N.J. Devils ~ Coach DeBoer Putting Rangers Through Hell

From the desks of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  &  THE BRICK CITY DEMONS

GAME FOUR FINAL

N.Y. Rangers   1

N.J. Devils       4

NEW JERSEY DEVILS:  DeBoer's Demons

Playing With Pitchforks High!

NEW YORK RANGERS GET BURNT IN DEVILS' PLAYGROUND

Battle of the Coaches Heats Up ~ Coach Tortorella and Coach DeBoer moved their series feud from the press room to the benches.  The two engaged in a heated third period exchange, which rumor has it, turned personal in nature. 
Both coaches declined to comment after the game.

Game Four Preview; GRUDGE MATCH, and links to all my Eastern Conference Finals posts.


The Devils beat Philadelphia, primarily because the Flyers were terribly undisciplined and because the Devils wouldn't allow themselves to succumb to their level.  Coach DeBoer constantly implored his team to look the other way in the face of any Flyers' transgressions.  They all listened, and after Game Four against the New York Rangers Monday night, New Jersey is again, clearly the more composed and competent team on the ice.


The Rangers put the Devils on the Power Play another six times in Game Four, although New Jersey only scored once.  But for the Rangers, you can't establish a tempo, or flow, and in the Blueshirts case - grind, or mount any kind of offense when you're consistently killing penalties.  Now, here's the worst part of that.  If Blueshirts fans think staying out of the penalty box alone will help the Rangers, WE are all sadly mistaken.  For a team who's forte used to be playing at even strength, the Rangers have scored a mere two goals throughout these four games while playing five on five hockey.


Late in the first period, Mike Rupp authored the Rangers' best offensive rush of the evening; Ruslan Fedotenko's goal aside.  Rupp's attempt didn't get past Martin Brodeur, but he did draw a penalty.  And for a change, that wasn't a bad proposition.  Unlike the regular season, the Rangers have actually been somewhat successful on the Power Play these playoffs.  They are four for eleven this series.  And we all know they didn't have a near 40% success rate during the season.  But unlike the Rangers were doing, the Devils only put the Rangers on the power play this one time.


Let's be clear.  Mike Rupp was the Rangers' best forward Monday night, right up until he wiped out Peter Harrold behind the net, took a swipe at Anton Volchenkov, then punched Martin Brodeur in the chest.  When a melee ensued, Steve Bernier came charging in towards Mike Rupp.  But Bernier made a mistake by leaving his feet and lunging at Rupp.  So, Mike Rupp wiped him out in mid-air too.


That's it.  That's the extent of the Rangers speakable effort from Monday.


While New Jersey's Forwards were busy skating circles around the Rangers and accumulating eight points, the Ranger Forwards looked like they were skating in sand.  Zach Parise scored twice and assisted once.  Travis Zajac scored his sixth goal of the playoffs.  Ponikarovsky, Clarkson, and Zubrus all assisted on those goals.  Then you can figure in contributions they got from their defensemen.  Bryce Salvador's scored the opening salvo of the evening, and they got an assist from Adam Henrique.


The Rangers' blueliners?  Michael Del Zotto had perhaps his worst game of the playoffs.  And Ryan McDonagh can't be tangling with Adam Henrique like that.  The Devils will take that trade off every time.  Especially now, since the Rangers' defensemen represent so much of the Blueshirts' offense.  Which brings us right back to Mike Rupp.


Mike Rupp was indeed the Rangers best forward Monday night, even as he walked through the tunnel on his way to the locker room.  So what does that say?  The same thing I said yesterday.  I'm still waiting for a Rangers' forward line to dominate a game, like Parise-Zajac-Zubrus did in Game Four, and not having us pray for another Lundqvist miracle.


But John Tortorella's usage of Mike Rupp represented everything that went wrong for the Flyers last round against the Devils.  As a matter of fact, Coach Torts' usage of a number of players showed that some old grudges never went away.  But Peter DeBoer and the Devils, just aren't going there.  Or that's what they would have you believe.  They've successfully fought their battles so far through the Media, inside the Rangers zone, and now from the corners of the bench.  Coach DeBoer even snuck in a goon too.  However, the Devils consistently posted four goals a night against Philly because the Flyers played exactly the way the Rangers did Monday night, over an entire series.  So with the Rangers mirroring something from that series, the Devils wound up posting four goals against the Rangers as well.


As the series heads back to the Garden Wednesday night, even I, a self-admitted Torts Grunt, believes he needs to come up with a better plan than the one he unleashed Monday night.  There was something a little desperate looking about Game Four's decisions and efforts, considering it was the Rangers who held a 2-1 series lead, and not the other way around.  Nor in Game Four did the Rangers resemble the team who made adjustments after games two and three of the previous two series.  This lot looked more than just a little bit lost.


After the game, Coach Torts said his team needs to possess the puck more.  That means our forcheck isn't working.  Martin Brodeur's ability to make a long stretch pass to the blue line has something to do with that.  The Devils' quickness and accurate passing has been another factor hampering the Blueshirt forcheck.  And without the puck, that means the Rangers aren't spending much time in the Devils' zone.  Game Four ended with both goalies facing twenty-nine shots each.  But the Rangers shots came in late period flurries, and not through anything sustained like the Devils have created for themselves.


Nothing is lost for the Rangers.  Not by a long shot.  For Blue leaning Fans like myself, the series boils down to them imposing their will upon the Devils.  But Peter DeBoer and the Devils have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, the Rangers better do it smartly.  Reducing the game to alternative hockey will not help the Rangers.  In Game Four, the Devils also proved they can be patient enough to negate many of the Rangers blocked shots.  For Monday night, the Devils managed twenty-nine shots against Henrik, while the Rangers and Devils were tied with only six blocked shots each by the midway point of the third period.


The third period was supposed to be the Rangers' period.  That's how the first three games played out.  The Rangers have outscored the Devils 6-1 in the third period this series.  But not this time.  It is Coach Tortorella's turn to make adjustments now.  The series might only be tied, but after Game Four's performance, Coach DeBeor holds a distinct edge.


The Rangers can not continue to rely on their defensemen for scoring, nor the wily machinations of their Head Coach.  At some point, and it better be soon, the Forward Lines need to start taking control of these games or else the Devils will be playing for a Stanley Cup.


But these are the Rangers, and they prefer to do things the hard way.  They've been in worse positions than this.   After all, we are only headed into Game Five tied at two apiece.  The Rangers have dug down deep before.  They'll know how to dig in again.  But can they?  Or has their system reached it Law of Diminished Returns?


In any case, Coach Torts is right - it starts with possessing the puck.

The Battle of the Hudson Continues...

2011-2012

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE - STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

SERIES TIED 2-2

I  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

II  -  NJD 3; NYR 2

III  -  NYR 3; NJD 0

IV  -  NJD 4; NYR 1

GAME FIVE ~ WEDNESDAY

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

From

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

33rd Street at 7th Avenue

NYC

*Devil's Playground ~ Bushwick Urban Art, BK
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 ~ The Life of Brian

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  King Henrik Reigns Over Ottawa.

GAME THREE FINAL

New York Rangers   1

Ottawa Senators       0

I - Rangers 4; Senators 2

II - Senators 3; Rangers 2

Rangers lead series 2-1

Chris Kreider made his NHL and Rangers debut Monday night in Ottawa.  The Rangers' blue chip is just the latest kid to come through the Blueshirts' door and seamlessly fit right in; just like the guy he replaced; Carl Hagelin; did after the start of the regular season.  He played things by the book; committing no mistakes.  And he almost scored a goal for his efforts while playing on the first line with Marian Gaborick and Brad Richards.


In Game Three of this playoff series, the kid witnessed up close and first hand, what NHL brilliance looks like.  In a word, Henrik Lundqvist was - Great.  He made thirty-nine saves and allowed no goals.  After the game, Henrik said he was still upset over letting Game Two get away from them. Meanwhile, spent the better part of Monday night taking out his frustrations on the Senators, and had a few choice words for the Stripes the more Ottawa bumped him as well.  Most of Henrik's saves were of the incredible variety.  And too many came in the game's final two minutes from point-blank range.  But Henrik stopped them all.  He carried his team with only one goal scored on the night.


That goal came from Brian Boyle.  He did it again!  The marked man with a bulls eye on the back of his jersey scored his third goal of the series with twelve minutes to go in the third period of an intense Game Three.  He didn't just score the winning goal and play another supurlative game.  He's having the series of a lifetime.  Just prior to scoring, at 7:07 the Sens went on the power play after a Callahan trip.  Boyle intercepted a puck in the Rangers' zone and chugged up ice where got slashed on a short-handed opportunity that negated Ottawa's power play.  That's the kind of night Boyle had.  As a matter of fact, the Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust Line was stellar all night long.  And the King made their effort stand up.


The last two minutes of the game were absolutely frantic however.  At the 2:00 mark, the Sens headed up ice.  But the Rangers forced a turnover in the neutral zone and dumped the puck back in Ottawa's end.  Brad Richards wound up clanking one off the crossbar.

Then, the other end of the ice turned into a heart attack in waiting.  Henrik stopped a pair of shots that get by any other goalie in the League.  What a pair of saves!  Then with their inability to clear the puck from the zone, Henrik made another save; and another; and another.  Finally, with twenty-four seconds to go, Dubinsky made the last clear.


The Rangers win Game Three 1-0 behind a shut-out performance from their goalie, and from a forward who is arguably the Rangers' best player right now; Brian Boyle.  It's his world right now.  We are merely along for the ride.


With this win, and for the moment at least, the Rangers have re-established their home ice advantage again and lead the series two games to one.


The Senators' Craig Anderson was equally magnificent minding Ottawa's net.  He stopped the Rangers cold on a number of occasions.  Like when with 4:55 left in the game, he made a brilliant save on a Callahan breakaway.  In the game, the Rangers had many quality chances the Ottawa goalie turned us away on.


The Rangers recommitted themselves to their defense Monday night.  They regrouped and regained their composure after getting knocked off track last Saturday.  If you take a look at Pittsburgh, who are now down 3-0 to the Flyers, they are presently the poster child for losing composure.


Just keep playing Blueshirt Hockey boys!




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ The Money Shot

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

SUNDAY NIGHT FINAL

New York Islanders   3

New York Rangers    4

Overtime

Rangers win THE RIVALRY Series 4-2

N.Y.R. ~ NINETY-THREE POINTS

#1 - Eastern Conference

#1- Atlantic Division

#2 - Overall NHL

Fourteen Regular Season Games Remain

NEW YORK RANGERS:   #19 Answers the Call..!

There's the regular season, and then there's The Rivalry.  As a fan, I like for both to have their own identities.  This was perhaps one of the best games I attended all season.  The night was a back and forth affair and the crowd was electric the whole time.  Falling behind to the Islanders on three separate occasions was never more entertaining; not in a long while at least.  I won't lie.  The fact that we needed two points in a slightly desperate kind of way, made the recurring Ranger comebacks just a little sweeter.



The last thing the Rangers needed was to start a seven game home stand with a fourth straight loss. That it could have come against the Islanders means little at this point.  But make no mistake, any win against the Islanders is a great win.  And I won't be spending any time down playing the fact we beat our weaker rivals from Nassau County.  On Sunday, they were good enough, and skated fast enough, to win this game.  At a minimum, John Tavares and the Isles gave the Blueshirts all they could handle.



Sunday, Henrik Lundqvist did some pretty amazing things between the pipes.  The box score will say he gave up three goals on only nineteen Long Island shots on goal.  But I was there and I'm telling you he saved the game for us once again.  He also helped his own cause offensively when he assisted on his first Ranger goal of the season.



Something else that struck Ranger Fans as amazing was the team's proficiency on the Power Play.  They scored on three of six opportunities.



On the flip-side, I'd like to know what Mats Zuccarello was doing on the penalty kill?  And while I'm at it - I'm sorry, but Ruslan Fedotenko needs to throw his body around a little more.  He's a smart and very solid hockey player and I know that's really not his game.  But he had numerous opportunities to take out his man and separate him from the puck in the defensive corners, and didn't; and thus allowed the play to continue in the Rangers' zone.



But let's get to the meat and potatoes of this last game.  In my last post, I finally called out Brad Richards by name.  It's something I've been reluctant to do.  But with teams getting better all around us, the Rangers needed more from the free agent center than we've been getting.



Among some things I said regarding Richards:

".....let's go ahead and ask now; - Is Richards finally going to come through and become the big name, high priced, free agent center, SLASH, scorer, the Rangers have spent an inordinate amount of years and money in search of? Because if he's not, it's time we stopped pampering him. If he's not going to be that player for us, when do we start calling him out for what he's been, which has been nothing more than a healthier version of an inconsequential Chris Drury.

Chris Drury's failure on Broadway is what helped precipitate the Rangers' youth movement in the first place. So in that respect, all hail Chris Drury. But praise futility at your own expense. Brad Richards came here under far different circumstances. He was expected to be a game changing player for us. We don't need any more savvy veterans who lead young kids by being a good guy. We need a player who's going to take his Captain's lead, and be a threat skating by his side."

Okay..., maybe that was a bit much.  But I don't take it back.  Brad Richards hasn't been nearly as inept as Drury was; healthy or not.  But we had reasonable cause to expect a little more from the centerman.  He's been skating a thin line between being a steady contributor and being deserving of getting dumped on.  So call yesterday a preemptive strike on my part.  Look what I did for you, Ranger Fans.  I motivated Brad Richards.  That's how I do.  I'm a man of the people.



But in all seriousness, Brad Richards provided some very crystal clear answers to some long simmering questions everyone has had about him; even Torts.  He was brought here in part, to improve and lead the power play.  Against the Islanders, he scored twice with the man advantage, and has now finally broken the twenty goal mark.  His first goal was virtually unassisted.  Lundqvist and Mats Zuccarello touched the puck briefly behind Henri's net.  Then from the back line, Richards skated up ice and took care of the rest.  He tied the game at one with a booming shot from the high slot.  When the Islanders jumped back out to a 2-1 lead in the second period, Richards tied the game again in the second period with assists from Gaborik, and Zuccarello's second.  Brad Richards would go on to assist Marian Gaborik's game winning OT goal; which incidentally was the Rangers' third power play goal of the evening.



On a night the Captain was sidelined with a screaming foot and the Rangers in need of a big win, Brad Richards stepped into the lead role, led the power play, and scored big goals when the Rangers needed someone to play big.  He skated, passed, shot, and scored like a star last night.  When trying to prove a point, hyperbole can only get one (me) so far.  Sunday night, Brad Richards was money.  Far from being Chris Drury, Richards was the player we've all been kind of waiting for, and really wanted to see.



Most importantly, the Rangers got two more points.  The Penguins won Sunday as well.  The Blueshirts have the Carolina Hurricanes next.  If we can secure two points against them, we'll be in  good shape heading into Thursday's game against Pittsburgh regardless what the Penguins do.  Two more points against the Canes will at least give us a little breathing room heading into that game, and coming out of it as well.  We play the Penguins two more times.  We need to win one of those.  More and more, it's looking like the Atlantic Division will be decided on April 5th, when we travel to Pittsburgh in the second to last game of the season.  And we all understand what losing the division title will do to our Eastern Conference standing and home ice advantage.



That said, we'll be needing more money shots from Brad Richards.  Here's a look at Sunday's from my view in Section 417.  I sensed it coming and had my phone at the ready.

Let' Go Rangers!

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 ~ 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 ~ The Blueshirts Have Arrived

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS:  The Blueshirts Seize a Share of First Place.  Their Methodical Climb Through the Standings Validates Three Years of Building.



Make that five consecutive games and counting in which Coach Torts banished Sean Avery to the  Island of healthy yet Misfit Scratches.  It's a shame too.  The maligned forward has been as composed, and has played as effectively in his minimal ice-time this season, than he has in all his time here.



I still believe there is a role for this player and that he can serve a team well if he comports himself.  And this year, he has.  But I now know that role will never be with the Rangers; not anymore.  It's clear there is no role for him here.  After spending much time defending and championing Sean Avery's plight, I now understand he never stands a chance of playing meaningful minutes for the New York Rangers ever again, only unless some most unfortunate calamity should befall the Rangers.  And even then, there's a question as to whether Coach Torts would turn to him..



The list of players Sean Avery must now climb over in order to receive any meaningful ice-time is starting to cast a rather lengthy shadow on his Ranger career...again.  The first time was because he was still largely out of control and seething with internal anger.  He proved too damaging to the team building concept.  Most of all, he never stood a chance under Coach Torts.  So, he was shipped off to Dallas.  Glen Sather brought him back for a second run of the off-Broadway drama after another disappointingly meek exit from the playoffs and because Avery came at a cheaper price this time.  Then just before this season got started, Coach blind-sided Avery with a demotion to Connecticut.  Coach Torts flatly stated at the time, the organization simply had better players than Sean Avery.  That rang very hollow with Ranger Fans. 



Sometime before 10:00 p.m. on the evening of December 23, 2011, the Head Coach of the New York Rangers stood triumphantly on the bench behind his team fully justified in his stance, and totally correct in his conviction.  Alas, the Coach has been proven right and that should be duly noted.



The mountain Avery must climb for ice-time features the most obvious forwards; Richards; Callahan; Dubinsky; Boyle; Gaborik; Fedotenko; Prust; and Rupp.  Young players like Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov have already skated light years ahead of Avery on the pecking order.  And here's where the Rangers' reconstruction effort has made Sean Avery a relic in the new Madison Square Garden - the Rangers' pipeline from Connecticut is flowing at full force now.  It just pumped out another player like Carl Hagelin.  And another pick-up like John Mitchell stepped in and played tough, smart, disciplined, complimentary hockey of late.  They come to play without the reputation which precedes a guy like Avery, and they arrive without all the baggage as well.  And we won't even speak of the need to maintain another defenseman because of the rash of injuries taking a heavy toll on the Rangers' back line.



For Sean Avery, anger management and a re-commitment to being an effective hockey player while dressed in a Blueshirt came too late in the Rangers' and John Tortorella's grand scheme of things.  Mood management  might have served him more wisely a few years ago.  A Sean Avery with a clearer mind back then could have made the whole difference in his career as a Ranger.  There still might be a team he can play very well for.  But due the Rangers' rebuilding effort, and the surging quality of hockey being played by too many young hungry and moldable players make it virtually impossible to throw Sean Avery valuable minutes out of compassion now.  I am an unabashed soldier in the Avery Army.  But the new young Rangers have passed him by.  Like Coach Torts said back in October, this team has better players than Sean Avery.



The teaching; the drilling; and the patience by the organization are all starting to pay off.  The methodical rise of the New York Rangers started with the nurturing of Ryan Callahan, Brian Dubinsky, Marc Staal; and Henrik Lundqvist.  Those are the four men Coach Torts defined as his Core. 



Artem Anisimov and the second wave of Derek Stepan, Michael Del Zotto, Ryan McDonagh, and Michael Sauer; are all coming together around that core.  Guys like Stu Bickel, Tim Erixon, and Anton Stralman, being led by Dan Girardi who is the grizzled young vet now, are making life without Marc Staal, Michael Sauer, and Steve Eminger possible.

On Christmas Eve, the New Young Rangers woke up tied for first place in the Atlantic Division.  They achieved that by resoundingly defeating the first place Philadelphia Flyers.  They scored first on a brilliant deflection by Derek Stepan and never looked back.  Then Ruslan Fedotenko scored again and the place roared with appreciation over what was transpiring on the ice.  Our boys were growing into men before our eyes.



Then the star showed up.  Marian Gaborik nailed his twenty first goal of the season.  A New York Ranger forward is leading the League in goals?  Yes.  How apropos is it that he should score his league topping goal on a night the Rangers secured a share of first place against a long standing rival, whom for many decades remained a more physical team than the Rangers. 



The Rangers' ascension to the top of the Atlantic Division started three years ago with a grass roots; down-home; honest, True Blue effort and a player named Ryan Callahan.  He himself is still a young player.  But as such, Coach Torts named him Captain this season of a very young team.  In the third period of Friday evening's game, the Rangers' Captain was set-up in front, right where he should have been.  He nailed home the Rangers fourth goal of the night, and put an exclamation point on a message received loud and clear by the Flyers. 



Led by their Captain, the New Young Rangers treated the crowd to a throwback classic night at the Garden.  They showed the Broad Street Bullies that whether by skills or fists, the new group playing the Garden these days isn't inclined to put up with any of their crap.  And for that, the Garden roared with appreciation like it did in the old days.



So no, ultimately, Sean Avery will be hard pressed to bring his old act to the newest off-Broadway hit.  That curtain has fallen.  Look no further than Friday night as to the reason why.





Mike.BTB

N.Y. RANGERS ~ Bigger Heart Wins Out Over Big Bodies

Sunday's Games:


FINAL ~ S/O
New York Rangers 3
Philadelphia Flyers 2


NEW YORK RANGERS:  Blueshirts restore hope with a huge win over Philadelphia and wipe the horrible memory of the Islanders debacle out of our minds.


It was just about a year ago around this time that the Rangers lost to the Flyers in a shoot out and let an opportunity at making the playoffs spiral down a fifth floor MSG toilet.  The Rangers desperation for two points was just as dire then as it was today.  That fateful game last season was Henrik's 17th consecutive and last start of the season for the Blueshirts.  It was also the end of a season run that wore the goalie down.

This year, today's game against Philadelphia was consecutive start number 23 for King Henrik.  But with only three games left on the schedule (all at home), Henrik will not quite match last year's total of 73 starts in net.  He'll end close though.  But maybe, just maybe, Marty Biron served his role well enough and early enough before he got injured.  He did start 21 games in net before going down.  And Henrik appears to be a fresher goalie for it.

In today's game both goalies gave up two goals while stopping thirty-four shots each in regulation time plus the extra five.  Then, sure enough and to no one's surprise, the Rangers went into a Shoot-Out against the Flyers; just like last year.  Unlike last year's match-up when the Rangers (and both teams) were in a do or die situation to make the playoffs because it was the last game of the season, the Blueshirts still have the slimmest of margins to wiggle their way into the second season with three games remaining if all they managed today was just the one point.

But this year's team is a radically different product than the unit which fell short last season.  Sure, the standings and their situation seem similar to last year's end of season dilemma.  But this team unlike last season's edition has already sold us on the notion they are a never say die squad.  These young guys got spunk.  And when things seemed to break down before and the fan's hopes seemed to be crumbling along with them, time and again, these young Rangers came back and did something to reassure us they will not go quietly into the night and left us feeling good again.

It's so frustrating watching them play down to the likes of the Islanders, Senators and Florida, then suffering a back-breaker against the Sabres.  There was only a fraction of an inch of space for error in that Buffalo game, and we were the ones who found it and slipped.

But we can't lose sight of how young many of the present skaters are and how little NHL experience they have.  So considering the team we were supposed to be starting out the season compared to the team we are now, I'd say the transformation of this team on the fly has been quite remarkable and they don't deserve to get the Rangers 85 Year History book thrown at them.

These guys did things like what they started against the Flyers back in early March.  They pounded them for seven goals.  Then they beat the Sharks; Canadiens and the Penguins.  They muzzled the Bruins with a one goal shut-out.  They've pounded on the Caps a couple of times this season for good measure.  By doing things like that they've shown us they can contend and extend their season deep into Spring.  But then a drubbing like the one we endured against the Islanders makes one think if we really can and if we'll get the chance.

But today, The Rangers; The Road Warriors; - Today the Blueshirts rose to the occasion.  They did what needed to be done.  They went to Broad Street and beat the Bullies on their own ice.  There was a price to pay.  There always is when you visit Broad Street.  Marc Staal got a busted nose.  But Hockey players don't miss time.  They're not baseball players.

Now the Rangers get to finish the last three games of the season all at Madison Square Garden starting Monday night against the Boston Bruins again.

Monday's game still means something to us because Brian McCabe scored on the power play today, just as he was brought here to do.  Tomorrow's game still has major significance because Ruslan Fedotenko gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead in the second period with the team's second goal after Philly opened the scoring in the first period.  We are still in control of our destiny because Henrik Lunqvist is playing like a franchise goalie when his team needs him to be a King most.  And we still have continuing, meaningful Hockey to play beginning tomorrow night because Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski complemented Henrik's no goals allowed in Sunday's shoot-out against the Flyers.

Like you, I watched today's game on TV-NBC.  The guys name escapes me right now, but whomever was calling the game with Doc Emerick said upon the Flyers first goal scored in the first period, "Big Bodies Matter".  In describing the Flyers goal, that may have been true.  The notion continued to hold true for several minutes, and bore more truth when a Rangers' attempt on net was denied because a Blueshirt got pushed and tossed out of the crease by the Flyers' defense.

If Big Bodies Matter, then this game was proof that sometimes a Bigger Heart and more Fortitude can get you through a game.  Size certainly helps.  I know it; Ranger fans know.  It's something we always wished we had for a very long time.  But on a day like today, Size came in a distant third to the Rangers' intangibles they brought with them to Philly.

Bring on the Bruins.



BUFFALO vs. CAROLINA:
Final: Buffalo 2; Carolina 1   S.O.
Our neighbors from Long Island didn't care to respond to the Bat Signal the Rangers sent up during the Islanders' game against Carolina, but our cross-state friends did.  The Rangers received much need help from the Sabres as they beat Carolina today.  These two teams also played into over-time.  Buffalo's Chris Butler scored in the first period and Carolina's Eric Staal scored in the second period.  The third period remained scoreless and off to over-time they went.  At 2:56 of the five minute session, Buffalo's young Defenseman - Marc-Andre Gragnani scored the first NHL goal of his career and second ever point to win it for Buffalo.



And here's what the bottom of the Eastern Conference Bracket looks like now:

EASTERN CONFERNECE STANDINGS:
#1 ~ *Philadelphia ~ 103
#2 ~ *Washington ~ 103
#3 ~ *Boston ~ 99
#4 ~ Pittsburgh ~ 100
#5 ~ Tampa Bay ~ 97
#6 ~ Montreal ~ 91
#7 ~ Buffalo ~ 90
#8 ~ NEW YORK ~ 89
------------------------------------
#9 ~ Carolina ~ 87
#10 ~ Toronto ~ 84



RANGERS Remaining Games:
BOSTON ~ April 4th
ATLANTA ~ April 7th
NEW JERSEY ~ April 9th


OTHER STUFF:
Now that Mats Zuccarello is back with the AHL-Whale, it's unlikely Sean Avery will be the designated healthy scratch anymore.  But it doesn't look like Coach Torts will use him any differently that he has the majority of the season; which is very little.  Against the Flyers he was allotted 5:20 minutes and nine shifts; by far the fewest on the team.  Rounding out the rest of the bottom three ice participants were Christensen playing 9:07 minutes with thirteen shifts while Wojtek Wolski, who on the other side of this line logged 9:17 minutes and 13 shifts.

Here's a question.  Does Brandon Dubinsky still really deserve to be getting 24 minutes a night; every night?

Here's another question.  Do you give Henrik Lundqvist a day off against Atlanta?  In a perfect world we'd be able to afford giving him the Devils game off.  Is this even a consideration right now?  It probably depends on what the Rangers do against Boston tomorrow and how the Sabres and Carolina fare until the Atlanta game rolls around.  But should we really risk giving Chad Johnson a start in one of the remaining three games?  I think we all agree Henrik can use the day off?  The the bigger question is do we actually do it?  Can we afford to?

I feared, some weeks ago, that the Rangers' season finale against the New Jersey Devils would loom large in the Blueshirts playoff push.  It still appears if that regular season ending game will have as much significance in deciding our playoff fate as tomorrow's game against Boston will.  This Blueshirt quest for a ticket into the second season is going to use every regulation minute permissible, and I just know the Devils game will be there to factor into our best laid plans.

*If the Rangers make the Playoffs, watch for the season long, tense but civilized relationship between Coach Torts and writer Larry Brooks to end.  That's a situation that is ready to go BOOM! and there's nothing like the playoffs to light that fuse.






Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers ~ Blueshirts and Henrik Face A Familiar Dilemma

New York Rangers ~ Fall To Ottawa In Shoot-Out.
Salvage One Point.

They played a rather unflattering first period.  Ottawa spent way too much time in the Rangers' zone.  The Blueshirts did not play like a team desperate for points.  The second period would only serve to further infuriate their Coach, as the Senators took a 1-0 lead into the 2nd intermission.  In the third period, a tie game was born on a Brandon Prust goal.  In over-time, Henrik saved the Rangers' skins with a brilliant right pad save off an Ottowa breakaway coming as a Rangers' power play had just expired.  That's all there is worth speaking of.  Why chronicle the Rangers' seeming futility which plagued them most of this game?

They went to a Shoot Out at The Garden ~  Coach Torts elected to shoot first;

OTTAWA - Anderson; 30 shots - 29 saves.
NEW YORK - Lundqvist; 29 shots - 28 saves.

NYR ~ Christensen ~ Shot wide.
OTT ~ Spezza ~ Save; left pad.

NYR ~ Zuccarello ~ Save; right pad.
OTT ~ Shannon ~ Save; pushed left.

NYR ~ Wolski ~ Save; glove high.
OTT ~ Svatos ~ Save; right pad wide.

NYR ~ Dubinsky ~ Shot wide.
OTT ~ Foligno ~ Stick Save!

NYR ~ Callahan ~ Save; Broken stick shot.
OTT ~ Karlsson ~ GOAL!

The New York Rangers lose in a Shoot-Out. 
Game final ~ N.Y. Rangers 1; OTT Senators 2 - SO

That's all there needs to be said of the game other than I'm disgusted that we played down to Florida and Ottawa.


TODAY:  FACE-OFF AGAINST #3 BOSTON BRUINS

The New York Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist
find themselves in a similar situation as last season.


But first....I thought I was ready to put the Sean Avery issue to bed after his consecutive string of being a healthy scratch.  The Rangers' play during their recent streak (before running into a slow-down versus FLA and OTT) justified Coach's move.  But when Coach Torts doesn't let Fedotenko, Zuccarello, nor Erik Christensen touch ice during the third period against Ottawa (which also isn't the first time these guys have been benched during the third periods of games), we have to rethink the Sean Avery situation.  Me personally, I'd rather have Avery getting shifts over Christensen and Fedotenko.  But that's just me.  Chris Drury just might be back to muddle the forward line mess a little more; which I hope is unlikely.

Henrik:
Last year, Henrik Lundqvist started 73 games.  Our back-up goalie situation was in disarray.  Steve Valiquette, Alex Auld, and Chad Johnson were all called on to help Henrik but were all generally ineffective.
Henrik wound up starting the final 17 games of the season leading up to that fateful Shoot-Out against Philly on the final game of the season.  And if we all remember correctly, last season's final playoff push wore Henrik down and his knees needed treatment in the off-season.  Marty Biron was supposed to rectify that situation and be the one to spell Henrik for about 20 games this season.  But we know what happened to him and we're right back to having Chad Johnson waiting in the wings.  If Henrik starts this afternoon against Boston, it will be his 20th consecutive start since Biron went down.  But it will only be his 61st start of the season with seven games left to play.  I'd like for someone to ask Henrik how his knees are feeling right about now.  He will fall short of 73 starts like last season, but he's going to wind up close.

Make of it what you will.  I'm just saying...

TODAY

NEW YORK RANGERS

40-30-5

vs.

Boston Bruins

41-22-10

From Not the Boston Garden

BOSTON, Mass.

LET'S GO RANGERS!

Mike.BTB

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

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

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


"Aah! My Fibula!"

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

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

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

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

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

 (see F-Chad Kolarik -AHL Whale). 

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

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

*SIGH*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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


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


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



Mike.BTB

N.Y. RANGERS ~ Young Kids Out-Spunk Vancouver for Win

FINAL

Vancouver Canucks  0

NEW YORK RANGERS  1

26-16-3   55 Points

NEW YORK RANGERS:  Play their Best Game against the League's Best Team.


HENRIK LUNDQVIST ~  Career Shut-Out #30; Ties him for 3rd Place on Rangers' All-Time Career Shut-Outs List.



A goal by Michal Rozsival Wojtek Wolski in the second period and his first as a N.Y. Ranger, was all the Blueshirts needed to white-wash the League's number one team Thursday night on our home-ice.

Tuesday night, the N.Y. Islanders took the Canucks all the way to a shoot-out but still lost.  Tonight, the Rangers were working on the same amount of rest time since their last game against Montreal.  That was supposed to be the only aspect of the Rangers/Canucks match-up looked upon as being competitively even.

But tonight, the Rangers were flat out quicker than a lightning fast Canucks team.  They were smarter, grittier, tougher, hungrier and more disciplined than Vancouver.  It was arguably their best game of the season.  It just so happened it came against the League's best team.  This is right up there among their best efforts in the Torts Era.

This victory comes despite the Rangers still waiting for their top scorer; Marian Gaborik to show up.  With 7:30 left in the third period and the Rangers still nursing their slim 1-0 lead, the home crowd thought for a moment their sniper had finally arrived.  But it wasn't so.  Marian Gaborik skated a fine game against Vancouver, but with a break-away opportunity and nary a Canuck jersey in sight, he was thwarted by Corey Scheider, goal tending in place of Roberto Luongo.  Corey received one of the Game Stars reaffirming what a really good game this was.

Facing the League's #1 Power Play unit, the Rangers killed off a first period penalty and in the second period, withstood a 5-on-3 Power Play opportunity for Vancouver on penalties to Staal and Drury.  One of the League's most disciplined teams penalty wise, the Canucks, committed three penalties of their own.  The Rangers cashed in on one of them, for the only goal of the game.

McDonagh, Anisimov and Wolski would combine on a series of events that staked the Rangers to their one goal lead.  A great neutral zone stop; a pick and pass by McDonagh to Anisimov who shortly drew a penalty as Artem was bearing down on net with the puck set up a Power Play opportunity.  The Rangers converted on the man-advantage when the newest Ranger, Wojtek Wolski, acquired in the Michal Rozsival trade, slapped home a loose rebound left in front of the net.

The Rangers would ride the back of Henrik Lundqvist the rest of the way.  King Henrik ruled the third period majestically.  And the last minute of the game which seemed to be spent all in the Rangers' zone was frenzied and furious!  Henrik Lundqvist did everything humanly possible to make that one goal stand up for the Rangers on his way to gaining his 30th career shout-out.  He stopped 31 shots tonight and the Rangers' defense blocked at least 8 more.

Henrik Lundqvist sits in third place on the Rangers' All-Time Shut-Out list.

BUT, the master stroke of the night gets credited to Coach Torts for sticking the Boyle/Prust/Fedotenko Line on the SEDIN SQUARED KESLER Line.  Our boys were all over the Sedin Line like a cheap suit and couldn't have caused them to have a more inconsequential night.  What a great job by them.  I said in my PreGame Preview,  if the Rangers can stymie the SEDIN SQUARED Kesler Line, the Canucks had nothing else, and that we actually had more scorers than they did.  We scored from a new unlikely source, but we did shut down their highly touted line.  Prust and Boyle in particular had them frozen all night.
 
The Rangers caused the Canucks to sustain their first regular season loss since December 5th, 2010.  That's nice.  It could have just been time for that streak to end, but the way they both played tonight, it's just not the case.  The Rangers earned this one through a lot of hard work.  Who am I to deny just rewards?  There's this game, several more O.T. games, and third period thrillers, where we've come out on the winning end where once, we all were waiting for the "other shoe to fall off" in yet another late game collapse. 
 
When you look around this locker room now, it's undeniable how amazing it is when you have a group of young kids who are willing to do things through pure want to help the team and their sheer exuberance in doing so, as opposed to what older veterans expect to get paid handsomely for and still fail at, too often to count.

So without a doubt, this puck is getting put into the trophy case back home. 

"Look Ma!  Look what I can do!!"



Mike.BTB