N.Y. Rangers ~ Blueshirts Hit Century Mark Against Toronto

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS




NEW YORK RANGERS:  Blueshirts Earn Points Number 100 and 101 on the Season.  Accomplish Feat for Seventh Time in Their History.


You lose 4-1 against Buffalo at home and maybe think, what happened to Henrik?  The answer is nothing.  But he's had better weeks.  However, if we're pointing fingers, blame the defense for a series of crippling brain cramps.  Regardless, Henrik was brilliant at times against the Sabres.  But Buffalo's goalie, Ryan Miller, was equally brilliant; if not a shade better this time, for the Rangers were 3-0 against Buffalo this season.  That Ryan Miller had an insane night between the pipes should not go under spoken when talking about the Rangers deflating loss Friday night.



The MSG crowd; me included; were denied their chance to see the Rangers gain their 100th point of the season on home ice.  And as far as how the Rangers did, over this now concluded seven game home stand, things could have gone better for the Rangers.  By Friday night, the Rangers lead over Pittsburgh was down to one point.  And so in hindsight, the Blueshirts missed a great opportunity to gain a little separation from Pittsburgh, as the Penguins were idle Friday night, and lost to Ottawa Saturday evening.  So instead of having a four or five point lead with seven games left, the Rangers will settle for a three point margin.



Friday night, Buffalo got on the board first and had the Blueshirts playing catch-up the rest of the way.  Truth is, once the Rangers attention to detail began to break down in the second period, they never stood a chance.  After a slow first period, Buffalo stampeded.  They were a far different team in the second and third periods of Friday's game than the group of the opening session.


Truth is, the Rangers had their share of opportunities to score in Friday's game; loads of  'em.  And even though the first period ended tied at one, I thought the Sabres were getting out skated.  To me, it just seemed as if the Blueshirts' shots on goal weren't accurately reflecting what I was seeing.  And I thought it was only a matter of time before we cashed in on a few more opportunities.



Right.



Buffalo's third goal came on a horrible turnover by John Mitchell above the dots in the Rangers offensive zone.  The result - an odd man rush the other way.  When the Sabres made the score 4-1, my son and I promptly left the building.  Yet another odd man rush was too much to bear.  That was the story of the night.  No 100 points for you.  And to make matters worse, Mats Zuccarello sustained a broken wrist Friday early in the game.



Then it was off to Toronto for Saturday's game.  The Maple Leafs pummeled us in each of our first two encounters.  The Blueshirts finally got a game back the previous time we met.  And now in our fourth meeting of the season, the Blueshirts got 'em again.  But not before the Rangers gave us every indication they were picking-up where they left off Friday, by allowing Toronto to score on yet another odd man rush.  Stu Bickle got caught too deep in the offensive zone, and off went Toronto the other way to make it a 1-0 game.



Marian Gaborik promptly tied the game at one apiece.  Then in the second period, Toronto went ahead 2-1 again.  This time, Brandon Dubinsky, who is playing much better hockey of late, scored his 9th goal of the season, for a second Rangers tie.



Marian Gaborik gave the Rangers their first lead in their last six periods when he scored his second goal of the game and his 37th of the season.  But just eighteen seconds later, Toronto tied the game again at three apiece.  And that's the way regulation time would end.  The Rangers were headed for their fourth overtime game of March.  In bitter-sweet fashion, the Blueshirst had just earned their 100th point of this NHL season.  Could they get another?  To keep more than two points between them and Pittsburgh, they needed to.



They played five more minutes to no avail.  In the ensuing Shoot-Out, Henrik stood strong long enough to allow the Captain; Ryan Callahan; to take the last; deciding; and winning shot in yet another game.



So make that 101 points now.  That's three points better than the Pens, and it ties us with the St. Louis Blues for the NHL lead.







Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Blueshirts Glide Into the Break

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Zoom Past The Winnipeg Jets.




Not so fast.  For me personally, this game lacked speed; not to be confused with effort though.  From Section 417, it just seemed like both teams were skating rather slowly.  The dude next to me concurred.




The Jets have been on the road for most of the month and were playing their third game in four days.  I can see them slowing down.  But the Rangers have been off the last two days.  Their compressed portion of this month's schedule started to lighten up after the 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Call it post-Boston slowdown; or playing down to the competition; or just dying to get the mid-season break started, but who am I to complain because the effort still seemed to be more than enough for points number sixty-five and sixty-six on the season.  I know teams have night's like this.  And I do kind of believe in the Boston decompression factor.




Even though the Rangers won this game rather handily, if I were Coach, I'd still have something to say.  I coached little league for ten years, and I always like to rag my team most when they were playing well.  With most of the Blueshirts; minus Henrik, Girardi, and Gaborik; getting the next six days off so to speak as the NHL takes an All-Star break, I'd like to leave my players with something else to think about other than feeling good about themselves for the better part of a week.  After winning their last two games to rebound from that 4-1 Penguins loss, it's also probably the last thing the players want to hear after spending the first half of the season putting their bodies in front of so many pucks and playing to a 6-5 record in January.  Gotta rub some snow on those bruises Boys, because tough love sucks.  As Coach will tell ya, Only the Strong Survive.




I know this sounds a little petty considering Henrik Lundqvist only faced twenty-two shots, and looked brilliant again stopping every attempt for his fifth shut-out of the season.  Although to Winnipeg's credit, they did pour it on somewhat in the third period.  But to no avail.  It was The King's 40th shut-out of his reign and an overall good defensive effort from all the King's Men.




After creating some nifty goal scoring opportunities in the first period, John Mitchell finally cashed in on one of those chances with a second period goal; his fifth; to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.  Ryan Callahan got things started in the right direction for the Blueshirts scoring a clean-up goal in the first.  Brad 'the hat' Richards capped things off in the third period with his sixteenth goal of the season; assisted by Captain Callahan.




In one of the oddities of the night, Mike Rupp seemed to be begging for a beating from a reluctant Chris Thorburn.  And he got one; twice.  The first of two fights, at least from Sec.417 looked strange as Rupp hesitated? - and appeared to have ended with Rupp headed head first into the ice.  The scoreboard cleared things up for me.  But not liking the way that round ended, The Rupper wanted more and got it during the second period.  Rupp did land a haymaker or two, but otherwise his plans were a total fail.




None the less, here we are.  Even thought we are beyond the midway point of the season, we enter the official break first in the Eastern Conference with sixty-six points and trail only Detroit by a point for the overall NHL lead.




Looking ahead to the second half, the Rangers' schedule will get a lot more New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins intensive.  Along with the more division games remaining against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Rangers can also look forward to meeting up with the NHL's leading team; the Detroit Red Wings; and the Chicago Blackhawks.




There's much to discuss over the break.  Tune in.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Life in the Sixties is a Grind

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS






NEW YORK RANGERS:  Blueshirts Exhibit a Short Memory after Losses to Ottawa and Montreal.  Answer Back Each Time With Shut-Outs of Toronto and Nashville.

GAIN POINTS NUMBER SIXTY-ONE and SIXTY-TWO

I assure you.  This is not the typical win-loss-win-loss-loss-win-loss-win kind of year we're used to.  The other shoe will not be falling off these Rangers.  So take these last four games with a grain of salt.  Ottawa has been beating us in our house for years.  And the Montreal Canadiens have been beating us in their house for years as well.  So in that respect, no, some things have not changed.  We'll just have to wait till the next time we meet to even out the respective season series against them.



If there is anything this team has earned from us, is that we take the high road first before peeling back layers to find things to bicker over.  So I'll look at how they responded to the two losses instead.  Beating the Toronto Maple Leafs was very important to me after the way they manhandled us in two prior meetings.  The fact Marty Biron pitched a shut-out in that game just added to the sweet taste of victory; not to mention his effort propelled the Rangers to sixty-points before any other team in the NHL.



Then Henrik Lundqvist followed up the drubbing we took at the hands of Montreal by shutting-out the Nashville Predators for points sixty-one and sixty-two of the season.  And yes, they are the first to achieve these heights too.  It was also the Rangers' fifth and sixth shut-outs of the season and the fourth for Henrik Lundqvist.  It was also win number twenty on the season versus nine losses for our goalie.  Against Nashville, he faced twenty-seven shots and turned them all away.



Another Ranger All-Star; Dan Girardi; got the Rangers on the score board in the first period with his fourth goal of the season.  John Mitchell provided an insurance goal in the second.  And Captain Callahan put this game away when he was awarded a goal after getting interfered with on an empty net attempt.



This game was characterized by sheer hard work.  There was absolutely nothing flashy about it.  The effort was as lunch-pail as you get.  They played superb defense, dominated the neutral zone, and kept the majority of play in Nashville's end.  It was a BLUE-collar game to be proud of.



A game against Pittsburgh is next for the Blueshirts.  And then, the showdown against Boston will be upon us.






Mike,BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ The KING Rules Over The Classic

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Blueshirts Mount a CLASSIC Comeback Win and Tie for the NHL Lead in Points.

With the slow, steady, methodical movement and power of a glacier, the New York Rangers continue to carve a path towards the top spot in the NHL.  To many Blueshirts players, Mike Rupp may lovingly seem as old as a glacier.  But there was a lesson to be learned from the old veteran.  Rupp brought calmness during a 2-0 deficit and settled a bunch of jittery youngsters and bouncing pucks to lead the Blueshirts through a truly Classic Winter game in the windy outdoors of Philadelphia.





But it was The King whom made all Mike Rupp's efforts, and Coach Tortorella's strategy and adjustments possible.  Henrik Lundqvist provided his team time to regroup and readjust.  But above all, he reigned over this Classic and made it his own showcase.  Sure the Flyers scored the initial two goals of the game.  But King Henrik taketh as well as giveth.  Lest we forget, this Philly team is one in which our liege readily admitted, he's doesn't like very well.  And since he doesn't like them much, he said enjoys playing them.  He must have had had a ball then late Monday afternoon.  With his generosity all but exhausted, he closed down the net for good by 14:21 of the second period.  He decided Philly had had enough.  And to hammer his dislike of them home, he stonewalled Philly on a penalty shot awarded to Daniel Briere off a Ryan McDonagh penalty to save the regulation time win.





And you can add Mike Rupp as another valid reason why Sean Avery rightfully will never play a game for the Rangers ever again.  That's neither here nor there anymore.  Mike Rupp is here today to use his big body, peel off and pummel would be threats to his team mates, and to settle down the guys in a big game whom aren't necessarily experienced in big moments and how to sieze them.  Because after all Ranger fans, this is still a rebuilding team and still learning much in the ways of their craft.





Maybe this Ranger team is just young enough and nieve enough not to realize what it is they are currently accomplishing.  But one thing they are plenty aware of mostly because Coach Torts demands it, is in this NHL Classic Showcase of the Season, the New York Rangers showed the Nation they are the hardest working team in hockey.  And their coach showed he knows a thing or two about the game also.  While Coach Torts was being the better tactician in a game of chess with Peter Loviolette, his Boys took care of the rest.





Karma has a way of creeping into conversations when players score their first NHL goal against you, especially when you can least afford a new opposing hero to materialize out of nowhere.  That's just what Philly's Braden Schenn did at 12:26 of the second period to give the Flyers the first goal of the game.  Philly momentum resulted in a second Flyer goal two minutes later when Claude Giroux scored his 18th goal of the season for what was at the moment, a quick striking Ranger stunner that put them down 2-0 with five and a half minutes to go in the second period.





That's when the Rangers took a collective deep breath and decided to make a slow climb back into this game.  It was also the moment Henrik Lundqvist decided to go from being great, to perfect the rest of the way.  He needed to be miraculaous at times, but he kept his ground.





After going down by one goal, then by two,  Mike Rupp stepped up to be the latest Blueshirt hero on a day when others seemed at a loss how.  In the two previous meetings between these teams, the Rangers defeated the Flyers handily.  But in this game, Philadelphia presented the Rangers with an entirely different effort.  But Coach Torts got the lines figured out while Henrik kept the Rangers hanging around.  And with well over twenty minutes of hockey left in this game, all three men knew there was planty of time to turn this around.





Mike Rupp answered Claude Giroux's second period goal thirty seconds later in what turned out to be a goal that changed the whole Rangers outlook.  It kept the game within one goal headed into the third period.  And these days, the Rangers no longer treat the third period like a basket of eggs anymore.





Enter Mike Rupp again.  Early, at 2:41of the third period, he led his line of Brandon Prust and John Mitchel and made them factor in this game a second time.  This time his linemates set up Rupp for a shot off the left circle that found net for his second goal of the game and more importantly, the game tying score.





And then,  ...then the free agent import stepped up like he hasn't too often so far this season.  Brad Richards followed Rupp's second goal by puting himself in the right position to clean up a rebound and slapped it home.  It was the go ahead and game winning goal at 5:41 of the final period to complete the Ranger's comeback.  Henrik Lundqvist took care of the rest by shutting Philly down the rest of the way.





And that's how they did it.  That's how the Rangers mounted a comeback and won this year's NHL Winter Classic in grand fashion.  And that's how they find themselves tied now with the Chicago Blackhawks for the most points in the NHL with fifty-two.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ THE WINTER CLASSIC

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

2011-2012
The National Hockey League's

WINTER CLASSIC

January 2, 2012

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

Philadelphia Flyers

From,

The City of Not So Brotherly Love
and over-rated cheese steak sandwiches!

NEW YORK RANGERS:   From Off-Broadway to the National Stage;  It's Time for the Blueshirts to Shine.

The Power Play was 0-3 over the first two periods during a 3-1 deficit and 0-5 overall in a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.  And somewhere along the way in another post, I said you really can't appreciate how bad the Blueshirt power play is until you see it in person.  Sheesh!

They had just come off one of their unsuccessful power play opportunities when Washington launched a bomb from the left circle.  Captain Callahan cleverly stuck his ankle in the way and deflected the puck Brandon Dubinsky's way, who dashed off to score the game tying goal with a little over two minutes left in the first period.  And for another moment in the second period, it looked like last  Wednesday's game was turning into the Brandon Dubinsky Show when he almost cashed in on another hot rush towards net.  We know Dubinsky is working hard and still playing well.  The goals will come eventually.  And if they come in bunches down the stretch, even better for us.  For now, good teams back each other up in times like these.

Then a series of amateurishly bad plays against the Capitals doomed the Rangers.  Michael Del Zotto, John Mitchel, and Brad Richards were all guilty of very costly mistakes which opened the door to Wednesday's disappointing loss and snapping their latest five game winning streak.

But the Rangers rebounded Friday by showing another attribute of a good hockey club; an ability to correct mistakes and win the next game out.  That's precisely why the Rangers haven't gone longer than three games without a win this season.  And they corrected themselves against a good team; the Southern Division leaders.  The Florida Panthers are the fourth ranked team in the Conference.  So after the loss to Washington, beating Florida was a very good sign indeed.  There is a sense Dubinsky may be awakening from his scoring slumber after scoring his third of the season and Del Zotto bounced back against Florida and had a very strong game.

Here's another mark of a good team - A good team sticks up for each other.  Friday night Del Zotto took a sucker punch with 7 seconds left in the game.  Mike Rupp stepped in, peeled off Del Zotto's assailant and proceeded to pummel him, with no real objection by Florida team mates.  Coach Torts backed up his forward's retaliation when after the game, among other things he said,

"YOU DON"T SUCKER PUNCH ANOTHER PLAY.  HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED!"

This may be the absolute wrong time then to remind everyone how Dan Girardi just stood around and watched Marian Gaborik get beat up.  Anyone remember that?  Girardi was younger and still unsure of himself.  But even he is throwing his body around a little more these days.  My point is merely to say, these Rangers aren't the Rangers of that forgettable day Girardi just stood and watched.  Rupp showed the Panthers what happens now-a-days.  Brandon Prust is always showing what the League can expect from the Rangers also.  These aren't the Rangers of even this time last year, or even the Rangers of two months ago.  The Rangers prior to October 31st looked eerily similar to the frustrating Rangers of the past.




You can fast-forward now and hit play.  The Rangers hit fifty points before January.  Heading into this afternoon's Winter Classic, their fifty points remain number one in the Eastern Conference, and only two shy of the NHL leading Chicago Blackhawks.




This is the third meeting between the Flyers and Rangers.  The first two games were played at Madison Square Garden where the Rangers defeated Philly on November 26th in a 2-0 Henrik Lundqvist shut-out.  There second meeting just prior to Christmas resulted in a 4-2 Ranger win, but it wasn't even that close.  The Classic will be the first game in Philly in what amounts to a neutral site game for both teams.




Philly remains only two points behind the Rangers for the Atlantic Division lead.  So this game is in effect a battle for first place.  In Philly's case, they're trying to regain a share of the lead.  And in the Rangers' case, they're trying to widen their lead.




I hope the weather suddenly gets frosty in time for the game.  I'd like to have some good ice for what should be a great game.

Let's go Rangers!





Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Blueshirts Now Tops in the Conference

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NHL Leader; Goals Scored

NEW YORK RANGERS:  After Monday Night's Victory Over the Islanders, the Rangers Can Sleep Well as the Number One Team in the Eastern Conference.  What's More, They're Only Two Points Off the NHL Leader.


POST:  A look back at Don Maloney's work as VP of Player Personnel for the New York Rangers - 2000-2007.



A stat flashed on the Rangers/Islanders broadcast Monday night that confirmed what I long suspected; the New York SOFTIES lead the League in Fighting Majors with thirty.  Yeah Buddy!  Better yet, as of 9:30 p.m., the Rangers forty-eight points now rank them number one in the Eastern Conference.  Only the Chicago Blackhawks (50 points) stand between the Blueshirts and the overall NHL lead.



Monday's second victory over the Islanders within a three game span was their fifth win in a row.  This is the Rangers' third winning steak of at least five games.  After losing the first three games of the season, the Rangers have not dropped more than two in a row all season.



Monday night, Michael Del Zotto's defense was correct all night and he played particularly strong in the offensive zone.  His brilliant play continued with two more assists against the Islanders.  The 21 year old defenseman is now up to seventeen assists for the season and owns an outstanding plus-25 rating which ranks him second in the NHL.  I went to that last Flyers game at the Garden last Friday.  His play has been getting a lot of attention this season and deservedly so.  But trust me.  The TV cameras do him no justice.  I've been to four games this season.  What I saw in my first game this season from him back on November 5th was one player.  What I saw Friday night was stellar.



The good times keep rolling for Carl Hagelin.  He picked up his fifth and sixth goal since his call-up to the big club.  And with the way I saw John Mitchell skate around Friday night, as I said in a recent post, there's no way Sean Avery will be getting any playing time soon. 



The big goal of the night came from Marian Gaborik.  Not that it factored much in the game for it came on an empty-netter.  Rather, the goal was his NHL leading 22nd goal of the season.



The King; Henrik Lundqvist; in securing win number fourteen of the season recorded shut-out number three of the season, and career shut-out number thirty-seven.







MIke.BTB