Battle Of Hudson

It doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Even when they play their best game registering a season best 48 shots, the Rangers still can’t come away with the all important ‘W.’ For a second consecutive game, the home club battled hard against a more skilled opponent but could only muster the magic No.2, which made it something like 20 straight games. I’m too tired to look it up. I scored two bball games in Park Slope on little rest. Then listened to the second and caught the rest with Pop.

There’s no doubt they deserved better against the Thrashers. Same as Saturday’s disappointment versus Buffalo in which they got zilch. Who cares if they earned a point? With how crowded the bottom of the East is, it’s imperative to get two points. This time, the lousy skill comp didn’t aid us with Ilya Kovalchuk and Slava Kozlov beating Henrik Lundqvist while the league’s leading finisher Marian Gaborik and Ales Kotalik couldn’t beat Johan Hedberg.

The Rangers had plenty of chances after the Great Gabby slammed home his 23rd on the rejuvenated power play off a scintillating pass from Mike Del Zotto, who also setup Ryan Callahan’s seventh. Even Michal Rozsival played well, finding the seam three times but his ‘mates couldn’t finish. Most notably Chris Higgins, whose backhand on a mini-break was thwarted with a couple of minutes to spare in regulation. Brandon Dubinsky finally returned after a 13-game absence from a broken hand. He got plenty of ice-time (24+) and looked decent between Gaborik and Higgins while Vinny Prospal anchored the second line. But the third-year Alaskan pivot missed a point blank chance, firing too high after being sent in.

For the second straight game, the Blueshirts permitted a shorthanded goal. Last game, it was little rascal Patrick Kaleta burning them. This time, Colby Armstrong took advantage of a Del Zotto miscue, surprising Lundqvist with a laser far side, extending to a four-game goal streak. Imagine that happening here. Armstrong is a third liner on a good Atlanta offensive team. Lundqvist was too close to the goalpost, leaving Colby too much room. DZ over skated. Unfortunately, you live with those rookie mistakes. Especially from a kid as physically gifted as the Calder hopeful, who at least atoned later with an absolutely brilliant cross-ice feed to the Big Ticket for a gimme that forced overtime.

Despite some interesting four-on-four, nothing was decided leaving yet another valuable point to the shootout. Both Swedish netminders entered 2-0 this season but it was the elder statesman who prevailed. After Gaborik’s wrister was stopped by an aggressive Moose, Kovalchuk put on a bunch of fancy moves before deking Henrik out of his jock. A great goal by a special player but Henrik needed to be more aggressive,  taking himself out of position by going down. Something that must be corrected. Still, without some superb goaltending from him on a two-man advantage late in which the trio of Dubi, Higgins and Wade Redden shined, they don’t even reach that point. Kudos to Lundqvist for standing up and making some critical stops.

As soon as the puck slid off the waste of space Kotalik, you knew it was over. Especially with one of the best shooters, Slava Kozlov up. The crafty Russian vet surprised Lundqvist with a quick wrister. Normally, he dekes forehand wide or backhand. But it was a wise choice by the former Cup champ, sealing the extra point for an Atlanta team that only got 27 on net. Twenty-one less than a Ranger team that gave a great effort. Even if the place was half empty according to our close pal who went in our place, you could hear the “Let’s Go Rangers” chants during that inspired PK. All it takes for our fans to support them is that kind of yeoman work. Something they’ve done the last two games, combining for 86 shots. If only someone other than Gaborik put the puck in consistently.

Normally, my recaps are more detail oriented. But with me being exhausted, I summed it up quickly. I’ll now provide some quotes from John Tortorella, Lundqvist and Chris Drury.

Tort: “Other than six or seven minutes at the beginning of that second period, I thought we played a good hockey game.  We just have to keep on trying to build on it.  We have to get over the hump of that second goal.  We had our chances to score our third one but we didn’t get it done.  We have a lot of good things to build off of.”

Henrik: “I don’t think it matters who we are playing right now.  We have to see every game as an opportunity for us to turn this around.  We have to keep pushing each other to have the energy that you need to win a hockey game.  You can’t walk around and feel sorry for yourself.  All of the guys have to work together.”

  Drury  “We’ve got to keep doing the right things, keep playing like we’re playing.  48 shots and I think we got 38 last game – if we keep getting over 30 shots something’s going to give here.”

Look. There’s no denying that they’ve played much better the last two yet were only rewarded with one point. They’re all saying similar things which have been echoed before. Until this team breaks out, it’s going to be like a dark storm cloud hanging over their heads. Lundqvist is feeling the pressure. You can see it. So are guys who aren’t scoring. One game where they get three or four and a win could go a long way. The Islanders are coming in Wednesday fresh off a 7-1 beating at the hands of the Panthers for a fourth loss in five. You know they’re going to be angry. It doesn’t take much when they’re playing the Rangers, who must match their intensity. A game we’ll be at which should be interesting. These games are always fun. Can our guys come out on top? See ya at Gotham Wednesday!

3rd Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (25 saves incl.13/13 in 2nd)
2nd Star-Ryan Callahan, NYR (PPG/assist, 5 SOG, game high 6 hits, TK/BS in 23:35)
1st Star-Johan Hedberg, Atl (46 saves incl.18/19 in 2nd and 2/2 in skill comp)

The game might have been on Broadway but it was Miller Time. Ryan Miller demonstrated why he’s the early favorite for the Vezina and possibly Hart, backstopping the Sabres past the Rangers 3-2 Saturday night. In the latest Ranger loss, the expected Team USA starting netminder was the difference, outshining Henrik Lundqvist by making 36 saves including 24 the final two periods.

When the chips were down, Miller came up with the money stops, protecting a one-goal lead Buffalo took on Patrick Kaleta’s second goal of the night. A shorthanded tally in which he beat Lundqvist clean, picking high glove after our goalie dropped to his knees exposing the area. That it was Kaleta’s first career shorty and also multi-goal game was just all too familiar for a team that always does this to their fans. Even sadder was that on both Kaleta tallies, the cheapshot artist celebrated by dancing around and banging the glass in our own barn. How not one Ranger had the gall to put this disgrace through the glass was embarrassing. On what was a nice night spent with my Mom celebrating a birthday, I had to watch that guy dance like a Rockette, owning the place.

Unlike the last game in which they somehow got a point in Chicago but were trashed by John Tortorella and even Mike Keenan, the Rangers at least showed up. After spotting Buffalo an early goal scored by Derek Roy, they answered with two straight, taking advantage of a loss of discipline from their opponent. Yes. Our power play converted twice within a 1:55 span. First, Marian Gaborik setup a wide open Ryan Callahan in front for his sixth, tying it. Even Ales Kotalik got a point. Too bad his key gaffe would lead to the decider later. Anyway, the Blueshirts were on another man-advantage. This time, the Great Gabby connected for his first in four games. Taking a pass from rookie Mike Del Zotto, Gaborik faked pass before firing a laser past Miller into the top half of the net for his league-leading 22nd.

The Big Ticket obviously is on a different planet than the rest of his teammates. Despite no real talent around even though Vinny Prospal earned a secondary helper and Del Zotto again showed why he has All-Star potential, the ex-Wild superstar has been unreal. Through 29 games, he now is 22-19-41 with 10 PPG and a plus-seven rating on what’s become a miserable Ranger team. We can only imagine if he had real players to play with. That he’s stayed healthy missing only two games due to a knee has been the only blessing for Garden Faithful this holiday season. If there’s any solace, at least Slats got it right with Gaborik. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed he remains on the ice for the duration of the five years he signed for. I kinda feel for the guy because he deserves better.

Back to the game. Before I could get comfortable chowing down on a great homemade salad, cutlets and even a couple of mini potato latke for the second night of Chanukah, there was Kaleta rebounding home a Jochen Hecht shot to knot the contest 2:11 later. It was one that Lundqvist should’ve had but instead, let out a bad rebound and flopped to the ice making it a gimme for the glorified third liner. Midway thru, the same annoying pest struck again when Kotalik couldn’t keep a puck in, making about as pathetic an attempt as possible. On the pivotal play, Del Zotto was caught deep, meaning that Ales had to be firmer. Instead, he swung his purse allowing a former teammate to cruise in from his own blueline and beat Lundqvist at 9:30. Henrik Tallinder added the lone assist.

Down by one, the Rangers didn’t go away, continuing to trade chances with Buffalo, who eventually sat back in a defensive shell for the final 20. So, it wasn’t all too startling that they outshot the Sabres 24-19 (10-7 in 3rd) over the last two stanzas. Trouble was the Sabres had the better No.30, who repelled everything the Rangers threw his way. Sure. The effort was there featuring a great shift by invisible captain Chris Drury along with Sean Avery and Callahan in which the trio buzzed but never took a shot. In order to score, you have to Shoot The Puck. Somewhere up above, you know The Big Whistle was screaming his trademark at the top of his lungs.

Unfortunately, despite some good chances, the Rangers never generated enough to beat Miller, who also used his glove to shut it down when the situation presented itself. Lundqvist was pulled with over a minute left but it didn’t matter. The Sabres did enough. So did their goalie, concluding another good week for our Sabre contingent.

3rd Star-Marian Gaborik, NYR (league leading 22nd/assist, 4 SOG, 2 hits, takeaway in 24:05)
2nd Star-Patrick Kaleta, Buf (2 goals incl. 1st career SHG/2-goal performance, 2 SOG, 4 hits, blocked shot, +2 in 16:39)
1st Star-Ryan Miller, Buf (36 saves incl.24/24 last 2 periods)

Here we are Sabres fans: Today is December 12th, 2009, and we are about 1/3 of the way through the 2009-2010 season. Put yourself in a time machine and go back to the summer, and think to yourself: How would the Buffalo Sabres look around this time of year, as we get ready to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year?

A good amount of Sabres fans would be thinking about the golf course for this team (and I do not mean Tiger Transgressions by the way). This group would be thinking about the 13th seeded Buffalo Sabres, and considering who can be the team’s next GM or Head Coach, as Head Coach Lindy Ruff and General Manager Darcy Regier would be embarking on missing the NHL playoffs for the 6th time in 8 seasons.

Another group of fans would think about this teams ‘Return To Glory’ with the signing of Mike Grier, and watching this Sabres team return towards the top of the Northeast Division with a high pressure offense and Tomas Vanek well on his way to a 40+ goal season, and Derek Roy right behind him on his way to a 80+ point season, watching up-and-down hockey and praying that Ryan Miller does not get hurt.

But what if I told you this? On December 12th, 2009, Vanek, the former $10 million dollar man, would be on face for a pedestrian 25 goal season, Roy would be on pace for 64 points, and the Buffalo Sabres would be 25th in goals scored with 78 goals scored, and yet they are in 1st place in the Northeast Division, and leading the race for the Jennings Trophy with 63 goals allowed.

Come again?

It is amazing to think of the transformation of Lindy Ruff’s club. Now we are witnessing a team that plays the trap, and Ryan Miller’s numbers (17-6 1.82 4 SHO) are reminding Sabres fans of Dominik Hasek in the 90’s. A big reason for this is the improved play of the defense. Led by the health of Henrik Tallinder, the surprising start for phenom defenseman Tyler Myers, and the ‘Teppo Numminen-esque’ veteran play of Steve Montador, what was once a weakness for the Sabres has now become an asset.

Now if the Sabres offense can get things going this club can be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. One player who I believe can help improve the Sabres offense is Nathan Gerbe, who showed the other night in a 3-0 win against Washington (1 goal 1 assist) that he can bring an energy to this team that seems to be missing. Let’s hope Ruff and Co realize this and keep Gerbe around. Gerbe has a little Daniel Briere in him, and he needs to stay with the big club to show the Sabres what he can bring to the table.

So as the Sabres invade Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers, one had to wonder: If the style of the Sabres post lockout, one where the Sabres offense was the strength and the envy of many other GM’s, a thing of the past? And are the Sabres now more like the Sabres of the late 90’s, heavily leaning on Miller to win 2-1 and hope for the best from the offense?

Time will tell.

NOTES: I am still recovering from the miracle at HSBC last night: Patrick Lalime made 39 saves in a 2-1 win against the mighty Chicago Blackhawks? Full moon? December 21st, 2012 arrived early?!?!

All kidding aside, I must give credit where it is due, Lalime was brilliant last night. And despite how hard I am on Lalime, I am not asking for much: Keep the team afloat and have close to a .500 record. Plain and simple. Not 5-13.

Well, I guess if Brian Campbell was expecting a video tribute and a standing ovation from the Sabres faithful last night at HSBC, he was way off. Campbell was greeted with boos last night. But I cannot blame Campbell for taking an insane contact from the Blackhawks. While he was a Sabre, he was one of my favorites, and I wish him luck in Chicago.

I was thinking if the Sabres needed a boost last night to stop former South Buffalo native and current Blackhawk Patrick Kane, perhaps a cabbie driver with 20 cents in hand was on site ready to take the ice to draw an instigator? I know I know, bad form.

It’s another busy Saturday for us puckers which means all the Battle teams are in action later. And the best part. All at the same fan friendly time of 7 here on the East coast. Insert random West coast reference from fired up lurking Buffalo blogger in 5…4…3…2…1

Sabres-Rangers, MSG 7 ET: In another Battle Of New York, the Rangers play host to the Sabres at MSG. We all know about their recent struggles that included hypocrite John Tortorella making an example of rookie Matt Gilroy after he blew it against the Hawks in overtime. Perhaps some time in Hartford will be good for him as he’s still learning the pro game. Besides, our team blows right now. So, it might be good to get away and fine tune his skills. In the mean time, Heineken is back up. So, guess he plays with Tinman. Still hard to believe we only have six D. Thanks Slats for overcommitting to the cap. Our Sabre blogger warns us that it’s his team’s third in four. So, he senses bad things. When does he ever not? But seriously, Ryan Miller is rested after his fave backup stoned Chicago. So, it should be a good test for Henrik Lundqvist, who’s facing almost 30 shots-per-game. Btw…Miller also sees a lot of rubber but we bet the quality ain’t as great due to a better Buffalo D corps. Can Chris Drury muster anything? Marian Gaborik hasn’t scored in a couple. Is he due? Find out later.

Bruins-Islanders, MSG+ 7 ET: For much of the year, the Islanders have been a nice surprise, playing solid hockey for second-year man Scott Gordon. However, since a blowout loss to the Devils, they haven’t been the same dropping three of four, including the past three- two of which were also not close. While it’s true the last five were all on the road, they still need a ‘W’ to boost confidence. They’re now in a much nicer stretch that sees them basically home till after Christmas. The only two road games are at MSG versus the hated Blueshirts. So, it’s an opportunity for John Tavares and Co. to make a statement. Play well and they’re right there in a subpar bottom of the East for the final couple of spots. At 29 points, they do sit last in the Atlantic but just a three out of the last spot. Even the Rangers, who have stunk are two back of Montreal. The ironic part is the top five or six in the East are virtual locks, who all can go far next Spring. Of the teams near the bottom, the Thrashers are most impressive and a team worth keeping a close eye on. For the Isles, they need more from others as Tavares has scored four in the last two but gotten no support. Kyle Okposo hasn’t scored in ages but has four helpers. If they are to beat the resurgent B’s who boast two strong goalies and a balanced offense, they’ll need to finish and get solid netminding from either Dwayne Roloson or Marty Biron. The good news is they’ve played the B’s tough. The bad is they’re playing much better. We’ll see if The Coliseum can make life miserable for the guys from Beantown.

Flyers-Devils, MSG++ 7 ET: Anytime these bitter I-95 rivals get together, it’s usually interesting. This to us is the Devils’ best rivalry. Especially when you factor in their two big series wins over the bad guys from Broad Street en route to two of three Cups. Yes. The Flyers finally got them right before the lockout but it’s hardly the same for a team that hasn’t won Lord Stanley since before I was born. So far under Lavy, they’ve continued to struggle dropping three of four to put them at a mediocre 14-14-1. Still, all it would take is a win streak to get it righted. The breakout against the Isles made us think maybe they were ready but then they got shutout by the surprising Sens at home. Now, it doesn’t get any easier when they visit an angry Devil team that had a four-game win streak snapped, falling to the Cats 4-2 Friday. MB30 allowed four. Though from the sounds of it, it wasn’t his fault as the guys in front had an off night. They have been quite busy lately as Hasan has referenced. Maybe it’s finally catching up. Given that they’re 0-2 against the despised Cheesesteaks, we’ll get a better idea in a few hours. Figure the Devs to be sharper tonight. The Zach Attack hasn’t filled the net yet this month (6 games). So, he’s due. Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston have been carrying the load and Andy Greene has been a revelation. Nicklas Bergfors is quietly having a good rookie campaign. The Swede is skilled but it helps that Jacques Lemaire puts him out with good players, making the transition smoother. Of course, everyone knows Marty is a shutout away from besting Terry Sawchuk. Can he make history against a team he’s had great success against. Even if recent history, suggests otherwise, never bet against Brodeur. As for Philly, figure Brian Boucher to be in net with Ray Emery out a while. How ironic would it be if he outdueled Bouch in a 1-0 game? The Flyers have actually missed Simon Gagne because Jeff Carter hasn’t finished as much. Mike Richards has played well as has freshman James Van Riemsdyk. Scott Hartnell always drives the Devs nuts. So tune in.

Have you seen our lurking Buffalo Sabres blogger’s new name? It’s a doozy.

If you had as good a team as the one in Newark, would you boo when they lose a game? Even if the Devils fell to Scott Clemmensen and the Panthers, here’s one thing I know. You can’t win ’em all. Sometimes, even the best teams have letdowns. I guess that’s what happened tonight at The Rock.When you have all that success, it can go to your head. It’s not the players we’re referring to. Winning spoils.

Ya know. It would be nice if the team I cheer for played winning hockey like the bitter rival across the Hudson/Path. When you have the coach and former Cup winning coach chewing out the team’s effort level, something’s wrong. I’ve seen plenty of all four Battle teams and the Rangers are the worst. It’s one thing if you don’t have skill cause after The Big Ticket, there’s little else. But when you don’t have a ton of talent, you got to make up for it by giving maximum EFFORT. A foreign concept for the team that plays on 33rd and Seventh. The Devils usually show though I don’t know what happened today. The Islanders normally work their asses off. Emerging star John Tavares helps but you have to love their spunk. The Sabres don’t have top tier talent outside underachieving Thomas Vanek, who hasn’t been the same since his early injury. Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford are nice players but must come to work every night. Buffalo does it by winning the trenches as they were doing at last check versus the super skilled Blackhawks with Patrick Lalime in net.

Aside from the fact that the other three BONY clubs work harder/smarter, they aren’t as dull to watch. Somehow, John Tortorella’s lost bunch looks a lot like the one Tom Renney coached. I favored the change because it was obvious they tuned the affable man out. So, Tort came in and rallied the troops into the postseason, squeezing as much as he could out of them. He promised high octane. It started well. That seven-game win streak may as well have been ages ago. You mean we actually scored enough goals?!?!?!?!?! Well, don’t worry. The rested Blueshirts get a tired Buffalo team tomorrow at MSG. Should be an easy two!

Well, Matt Gilroy paid the price for his gaffe last night. He was sent down to Hartford today. Classic overreaction by an organization that is lost, eerily reminding us of pre-lockout. I guess I was wrong about Tom Renney. Under his leadership, this team had a pulse and wore the Ranger jersey with pride. It’s taken a lot less for John Tortorella and Glen Sather to ruin things.

Everything our club accomplished is gone. Sad to say making the postseason four consecutive years, including Round Two twice is all they did. That was enough for Jim Dolan to hike prices. Even after they blew a 3-1 lead to the Caps in which Tort lost his cool. Fast forward to present and his misuse of players and lack of fourth line (his choice-not the senile GM) has this team headed for the lottery. Something I’m not opposed to. They need to hit rock bottom and luck out like the Blackhawks, Caps and Pens. Knowing our luck, we’ll draft the wrong guy or ruin Taylor Hall.

Despite how bad they are, the Rangers do boast a good system full of promising kids such as Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, Carl Hagelin, etc.So, it’s not all bad. With Mike Del Zotto looking like a gem and Gilroy, who doesn’t deserve to be down, learning on the job, we should be alright. That’s why I’m in favor of sacrificing the season. Naturally, they make an example of a kid rather than rid themselves of some the overpaid stiffs. Amazing.

I’d say more but have to head out now. Why do I root for this team again? I’m embarrassed by this move. See ya later.