell you now; don't misunderstand me, but...; a Stanley Cup interests me not right now.  I am not interested in making any kind of team changing trade.  I'd rather fall short this season than alter the plan which has been put in place.  Stick with the plan!  At face value, yes, so far the Rangers have proven they can hang with any team.  But then again, the Blackhawks and the Red Wings still loom ahead.  But very simply, I am in no mood to give up multiple players for a power scorer/forward right now.


I certainly have my idea about the deadline.  A friend of mine wants Rick Nash.  One, I say he would be too costly.  And two, I think he'd be too disruptive because now you'd have a guy who may not fit into our team concept after being the dominant player elsewhere.  Ditto for Jeff Carter.  I'm not interested.  It could create a scenario where the conversation turns to - Who's team is this?  Nor do I care to resurrect the Anaheim Bobby Ryan deal.  The truth is, I'm against most trades right now.


Here's my opinion.  I think Calgary's Jarome Igilna would be a perfect player for this team in terms of both where he is at this point in career, and for the Rangers present situation.  Jarome Igilna won't come here looking to be a hero.  He will gladly come here to just fit in.  And I think he can be had for the perfect price that won't involve a costly package of players.  And of course, his ability to score does not need any input from me.


I won't argue the Rangers have an interesting situation on their hands as the deadline approaches.  But I'm a firm believer that haste makes waist.  I'm leery of partially dismantling something the Rangers and Coach Torts have worked so hard to build to this point.  We've been very patient so far and it's paid off handsomely.  A little more patience is all I ask now.  Sometimes the best trade you make is the one you don't make.  Just saying.


That's for tomorrow though.  Today there is the matter of the Washington Capitals in Madison Square Garden.  As of today, they are not among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.  And all along, I thought former Coach Boudreau was trying to teach them the right way, for Washington is still trying to grasp the concept of defense long after they fired him.  It's a classic Super Star syndrome.  Here's a question - Do you think the Caps would be better off trading Ovechkin for a package of young skilled players?


.....Yeah, like the Rangers have?  Think the trade deadline through before doing anything.


Lets Go Rangers!

TODAY

Washington Capitals

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From,

Madison Square Garden

33rd Street at 7th Avenue

NYC

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Devils; Battle of the Hudson - III

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Battle of the Hudson - III

Game One ~ NYR 4   NJD 1

Game Two ~ NJD 3   NYR 2  S.O.

Series tied 1-1

GAME THRE

New Jersey Devils

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From,

Sec. 417 on the 8th Avenue Side

NYC

NEW YORK RANGERS:  This Time The Devils Are Entering Hell's Kitchen.

After splitting two games at The Rock, the Devils can expect a most unwelcome reception Tuesday night at the Garden.  The memory of the January 31st shoot-out loss to Marty Brodeur is still fresh on Ranger fan's minds; mine included.  And I'll be one hand to help the crowd make sure he knows we didn't appreciate it.  The Garden was HOT Sunday afternoon for the Flyers game.  So I'm expecting no less Tuesday night when the Devils arrive.  Brodeur might also want to bring an umbrella.  It's going to be raining down "Maaaarty!!" in buckets.  He knows it.  He's "having fun again" remember?  Although, I do appreciate the Devils tenderizing the Flyers for us by drubbing them with six goals -before letting them back in the game that is; if only cosmetically though.  And for that, thanks.

But last game against the Rangers, the Devils looked a lot like the team the Rangers were last season.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  For the most part, the Rangers have steered clear of over-time and shoot-outs this season.  The Devils meanwhile look familiar to us, as they almost hope to get games beyond regulation and there-by give Brodeur a chance at winning it for them as a matter of strategy.  It's a tough in-season debate to argue - there are no shoot-outs in the playoffs.  But you need to win shoot-outs in order to make the playoffs.


This much is established - Coach DeBeor knows what he's doing.  And this is fact - The Devils have sixty three points.  Are they the Devils team that spanked Philly just before the Rangers did?  Or are they the Devils team that took the Rangers to shoot-out last week?  The answer is, it doesn't matter.  The Devils won them both.  But we both spanked Philly.  I don't know what that means but if you're a Devils Fan, you can't be dissatisfied with their present standing.  And if you're a Rangers fan, you can't ignore we still have four games left against New Jersey.


In our last meeting together, Marty Biron was within seconds of securing a win for the Blueshirts.  It was one of those things when the term "things didn't bounce our way" applies.  The fact Marty Biron started in goal and not Henrik Lundqvist surprised many.  It's not the way they've always worked the match-up.  But then, Henrik was returning from the All-Star Game.  Henrik plays Tuesday; no doubt.


I thought coming back from the break to a shoot-out loss was interesting.  I "kinda" predicted that loss. But in my last post I also said I deal in trends.  I said talk to me in a week when we meet the Devils again and we'll see how things went.  Since saying that, the Rangers went on to play an intense and really overall great game by both teams in Buffalo.  Rangers won in shoot-out 1-0.  And then.., Yeah - and then came our turn against the Flyers.  See below.  So it's safe to say we've had a good week, not to mention seized upon another game that as fans, we really, really want to win.

Look What We Did to the Flyers... Again!

Nov. 26th ~ NYR 2   PHI 0

Dec. 23rd ~ NYR 4   PHI 2

CLASSIC ~ NYR 3   PHI 2

SUNDAY

NYR 5   PHI 2

Hey, if I were Philly, I'd be upset too.  After what the Devils did to them?  Then not being able to beat the Rangers this season?  It's enough to drive any seemingly good team mad.  Just driving on the N.J. Turnpike alone drive can drive a person nuts.  Then giving up eleven goals in two games?  Now we're talking rage.  And as this is the Philadelphia Flyers we're talking about, when civility fails, for them  there's always the next best thing; violence.


But before going "there", the Flyers have issues.  They are clearly not the same without Daniel Briere or Chris Pronger.  And not for nothing, both their goalies suck.  There is no kinder way to say it.  Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky are litter bugs leaving all kinds of garbage around the net for other teams to clean up.  Good luck with that.  But then again who cares.  It's the Flyers. 


Sometimes teams deserve a 5-2 drubbing.  Because if you're a Rangers fan; and worse yet, an older Ranger fan; then you know since they day of their inception into the League, their team has long lacked comportment.  And surprise, from the start of Sunday's game, Philly looked determined to reduce the level gamesmanship to Southern Hockey League lows or Roller Ball.  Yeah, I said that.


They say adversity reveals character.  On the way to their fourth loss against the Rangers this season, the Flyers flung the curtains open and exposed themselves.  They acted like Bullies who get exposed when you slap them on the nose and cry.  That's right; a slap; an open hand slap - because to a man, that's more embarrassing.  What the Real Housewives of Broad Street can't achieve through skill, professionalism, respect for the game, and the will to compete, they look to achieve and take through on-ice belligerence.  See Tom Sestito about that.  But it is what it is.  They've been like that for decades.


Only this season, they keep coming up against the New York Softies; not to be confused with the old Smurfs.  Coach Tortorella stomped those little blue creatures out of MSG like they were roaches invading his kitchen.  And ever since the Rangers relieved Philadelphia of first place in Atlantic Division back on December 23rd, the Rangers quite literally have never looked back.  The days of looking over their shoulder for fear of some Flyer player up to no good are additionally gone.  Tortorella's Rangers hit back.  Tortorella's Rangers have actually grown a liking to fisticuffs.  Coach Torts' Rangers lead the League in Fighting Majors.  And Sunday, Coach's guys gave the Broad Street Babies back their fair share.


A game like Sunday's begs one more question - Hey Joe Thornton, How Do You Like Us Now?  While Joe Thornton has nothing to do with the Flyers, the San Jose Sharks' forward called the Rangers (paraphrased) the softest team he ever played.  I'll tell you what Joey - keep your Sharks in first place and hopefully both teams get lucky enough to give you a chance and tell the Blueshirts that to their faces next time.  But that's potentially for the Spring; - Maybe.  But sometimes you get what you ask for.


In more pressing Blueshirt matters, ask and ye shall receive.  Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, and Ruslan Fedotenko, have all been called on the carpet recently as the Rangers will most definitely need more scoring down the stretch. And the truth is, the trade deadline looms ahead.  But right on cue, Anisimov, Fedotenko, and Dubinsky all scored Sunday.  Marian Gaborik added his 26th of the season.  And Michael Del Zotto rounds out five goal scorers against Philly.


The New York Softies are at seventy-one points and counting.  They lead the Eastern Conference by three points over Boston.  And..., they own the stingiest Defense in the NHL.





The Rangers Pendulum Power Play:



The bad news?  Against Philly, the Rangers were 0 for 5 on the Power Play and remain sterile; as in unfruitful.  I've started to refer to the PP as them being on the Pendulum Play.  Because all they do is pass around the perimeter and the defense merely has to shift left, shift right, and shift left again - repeat as necessary.  All the while, the Rangers get little to no shots off, and that's only if they establish the zone.  What the Rangers do not do on the power play is get heads turning around - they don't get different players looking in different directions.  And they certainly do not get different defenders skating to recover their assigned area.  The Rangers allow teams to stay in a turtle shell where all four P-Killers move as one and react as one.



How do you change that?  A) - Pass and move without the puck.  That's when the cross ice pass works most effectively.  The Rangers pass and just stay in place around the perimeter.  B)  - Just take shots and look to clean up in front.  Stop playing for the perfect pass.  C) - Play from behind the net more.  That gets the defenders looking at the back boards and away from the guy in the slot.  Those are just some of my ideas.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Devils; Battle of the Hudson

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

BATTLE of the HUDSON ~ II

Game 1 - Dec. 20, 2011

NYR 4  -  NJD 1

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

New Jersey Devils

From,

THE ROCK in BRICK CITY

Henrik Lundqvist, Dan Girardi, and Marian Goborik represented the Rangers extremely well.  But now that Hockey's mid-season SideShow is over and done, it's time to get back to work.  I've never been one for All-Star Games but for the rest of Hockey's non-participants, rest does a body good.  As it pertains to the Rangers, I hope they got plenty of it.  The second half is going to be an exhaustive grind to say the least.

The Rangers will be seeing a lot more of the Devils between now and April.  And that may not be a good thing.  Because don't look now, but here comes New Jersey.  Their fifty-five points are tied with Toronto and Florida for seventh in the Conference.  Washington has fifty-five points as well, but lead the South Division over Florida.

The Devils are far from being the team they were this time last season.  They were just beginning their upwards swing after a catastrophic start to their 2010-2011 season.  They came on like gang-busters towards the end to save their season.  But alas, their eighty-one points weren't enough to make the playoffs.  Ninety-three points however, were.  That's where the Rangers came in.  Last season they secured the final Eastern Conference spot with a furious finish of their own.

This season, the Rangers will start the second half in first place of the Eastern Conference.  That makes them marked men.  The first half was nothing in comparison to the level of play the good teams will now elevate towards.  The natural question to ask is - Can these young Rangers sustain their game?  And a better question is - Can they elevate as well?

A few things need to happen over the next two plus months in order for the Blueshirts to not only continue playing well and competing against the elite teams of the League, but even elevate their game as well.

The Power Play MUST improve.  When will they learn to get opposing heads turning and getting bodies moving in different directions?  Take shots and create confusion.  The Rangers can not; have not; and will not; scatter bodies by merely passing around the perimeter.  The Rangers must do more because teams just go into Turtle-Shell mode on them.  For that, they should just decline the penalty and stay at even strength.   : /

It's hard to knock a guy like him, but Brandon Dubinsky must finally start finding the back of the net.  Goals are paramount from this moment on.  And to a lesser degree, some more goals are needed from the Captain too.  And then there's Artem Anisimov.  He's melting under the Coach's glare.  Get it together Kid.  And good luck with that.

Because the Devils aren't joking around this season.  They look like they want to stick around and play meaningful Hockey.  Patrick Elias continues to master New Jersey's very thin Centerman Corps.  And somehow, Coach DeBoer figured out how to negotiate being over-loaded at wing.  Their young defensemen have played representative hockey as well.  No, this isn't last season's first half team.  This is closer to last year's second half dynamo.  This year's edition is a very good team indeed.  And every time I see them win another game, I'm like - Damn!  How do they do it?  Oh yeah, Marty Brodeur is having fun again.

Great.

Enjoy the game.   Let's Go Rangers.

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Islanders; The Rivalry - IV

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Game I; 4-2 Isles

Game II; 4-2 NYR

Game III; 4-2 NYR

THE RIVALRY - IV

New York Islanders

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From

33rd STREET at 7th AVENUE

NYC

NEW YORK RANGERS:   The View From the Top is Nice.

Rewind your mind to the Lock-Out of 2004-2005; - With a salary cap in place, Hockey's new working model now demanded GM Glen Sather rededicate efforts into drafting talent in leu of an incoherent plan to buy-up the NHL's meat by-products.

Before Glen Sather took charge of Tex's Rangers in 2000, ex-Ranger favorite; Don Maloney; was hired by the prior regime as an Assistant General Manager.  Upon Glen Sather's arrival, he promptly tacked-on Vice President of Player Personnel to Don Maloney's job description.  From 1997, when Maloney was originally hired by the organization, through 2004-05; the year of the Lock-Out; hindsight says his work went largely unnoticed and rendered ineffectual because Hockey operations were still largely overshadowed by Glen Sather's joy for spending Dolan Dollars.

But looking back, Don Maloney's entire body of work as a Rangers' exec deserves a closer look.  The best he and Glen Sather collaborated to bring to 7th Avenue was a team anchored by a pre-lockout star whom the League (namely Washington) could no longer afford; save the Rangers and Glen Sather that is.  That player; Joramir Jagr; would get surrounded with the new-millennium's version of the 'ol Smurfs; something the Ranger fans had grown accustomed to since the 80's.  Youngsters like Domenic Moore, Ryan Hollweg; Petr Prucha; Jed Ortmeyer; etc; etc, drafted prior to the work stoppage were mere fleas on Jagr's posterior when the NHL returned.  Teamed with Glen Sather's other acquisitions such as Straka; Nylander; Avery; etc.; the 2006 Rangers-Lite reached the playoffs for the first time since 1997; - three years before Sather assumed office.  But all Maloney and Sather ever achieved together was being the best of the also-rans.  Tom Renney was Head Coach of the post lockout Rangers then.  Under him, the Rangers played their way into a playoff team but they only made it to the second round once.

In 2007, Don Maloney left to become the Phoenix Coyotes' main man under owner Wayne Gretzky.  But before he did, Maloney left behind a Swedish goalie named Henrik Lundqvist whom he drafted in 2000.  In 2004, he drafted Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan.  In 2005 he drafted Marc Staal.  In 2006, after a long and winding road for another Rangers' defenseman which dates back to the year 2001, Maloney signed an un-drafted Dan Girardi.

In February of 2009 John Tortorella was hired to replace Tom Renney as Head Coach of the New York Rangers Hockey Club.  At once he recognized the Rangers still needed more changes and a different direction than the one forced on Glen Sather by the lockout.  His first move was to destroy the New York Rangers Hockey Club, and began post-haste, cultivating A Team.

He surveyed the Land of the Lost, and discovered a few scattered rough, uncut gems back in Maloney's old laboratory. And at once said, these guys were going to be the nucleus of his vision for the Rangers.  John Tortorella made it very clear since day one, Henrik would be King; and that Dubinsky, Staal, and Callahan would be the foundation on which to build a new team around.  He also recognized the very, very, rough potential in Dan Girardi; just like Maloney once did.

Where there's one, there's usually more.  So John Tortorella scoured the lab further.  He found Artem Anisimov drafted in 2006; and found Michael Sauer, drafted in 2005.

A wise hire by Glen Sather, Gordie Clark (and Jeff Gordon) assumed Player Personnel duties after Maloney left.  Among the current players on the ice, he drafted Carl Hagelin in 2007; Michael Del Zotto and Derek Stepan in 2008.

Back to Glen Sather, he swung mightily and missed with Scott Gomez.  He swung mightily again with Chris Drury, and you betcha..., missed again.  However the GM saved face by remarkably trading Gomez' contract to Montreal in exchange for a package that brought us Montreal's first round pick; Ryan McDonagh.  And make no mistake about the Brad Richards signing, he used to be one of Tort's guys back in Tampa.  Acquiring Richards was no great feat of GM'ology; not if we're talking about Glen Sather.




To this day, I still maintain John Tortorella exerts far more influence over Glen Sather than we are led to believe.  And who is Glen Sather to question John Tortorella's input.  Of course there's loose ends to this story.  But under Glen Sather, Don Maloney, Tom Renney, and going back to *1997 and *2000, can someone tell me when was the first or last time the Rangers were a legitimate first place team.




Under Glen Sather, the fact that so many young players were allowed to remain together, and are now flourishing is in itself a Miracle on 33rd Street.  I know who to thank, and it ain't Santa Clause.  And he's far from being a Saint.

 

As of December 26, 2001 - 3:00 p.m.

ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS:

1) - NEW YORK RANGERS    21-8-4   46 Points

2) - Philadelphia FLYERS    21-9-4   46 Points

3) - Pittsburgh......................20-11-4   44 Points

4) - DEVILS..........................9-14-1    39 Points

5) - ISLANDERS...................11-16-6    28 Points

 

The view from the top is nice.

 

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Islanders; The Rivalry, Part III

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

THE RIVALRY ~ PART III

New York Islanders

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From

33rd Street

Between 7th and 8th Avenue

NYC

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Blueshirts Pound Martin Brodeur and Dent the Crossbar a Few Times for Good Measure.

Wednesday Final:

4  -  Rangers

1  -  Devils

The latest joust between Martin Brodeur against Henrik Lundqvist went to the Swede.  On the Rangers' last stop before returning home, the King led his men through Newark and defeated the Devils 4-1 at the Rock. 

Henrik allowed the Devils to capture an early 1-0 lead in the opening period on Travis Zajac's first goal of the season.  And True Blue's liege faced more shots on goal than Brodeur faced.  But the one goal was all Henrik would allow.  Instead, the Rangers took over scoring duties while showing themselves to be quite the efficient ones, as they took ten less shots on goal during the game than New Jersey did.

A second period goal by Artem Anisimov tied the game at one.  Then the Rangers got busy.  After only eleven shots on goal over the first two periods, the Rangers dented the crossbar three times and blistered Brodeur with ten shots in the third.  Three of those found net.

Marian Gaborik; who just recently scored his 300th NHL goal; scored his eighteenth and nineteenth goals of the season.  Gaborik's two third period goals against the Devils now puts him in a multi-player tie for second in the league in goals.  The NHL leader; Steven Stamkos; has twenty as of this posting. 

And all hail rookie forward Carl Hagelin will ya!?  The kid scored his fourth goal since being called up from Connecticut.  His latest goal was of the shorthanded variety which at the time gave New York a 3-1 lead in the third period.  I guess the big club and being on NHL ice must really be to his liking because The Kid is flat out excelling, and is probably the main reason Sean Avery continues to sit.

And by the way...the Avery count is now up to four games as a healthy scratch. -  Coach's Call. 

Right....

What follows now are back-to-back home games against the Islanders Thursday, and the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.  As I'm putting this post together, Philly is leading Dallas 3-1 in the 2nd period.  The Atlantic Division leaders, Philadelphia is skating towards their 46th points of the season.  Thursday night will be the Rangers chance to secure points forty-three and forty-four against the Islanders before second place New York, and the first place Flyers face off for the second time this season.  The last time these teams met at MSG, Henrik Lundvist pitched a 2-0 shut-out.

The Flyers will have Thursday off.  So if the Rangers play this right and beat the Islanders for a third time this season, Friday night's game against Philly affords the Blueshirts an opportunity to claim a share of first place. 

And make no mistake, to have played our way into this position heading into Christmas time is a big deal.  No, the significance is not in the Holiday.  The significance lies in the Rangers' sustained play on the ice in spite of injuries taking a toll on defense.  They're still managing to let the young talent on the ice keep things moving forward.  Having a game like they had against the Devils was a very nice way to finish a road trip in which initially, they got...tripped up.  A last second goal by Richards and a fairly dominating performance against the Devils showed the Rangers ability to spring back once again.

I like it.  It's another sign of a good team.

The New York Islanders?  What happened man?  This was supposed to be a young team getting better.  Last year everyone thought  they  took small strides towards that end.  This season they're suffering basically they same thing they suffered from last season.  They can't score.

Heading into Thursday night's game against the Rangers, the Islanders are fresh off a 3-2 shoot-out victory over Winnipeg.  Prior to that, they were losers of four straight.  Worse yet, last week Brian Rolston joined the ever growing list of players sustaining concussions.

Evgeni Nabokov and Al Montoya split time in net against Winnipeg.  So who knows who'll be in the pipes against the Rangers.  I think Nabokov is hurt again; who knows.  Rick DiPietro?  You guess it; injured.  The Islanders even called up Kevin Poulin this season.  That's at least four goalies I know of they've placed between the pipes this season.  Just give the job to Montoya will ya?

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Child's Play

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  "Great Shot Kid!  But This Is No Time To Get Cocky!" - quote, Han Solo.




Note to Artem Anisimov - Don't do that again!



Mimicking the firing of a rifle with your stick is "bush", and I don't blame Tampa Bay for getting ticked off.   Mark Messier once threatened to beat up Tie Domi himself for riding his stick like a witch's broom after scoring a rare goal.   So I'm not apt for one of our young players getting cocky now.   And I'm sure that's not the way Coach Torts is teaching his guys.   Even though Coach had Artem's back after the game, I'm sure behind closed doors Artem received a different form of support from Torts.



The second period melee that ensued threw everything off for a while.   That's not why we lost to the Tampa Bolts Thursday.   But Artem's actions jump out a little more to me than defensive lapses and losing in a shoot-out does.   As a coach, those things are correctable.   But lapses in judgement and comportment are something I'm in favor of pouncing on...Johnny-on-the-spot.   I believe in keeping a player's frame of mind correct.   So it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Artem finds himself lacking his usual amount of ice-time tonight.   Mind you, I'm speaking from a hockey state of mind, because what jives in other sports doesn't jive on the ice.   This is what makes hockey such a great sport.   To a large degree, it polices itself.



If Coach takes it easier on the Kid than I suspect, let it show for the record Coach Torts has a heart. Maybe not for Larry Brooks or Sean Avery.   But it should prove to some of Coach's detractors that there are some soft spots in his tough love approach and that he recognizes the fine lines when developing young players but at the same time, teaching them and demanding accountability.



The game itself was our second loss in a row.   That concerns me not.   Should we lose to Buffalo on the heals of Toronto and Tampa Bay losses however, then I'll be looking for reasons why.  For I am expecting a much smarter game tonight in Buffalo against the Sabres, who always gives us fits.  The only clear advantage the Rangers are considered to have over Buffalo is on defense.  Otherwise the Rangers and Sabres are two pretty evenly matched teams in very similar situations within their respective divisions.  The Rangers are in third place of the soon to be extinct Patrick Atlantic Division with thirty four points; good for fifth best in the conference.  Buffalo has played three more games than the Rangers and are third in their Adams division with thirty-two points; seventh in the conference.



We lost to; surprising at least to me; the South's first place Panthers team in a dismally flat performance on our part in Florida.   So playing them at home Sunday evening, I'm also expecting similarly different results.  If we are going to let consecutive wins over Washington, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh speak to us, then it's justified to start having firm expectations from this team at this point of their development.



"You can act like a Man!" - quote, Vito Corleone.

SATURDAY NIGHT

"The Battle For New York State"

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

Buffalo Sabres

FROM

The Queen City off Lake Erie

Western New York State

Mike.BTB