Battle Of Hudson

There were five scheduled games tonight around the NHL. Here’s what’s happening:

Finals Scores:

Vancouver 3 Washington 2

Michael Nylander and Alexander Ovechkin scored power play goals for the Capitals and Daniel Sedin scored once and Taylor Pyatt scored twice, including the game winner in the third. Luongo stopped 26 shots in the win.

Montreal 7 Carolina 4

The Canadians are not making it easy for anyone doing a recap. 11 total goals, 10 goal scorers between the teams. For the Canadians, Kyle Chipchura, Tomas Plekanec twice, Alexi Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Mark Streit and Mathieu Dandenault scored. For the Hurricanes, Jeff Hamilton, Eric Staal, Ray Whitney and Rob Brind’Amour recorded goals.

In games still going on:

Buffalo 3 Florida 2 3rd period

Drew Stafford just scored to put Buffalo ahead. Johan Hecht and Ales Kotalik have Buffalo’s other goals. Josef Stumple and Ville Peltonen scored for the Panthers.

Detroit 5 San Jose 1 Final minutes of the 3rd.

Alexei Semenov has the Sharks’ only goal. Valterri Flippula, Andreas Lilja, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Kirk Maltby have Detroit’s tallies.

Colorado 1 Calgary 1 End of the 1st

Joe Sakic for the Avs, Alex Tanguay for the Flames.

****Updated – 8:08****

Darius Kasparaitis has signed on to play over in the Russian Elite League with the SKA St. Petersburg. It is a welcomed move by the Rangers as now they have a free spot to give to a youngster down in Hartford. There was virtually no chance that we were going to see Kaspar with the Rangers again, and he has stated that he is happy with the move and feels “appreciated” where he is going. Best of luck to Kaspar, who was among my favorite pre-lockout Rangers.

Finally got enough free time to get to the computer. Some observations from last night’s game to start:

– The offense wasn’t bad, but there are still some improvements to be made. The Rangers had a 4 on 2 at one point and made one too many passes. In that instance, one pass, shoot low, bang in the rebound. Same goes with the power play. Shoot the puck whenever the opportunity is there. Moving around the defense is great, but simple is sometimes better.

– Nigel Dawes played well, and will continue to cash in if he is given playing time. Really needs no further explanation.

– The defense was solid again. They were positioned well, took away passing lanes, blocked shots and cleared the crease. It was a solid effort all around.

– Hollweg didn’t look too out of place on the third line. It was obvious that he does not have the skill set required of a top 3 liner, but as a temporary fix, I don’t mind it. Same with Strudwick. He’s not an offensive player, but he played hard and was a grinder for the 8 minutes he played, which is all you really need from the 4th line.

– Lundqvist might never allow another goal. Ever.

Some other quick things:

– The Rangers might be going with the same tomorrow night against Toronto. No call ups are imminent.

– Sean Avery wants to play Monday. It might not happen but he wants it to. Straka and Callahan were being re-evaluated today, Straka to see if he needs surgery and Callahan to see exactly how long he’s out. More when I find out about it.

– When all of these players come back from injury, the Rangers should ask for a 5th line. If they don’t get it, they will face some really hard roster decisions.

Enjoy the Friday night. I’ll be here for tomorrow’s game.

I’m headed down to The Rock at some point between 1 and 2 tomorrow, regardless of weather. I’ll report later. No GameDay unless someone else writes it.

See you all at The Rock!

* Phil Kessel scored two goals tonight to lead Boston over Chicago 3-1. In the game David Koci Fougth Zdeno Chara and had his face pretty much destroyed. He looked like Shawn Michael’s after his match at Summerslam a few years back at the Nassau Coliseum. For those who haven’t seen it, check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9TemTZlweo

* Jared Boll and Rick Nash scored for Columbus to give their team a 3-0 shutout win over St Louis tonight. In the game, Nash scored a “Marek Malik” type goal through his legs on the power play. Pascal Leclaire made 36 saves in the win.

* Yes ladies and gentleman, the Rangers have scored a goal! Actually it was two goals and to make matter worse for their opponents; the Devils, the Rangers not only won the game, but shut them out in the process. The Rangers used Jason Strudwick on offense ala Aaron Johnson and then it was the Nigel Dawes show. Dawes scored both Ranger goals and Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the shutout.

* Toronto scored 4 unanswered goals tonight to defeat Pittsburgh 5-2. Sidney Crosby finally lit the lamp for Pittsburgh, scoring his third goal of the season. Some guy named Jiri Tlusty scored twice for Toronto in the win. Just think, Jiri Tlusty has one less goal than Sidney Crosby!

* Tampa Bay defeated Philadelphia tonight 5-2. Brad Richards had two goals and an assist in the win.

* Jerrod Smithson and Jordin Tootoo scored for Nashville, as the Predators shut out the Atlanta Thrashers 3-0. Johan Hedberg made 31 saves in the win.

* Edmonton defeated Minnesota 5-4 in a shootout. Shawn Horcoff scored twice and Brian Rolston scored his 5th goal of the season for the Wild. Ales Hemsky capped the game with a goal in the shootout.

* “Lifelong AHLer” Criag Wellar [rhymes!] scored the lone goal as the Coyotes shut out the Ducks 1-0 tonight. Illya Brygalov made 20 saves in the win.

* Los Angeles defeated Dallas 2-1 as Brian Willsie and Alex Frolov scored. Jere Lehtenin scored the lone goal for Dallas

As you can see Steve has picked up my slack and even included the most flattering pictures of Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez in his game preview. Since I only have a few minutes, I figured I’d pass this along.

Dane Byers was not called up, but neither was anyone else. The first two lines are as Steve stated, with the third line and fourth line comprising of:

Dawes – Dubinski – Hollweg
Orr – Betts – Strudwick

Now, Strudwick isn’t a natural winger, but he has played before for Vancouver, and when he was 5 years old. So the scoring problem has obviously been addressed with him in the lineup. It could get feisty tonight, especially if offense for the Rangers comes as often as it has the last two games.

Thomas Pock also cleared waivers. He will play in Hartford for now, but I don’t see him passing through re-entry on the way back up. He will most likely be traded. Enjoy tonight’s game.

Stars to Watch:
New Jersey
#26, Patrik Elias

#30, Martin Brodeur

New York
#68, Jaromir Jagr

#23, Scott Gomez

LAST SEASON’s BATTLE:

Game 1: 10/16/06, New York, 4-2. GWG: Jason Ward
Game 2: 11/14/06, New York, 3-2. GWG: Brendan Shanahan
Game 3: 12/17/06, Devils, 6-1. GWG: Jamie Langenbrunner
Game 4: 1/2/07, New York, 3-2. GWG: Marcel Hossa
Game 5: 1/16/07, Devils, 1-0. GWG: Brad Lukowich
Game 6: 2/6/07, Devils, 3-2. GWG: Brian Gionta
Game 7: 2/20/07, Devils, 2-1. GWG: Zach Parise
Game 8: 2/22/07, Devils, 3-2. GWG: Jamie Langenbrunner

Final Body Count: Devils – 11 PTS, Rangers – 8 PTS.

LIKELY STARTING LINE COMBOS:

Devils
Elias-Zajac-Asham
Zubrus-Parise-Gionta
Pandolfo-Madden-Clarkson
Rupp-Pelley-Brylin.

Oduya-Martin
Greene-Rachunek
Vishnevski-Brookbank

Brodeur
Weekes

New York
Hossa-Gomez-Jagr
Prucha-Drury-Shanahan
Dawes-Dubinsky-Hollweg
Orr-Betts-Strudwick

Roszival-Malik
Tyutin-Girardi
Mara-Staal

Lundqvist
Weekes

Enjoy the game, see if the Rangers can score tonight. They’ve been shut out for more than 2 games, so the Devils new style may make them able to open things up tonight. The Devils will look to Sheldon Brookbank, the AHL’s Top D-Man last year, for some size and toughness in the back. Above all, Martin Brodeur must play as well as Lundqvist has the past 2 games for the Rangers, or else the Devils will be in trouble. You can’t rely on either offense to score a consistent number of goals at this point in the season, so the goalies will be key tonight.

PREDICTION: Devils 3, Rangers 1.

The Rangers play the Devils tonight for the first time this season, and unfortunately I won’t be around to cover much of it. An extremely busy day of classes and a poorly scheduled soccer game tonight is forcing me to DVR the game and watch it around 10-10:30 when I get back. My fellow Rangers and Devils bloggers do a great job, and I will watch the game and check back in either late tonight or tomorrow morning. That said, here are a couple of things to look for before the game:

– At least one call up will be made, but even though I know every Ranger fan was crossing their fingers for Dave Scatchard, that won’t happen. (Kidding, of course.) Scatch has a groin strain and is sidelined right now so look for Dane Byers later, although that is just speculation on my part. Whoever they call up will jump right on the third line I would assume, with Dawes and Dubinski. They could shuffle Hollweg up to the third line, but it really depends on who comes up.

– Gomez returns to face the Devils. Coach Sutter had nothing nice to say about Gomez coming back in a recent interview, but it will still be emotional for Gomez. Hopefully he can break out tonight against his former team.

If I have time at some point today and there is news to report, I will be sure to do so. If not, I’ll check in later on or tomorrow.

As if the Rangers needed more problems, Ryan Callahan may have sprained his knee when he collided with Nigel Dawes last night right after hitting the post. The young right winger missed practice today to be evaluated. When I find something new out, I’ll pass it along.

Thomas Pock was also placed on waivers around 1:30 today. My guess is they will try to trade him, because he made it very obvious that he would not be happy playing in Hartford.

The Rangers could be making two call ups for tomorrow’s tilt against the Devils. If I had to guess, I would say it’s two of Dane Byers, Greg Moore and David Liffiton. Although I think Liffiton has to pass through re-entry waivers. We’ll see what happens. More when I know it.

6 Games on the schedule tonight:

* Evgeny Malkin scored the lone goal in a 1-0 shutout against the Rangers. Not to Ranger bash, but they have had a tough time putting pucks in the net so far this season. Marc Andre Fleury made 36 stops in the win.

* Columbus put up a touchdown and then added the successful extra point in a win against the Hawks. Rick Nash netted two goals, Jiri Novatny added two more and even tough guy Ole-Kristian Tolleffsen added a goal in the win. Chicago’s overall number 1 draft puck, Patrick Kane scored his third goal of the season.

* Edmonton welcomed back that crybaby Ryan Smyth [yes Im bitter] with a heartfelt loss 4-2 to Colorado. Smyth didn’t score but did cry like a baby when he received a standing ovation.

* Is Atlanta considered a hot team now?? They defeated Toronto 5-4 in a shootout tonight. Speaking of hot, Mats Sundin scored his 6th of the season. Ilya Kovalchuk scored a goal as well and added the game winner in the shootout.

* St Louis held off Anaheim in a fight filled game 4-2. Brad Boyes scored two goals, including the game winner and Paul Kariya iced it with an empty netter.

* The Kings made easy work of the Predators 6-0 with Michael Camalleri scored twice. Tough guy Raitis Ivanans scored his first of the season as well. Los Angeles goaltender Jason Labarbera fell asleep in the third period seeming he only faced 17 shots all game. The Kings held Nashville to only 4 shots in the first period.

9:25 Game Over – Final 1-0 Penguins

My estimate was wrong before and it is actually closer to 130 consecutive minutes of scoreless Ranger play. Henrik Lundqvist cannot be happy. All the Rangers have to do is put 2 in to win back to back games, and failed to do so. Callahan and Jagr added post shots in the third, but other than that, Fleury really wasn’t tested. That penalty on Hossa was nonsense too. If a goalie is out of the crease, and the opposing player skates by and knocks into him, it shouldn’t be the player’s fault. Recchi helped it out too by making sure Hossa couldn’t get any further away from Fleury. It’s a shame that the Rangers’ best player was Nigel Dawes. That whole line had a good game, as did the 4th line. There is no excuse for no goals from Jagr, Shanahan, Gomez, Drury and Prucha though. We need a fire lit under us. Fast.

8:35 End of the second – 1-0 Penguins

It has now been 105 minutes since the Rangers scored a goal. That’s unacceptable. Chris Drury is invisible on the ice. Dawes has hit a post, as has Malkin, who has Pittsburgh’s goal on the power play off some brilliant passing. Fleury hasn’t been overly tested, but he has stopped everything thrown at him. Gomez is skating well, and Tyutin looks a little shaky on defense tonight. The “Hartford” line looks good as well. Hossa looks like he has a little rust on him, but he is a good asset to have on that top line with Jagr. Let’s hope we don’t have a goose egg the next time I check in.

End of the first – 0-0

Good solid period by both teams. Couple of power play chances for each side. The Rangers first unit was Shanahan, Gomez, Jagr, Drury and Roszival, and it looks alright, but not as impressive as it should. A little more traffic in front of Fleury and we should bang home a few this game. Ryan Hollweg continues to look more and more impressive to me offensively, even if it’s coming in short bursts. I really think he’ll chip in a few goals this year. Back after the second.

I’ll update after each period but here’s the lineup for the Rangers:

Hossa – Gomez – Jagr
Prucha – Drury – Shanahan
Dawes – Dubinsky – Callahan
Orr- Betts – Hollweg

Roszival – Malik
Tyutin – Girardi
Mara – Staal

Straka is out 4-6 weeks with a broken finger. The third line was Hartford’s top line last season, so chemistry with that line should be no problem. They will be exciting to watch.