Battle Of Hudson

Not much to report this morning other than Stephen Valiquette will be getting another start in about 15 minutes against the Capitals. Marek Malik, Marcel Hossa and Brendan Shanahan are again scratches and the lines remain the same as yesterday as well.

I wouldn’t expect a game as physical as yesterday’s, but the Rangers have to play with emotion. I would also expect the Rangers going straight at Alex Ovechkin, shutting him down as much as possible. Paul Mara has looked awful against Ovechkin in previous meetings this season, so hopefully that matchup is avoided as much as possible today.

Enjoy the game, I’ll check in after the game.

Stephen Valiquette obviously didn’t get the memo that sometimes goaltenders allow goals, as he and a feisty Rangers shut out the Flyers 2-0 in Philly. It was Valiquette’s second shutout of his career, second in a row, second in a row against the Flyers and all in the last 10 days. Nigel Dawes and Scott Gomez scored the Rangers’ goals in a game that featured eight fighting majors and plenty of physicality.

Colton Orr, Ryan Hollweg, Brandon Dubinsky and Fedor Tyutin had scraps, three at the same time in the second period when Steve Downie went after Tyutin after Tyutin gave him a clean hip check. Unfortunately on the play, Downie’s skate came up and caught a linesman in the nose, breaking his nose and forcing him to get 20 stitches. While he was bleeding all over the ice, Downie attacked Tyutin, Orr fought Riley Cote and Hollweg had a tussell with Jim Dowd. Later on in the game, Dubinsky fought a much tougher Mike Richards, who was being a real jerk for most of the night.

Hollweg was a little off with his hockey skills tonight, but still provided some good energy. Blair Betts had a good game, as did Dawes, Gomez, Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury. Jaromir Jagr looks like hes really pushing too hard out there. His power play unit again looked awful and him trying to carry the puck himself all the time got him no where again. Avery had his best puck handling game in a while, moving the puck nicely, creating scoring chances. Valiquette was sharp, playing much better than his last game, when he didn’t have too much work after the first period. It was a constant stream of shots tonight, and he was up to the task.

My biggest beef with this game was the Flyers’ numerous fights while wearing visors. It first caught my attention when Hollweg fought Ryan Carter the other night, where Hollweg looked hesitant to drop the gloves while Carter had the visor on. Tonight it was Downie and Richards wearing visors and involved in a fight. I understand if the fight happens, it happens, but take the visor off. I’m all for protecting the eyes, but anyone willing to fight has to be willing to lose the lid as a courtesy to the man that is about to pummel you with his fists. There is a rule saying an starting a fight with a visor is an automatic two minute penalty, but apparently it is not enforced.
There were also plenty of rinky-dink penalties called (Dubinsky’s phantom high sticking, Jeffrey Lopul’s hooking) while Darian Hatcher ran around with his elbows up several times. And how in the world was there no penalty shot awarded to Callahan when he was slashed by Randy Jones on a clear breakaway. He gained the red line alone, crossed the blue line, got the slash, didn’t get a clean shot off and slid into the net. Sounds like it warrented a penalty shot to me.

The Rangers are back at it tomorrow afternoon against the Washington Capitals. Expect a little bit more rough stuff, as these teams don’t like each other either. Donald Brashear will undoubtedly piss someone off which will result in a Ranger getting beat by the big enforcer, much like every other game. It’s good hockey though. Valley might be back in net, giving Henrik Lundqvist a nice seven day vacation, as the Rangers are then off until Saturday when they meet the Sabres. You may see Marek Malik tomorrow as well. Jason Strudwick needs some time off as he is clearly not an everyday defenseman, but does an excellent fill in job. You can’t ask for much more from him. He’s making $600,000 this season and has done a better job than the high priced Malik and Paul Mara.

I’ll check in just before the game with the lineups and any news. Goodnight.

My apologies on not getting a post game out on the Anaheim game. Sometimes school gets the better of you, and I was stuck doing a whole lot of nonsense for the last couple of days. Anyways, the Rangers dropped another to the Western Conference Ducks on Thursday. They came out flying, playing with a good intensity, showed some scrappiness (three fights against a team not named the Devils, Islanders or Flyers was weird to see) and overall looked like a better team for most of the game. It was the times where they didn’t look like the better team that Anaheim made them pay. Henrik Lundqvist couldn’t give them a big save, none of the offense could chip in an important goal, and the defense couldn’t come up with a stellar defensive play.

Ryan Callahan scored the Rangers’ only goal, tucking a slapshot in past J.S. Giguere in the second period. That goal tied the game at 1-1, then followed by two fights in 17 seconds and the Garden was rocking. The Rangers had all of the momentum. Then a tough penalty, a powerplay goal, a lazy pinch and a two on one goal and all of a sudden it’s 3-1 Ducks. They added another in the third for the 4-1 win.

As for this afternoon, Stephen Valiquette will start in net. Vally shut out these same Flyers in his last appearance, and the Rangers seem to play a bit better when they are forced back against a wall, so this makes sense. The start has been mapped out from the beginning of the week though, so Lundqvist’s not so stellar performance in the last two outings has nothing to do with today’s start.

Marek Malik will be a game time decision. If I am Tom Renney, I leave Jason Strudwick in there today, just incase it gets overly physical. Malik might fight Sean Avery in practice, but correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think he’s ever had a real NHL fight. He might be a little rusty as well, so maybe tomorrow against the Capitals is a better way to go. Marcel Hossa is off of the injured reserve, Greg Moore was once again demoted and Brendan Shanahan is out until next Saturday against Buffalo.

With five games left to play before the trade deadline, the Rangers need to do some real soul searching now. Are they mentally able to make a playoff push this year? They have the talent but GM Glen Sather has to do something to spark the team. Renney is getting an unfair brunt of the blame from fans and websites all over. Yeah, Sather brought in Scott Gomez and Chris Drury over the offseason, but what did he do to the defense? Nothing at all, and that is where we need a bigger upgrade. The offense is there, the defense is breaking down. There’s not necessarily much he can do this trade deadline, unless something extremely unforeseen happens, so he should be looking now to stat pitching to some UFA’s and thinking who can help next season. For now, we will probably be going with what we’ve got, minus a small transaction or two that would probably see youth go for a veteran.

I may or may not be around for the game today. Still pretty busy around here. I’ll definitely catch it sometime today and then recap and preview later on.

The Rangers are back in action tonight at home against the Anaheim Ducks. After dropping what could’ve been considered an easy two points, the Rangers need some momentum going into a weekend series against Philadelphia and Washington.

The Ducks are a scrappy team who play with lots of emotion, physical play and don’t shy away from dropping the gloves. On top of that, they have shutdown defense and a potent offense. A good mixture of young kids and veteran leaders has made them Lord Stanley’s Champions last year, and has kept them a contender over the last three years.

Blair Betts will be in the lineup tonight as the MRI showed no signs of tears or damage and he felt fine in an optional practice this morning. Brendan Shanahan is still out, as are Marek Malik and Marcel Hossa. Shanahan won’t skate in this weekend’s games either, giving him a good amount of time to get healthy. Hossa and Malik should be ready to go for either the Flyers or the Capitals. Henrik Lundqvist will be in net tonight.

The Rangers will need to be tight defensively and offense must be generated on almost every shift. Even if it’s only a solid forecheck and some controlling the puck deep. There is very little margin for error against this tough team.

For those of you who didn’t catch the Devils vs. Sabres game last night, you missed a classic of a game. Fast and furious offense and stellar netminding from both sides really stole the show. The Sabres won in overtime when Marty Brodeur went for a pokecheck and was left flopping around on the ice on the second shooter of the shootout. The puck was tucked in for an easy goal, Ryan Miller turned away the two shots he faced and Buffalo left with a 3-2 win. Great game.

I’ll be back after the game for a synopsis. Enjoy.

“You can’t win a game in the first period, but you certainly can lose a game in the first period.”

I don’t know who said that famous hockey adage, but the Rangers certainly proved it true with last night’s debacle against the Kings. The Rangers didn’t show up for the first 20 minutes, got completely outworked by the last place team in the league and trailed 2-1 after one. The Kings’ persistent play continued throughout the remaining 40 minutes of play, and even though the Rangers were the better team for the final two periods, they came out on the short end of a 4-2 score.

Chris Drury and Sean Avery scored the Rangers’ goals, as Derek has summed up nicely below. Jason Strudwick isn’t the most solid defender, but he has helped the Rangers to this point. He made an unfortunate fumble along the boards, and Dane Byers blew his coverage which led to the first goal. Avery didn’t get the puck out of the zone, leading to another Kings goal. Take away those gaffes, and some of the great saves that Jason LaBarbera made, and the Rangers win the game. If the Rangers show up in the first period, they also have a much better chance of taking home the two points. Fact is, they didn’t capitalize on this opportunity. A tough Anaheim team waits for them tomorrow, and then it’s on to the feisty Flyers and underrated Capitals.

The Rangers will take on the Ducks tomorrow without Byers, who was sent down immediately following last night’s game. Blair Betts looks to be out tomorrow night as well, after being injured in last night’s game. Greg Moore is up to take his place. Don’t expect Brendan Shanahan back tomorrow either, as there are rumors he may take the next week off.

In a weird note, Marek Malik and Avery exchanged punches in practice this morning. The fight lasted about 30 seconds, according to Sam Weinman, before Malik took down Avery. Avery jabbed at Malik afterwards, but then settled down and the two were said to be on the same page.
Tom Renney said after that he had no problem with what happened and that it was all within the rules of the game, so there would be no extra repercussions. Maybe this incident will fire both Avery and Malik up, in turn waking the rest of the team up.

The Rangers are winless against the Western Conference so far this year, and the Ducks are a talented, physical team so they’ll need to come out playing hard. If that means Sean Avery has to call someone’s mom a naughty name during pregame drills, or Colton Orr challenging anything and everything with skates, or someone spraying J.S.Gigure with snow, then so be it. This team needs sparks, and needs them fast.

Well, at least there are the Super Bowl champion Giants. What else is there to get excited about unless you’re a Mets fan who believes Johan $antana is the missing piece.

Thank god for those Giants because they truly did have resiliency and heart and effort. All the adjectives you just can’t associate with our baffling club who can play very well in beating the Flyers, Devils and stunning the Canadiens with five unanswered.

Those are all quality clubs in the East. When it comes to the opposite conference, the NHL schedule maker should just do Ranger fans a favor and put an ‘L’ next to the game. There’s two more. So:

2/7 Ana (L)
2/18 SJ (L)

Maybe I’m being a little overdramatic but this team is now 0-for-8 against Western opponents. So if they wind up missing the postseason by say a couple of points, look no further than here.

How do you come out so flat against the Kings and turn Jason LaBarbera (39 saves) into Patrick Roy? Time and time again, Rangers were beaten to the puck in the defensive end. Our D was way too soft and hung Henrik Lundqvist out to dry. You can’t expect to come out with a ‘W’ when you start off by getting outscored 2-0 and outshot 14-1 (16-4 in first).

Brandon Dubinsky again played well as did Nigel Dawes. Both factored into their team’s only two goals scored by the red hot Chris Drury and Sean Avery. No surprise that the two improving rookies were involved on hardworking goals.

Maybe if more Rangers played like them, they wouldn’t be in the desperate situation they are. Oh well.

For more on this game, be sure to check out my thoughts over at my blog below:

Rangers send home fans early wishing for Big Blue

Three Stars

3rd Star: Alexander Frolov (GW goal, assist)
2nd Star: Anze Kopitar (goal, assist)
1st Star: Jason LaBarbera (39 saves)

Updated: Dane Byers has been recalled from Hartford. Shanahan is out tomorrow, meaning Byers will play on the fourth line. Hollweg’s suspension was a formality, as two game misconducts means and automatic suspension now. Valiquette also will not be starting tomorrow. Basically, half of this post is inaccurate now. Thanks Tom Renney.

Are these the real New York Rangers that we have had the pleasure of watching the last three game? A Rangers team that outplays Philadelphia, New Jersey and comes back from three goals down en route to scoring five unanswered goals is something that has been a rarity to see this season. Is it the real deal? Or are we in for a major let down tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Kings?

I don’t have the answer to those questions, but I do know a few other things.

— Ryan Hollweg was suspended for tomorrow night’s game, as expected by everyone, including myself. As an advocate for clean play, I support the call. He was pissed, took another player into the boards dangerously and now gets to feel the consequences. As a player that toes the line between clean and dangerous, he can sometimes cross it. He needs to play with that fire still, no doubt about it, just make sure it’s clean.

— Hollweg being out means that Ryan Callahan definitely sticks around for another game. Brendan Shanahan has never been one to sit out much, so he’ll most likely be back as long as he is physically able to. Callahan looked good, but not great last night and I’d like to see him back in there for some time.

— Stephen Valiquette might get the nod tomorrow between the pipes. Makes sense, as the Rangers play a little tighter with him in net and it’s a mediocre Kings team. Extra days off to keep Henrik Lundqvist healthy down the stretch isn’t a bad thing either.

— Congratulations to Chris Drury, who was named the NHL’s third star of the week. Hopefully he continues his resurgent play.

The Rangers are back home tomorrow at 7. I’ll check in again before then.

It was one of the most memorable Sunday’s in NYC history thanks to the Giants’ amazing Super Bowl XLII 17-14 upset win of the Patriots. That combined with the Rangers’ three-goal comeback scoring five unanswered to stun the Canadiens 5-3 made it a great day to root for the blue, red and white colors of our two NY teams.

The Habs dominated the first part of the game scoring power play goals (Andrei Markov & Alexei Kovalev on their first two chances. They increased the lead to a field goal thanks to a successful penalty shot from Sergei Kostistyn.

But the Rangers suddenly turned it around thanks to goals 24 seconds apart from Michal Rozsival and rookie Brandon Dubinsky. Amazingly, they tied the game when Scott Gomez got to a loose rebound in front off a Marc Staal shot.

The final stanza was tightly played and seemed ticketed for overtime but a resurgent Chris Drury had other ideas burying a Nigel Dawes pass for a tap-in suddenly hiking his goal total to 16.

Martin Straka capped a great comeback win on the road by redirecting a Paul Mara left point shot with 90 seconds left.

The Rangers finished a very successful 3-1 on a challenging road trip and now remain a point behind the Devils for sixth in the conference. This was a real statement game by them. They easily could’ve packed it in but didn’t and showed a lot of character.

Now it’s on to Tuesday night when they host the Kings. No let up.

Derek covered almost everything needing to be said below but I just wanted to throw in a couple of things that were just confirmed:

– Ryan Callahan has been recalled from Hartford and will skate on the second line today with Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky. Brendan Shanahan is suffering from knee, back, hamstring and groin problems and will take some time off. He is only listed as day-to-day right now, but he may take most of this week off. A healthy Shanahan is crucial for the stretch run, so this is a good move by Tom Renney.

– Marek Malik is out again tonight with a knee contusion. The defense pairings will be the same as Friday night. Corey Potter was recalled yesterday and practiced with the team, but was then sent back down which probably means that if the Rangers needed an extra defenseman, Malik could tough it out.

Enjoy the game.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday. Wouldn’t it be nice if both the Rangers and most importantly the Giants came away winners on this big day?

I’m as excited as anyone else about tonight’s huge game. Kick some Patriot ass! Let’s make history!!!!!

Alright. Enough about that. The Blueshirts have their own work cut out for them when they visit yet another quality opponent in the Canadiens north of the border. How well is Montreal playing? They’ve won four of five and since the new calendar year boast a record of 9-2-2. They’re latest win, 4-1 over the slumping Islanders yesterday pulled them within three points of top seeded Ottawa, who lost to the Leafs last night. One of those losses came to the Rangers at MSG 4-1 on Jan.12.

That’s what has been so odd about this team. With the exception of Ottawa (1-3-0), they can beat the best teams in the conference. They own the Devils; even if Martin Brodeur thinks his team deserved a better fate the other night. If only he had stopped that sharp angle Chris Drury shot. They have taken three of four from the Flyers recently avenging an ugly 6-2 home defeat with a 4-0 blanking this past week. They also are 3-2-0 against the Pens.

The Habs are playing extremely well. Ex-Ranger Alexei Kovalev continues to have a good season. His goal and helper in their win over the Fishsticks hiked his team-best point total to 48 (23-25-48). The 34 year-old Russian has always been a streaky player. He already has one more point than he had all of last season and is on pace for his best output since 2001-02 with the Pens when he totaled 76 points (32-44-76) in 67 games. Containing him is a must for the Ranger D today. Limit his time and space.

For the Rangers, it’s vital that they continue to do the things they have in the last two wins paying close attention to detail, remaining disciplined and burying their chances. With the Devils doubling up on the Kings 6-3 last night thanks to two-point nights from John Madden, Sergei Brylin, Travis Zajac, rookie David Clarkson and even defenseman Colin White (actually scored for first time in two years), they picked up two crucial points to pull three ahead of the Blueshirts in this tight playoff race. The Bruins also continue to win. So it’s not going to get much easier.

Almost every team competing with Tom Renney’s club has games at hand. So, they can’t afford to hit a slump now. The recipe is simple. Win their games and put pressure on everyone else in the conference.

The league’s only game on Super Sunday is on NBC at 2 ET today. They better be ready before making their football plans.


LET’S GO GIANTS!!!!!!