Ryan Callahan scored twice to lead the Rangers to a 4-1 win.
The Rangers began their post Olympic push for the playoffs, minus injured stars Marian Gaborik and Michael Del Zotto, by disposing of the Ottawa Senators 4-1 at Scotia Bank Place tonight. After falling behind 1-0, the Blueshirts roared back with a 4 goal second period keyed by Ryan Callahan, who scored twice. Henrik Lundqvist was nearly flawless in goal making 24 saves to record his 25th win of the season.
Thumbs Up- Enver Lisin, who was put on waivers earlier in the day, had his best game in over a month and obviously used the situation as a motivational tool. Erik Christensen continued his strong play assisting on 2 goals and playing an impressive two way game. Brandon Dubinsky was a factor all over the ice, playing a physical contest and also scoring the go ahead goal during the second period offensive outburst. Chris Drury kept his recent string of inspiring play alive with another huge performance on the penalty kill. Corey Potter impressed with his steady play.
Thumbs Down- Jody Shelley was about as effective as Donald Brashear has been so far this season as he looked lost during a matchup that didn’t call for much physical play. Olli Jokinen had a pedestrian effort coming off a very strong showing in Vancouver. Dan Girardi, who has been the subject of numerous trade rumors, did nothing to make Glen Sather think twice about including him should the right deal come along before 3 PM tomorrow.
Three Stars
3- Sean Avery- “The Grate One” looked rested and ready following the break and was able to find his edge without going overboard. His hard work on the forecheck and his willingness to crash the net paid off early in the second period when he scored off a beautiful feed from Enver Lisin to give the Blueshirts a 3 goal cushion. A late scrum with Matt Cullen, which followed Cullen’s mistimed attempt at a body check and possible elbow to Avery’s head, finished Avery’s night a few minutes early but served notice that he is ready for what promises to be a rough and tumble run for the postseason.
2- Henrik Lundqvist- Lundvist led all Olympic netminders in Goals Against Average (1.34) and shutouts (2) and looked very solid between the pipes in his return to the Blueshirts. While the Senators did not mount the kind of offensive attack you would expect from a squad featuring Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Alex Kovalev, Lundqvist made the few tough chances he had look effortless and was the biggest reason that the Rangers picked up two important points on the road.
1- Ryan Callahan- Callahan was all over the ice tonight and took over the game during a raucous second period in which he not only got the Rangers even with a beautiful rush and top shelf goal to start the onslaught at :22 of the frame but also giving the team a 2 goal lead by slipping a backhanded rebound past sprawling Senators backstop Brian Elliot at the 17 minute mark. Without Gaborik in the lineup, the Rangers needed someone to step up and lead the offensive and tonight Ryan Callahan made himself that person, showing once again why he wears the “A” and why he is one of the few “untouchables” on the squad as the trade deadline nears.
The Rangers made a move today before the league’s mandated Olympic trade feeze and acquired veteran tough guy Jody Shelley from the San Jose Sharks for a conditional draft pick.
Shelley, 34, is in the last year of his contract which pays him $725,000. In 517 career games, Shelley has 14 goals and 29 assists with 1310 penalty minutes. The 6-3, 225 lb. bruiser is expected to fill the role that the club had hoped Donald Brashear would fill when he was signed over the summer.
The pick that was sent to San Jose is a sixth rounder in 2011, if Shelley re-signs with the Rangers it will become a fifth round pick.
With the acquisitions of Brandon Prust from Calgary two weeks ago and Shelley today, it looks like the Rangers careers’ of Donald Brashear and Aaron Voros both may be coming to an end in the very near future.
Marian Gaborik discusses his recovery from the lacerated knee he suffered in practice on Feb. 9th and whether he will play tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.
In other news, The Rangers placed Donald Brashear on waivers today. The disgruntled forward had asked for a trade after being unhappy with his lack of playing time this season.
The Rangers also sent G Chad Johnson and D Corey Potter to Hartford and recalled G Matt Zaba.
After the Rangers failed to score once again during 4 opportunities last night in a 4-2 loss to the Penguins, John Tortorella spent most of practice today working on his beleaguered unit’s need for more motion and creativity while getting bodies to the front of the net. To bolster the attack, Ales Kotalik, who had been a healthy scratch for the last six games, returned to practicing with the first unit and is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Carolina Hurricanes visit the Garden.
In other news, Chad Johnson was back at practice today for the Rangers after starting two games and making three appearances for Hartford (AHL) this weekend. Tortorella said he was unsure when Johnson would get another chance to start.
Erik Christensen and Donald Brashear are expected to be healthy scratches tomorrow night.
The Rangers were shut out for the second straight game and Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after surrendering 4 goals as the Canadiens hammered the Blueshirts 6-0 in Montreal.
John Tortorella doesn’t have much to say to the media after watching his team get embarrased by the Canadiens Saturday night.
This team obviously has some problems that “more practice time” and “studying game tape” are not going to fix. There is NO secondary scoring after Marian Gaborik. Some of the younger forwards (Anisimov, Lisin) are obviously struggling and are not finishing. No one is scared of this team and as witnessed in Philly, opponents feel they can take shots at anyone without fear of reprisal. This club, as it’s constituted right now, may be strong enough to slip into the playoffs but is no threat to the Capitals, Penguins, Devils, Flyers or any other top team in the East. Glen Sather needs to open his eyes and see this team is BROKEN and it’s time to start selling and get ready for next year. Wade Redden should have a one way ticket to Hartford waiting for him when he returns to New York. Vinny Prospal, Christopher Higgins, Donald Brashear, Ales Kotalik and Aaron Voros should be sent postage paid to any club that is willing to have them and their salaries. This organization needs to move on immediately, bring up some kids (Grachev, Locke, Sanguinetti) and see what they can do and get ready for the draft. If Glen Sather can’t see this (or more likely, he sees it but won’t do anything about it) then it is time to finally pull the plug on him and bring in someone who will.
After a dominating effort last night versus the Stars, the Rangers came back with an uneven performance and wasted an impressive debut by Chad Johnson while losing to the Thrashers in Atlanta by the score of 2-1 in a shootout.
The Rangers, who allowed almost no odd man rushes last night, were victimized over and over again by the aggressive and speedy Thrashers squad but were kept in the game by Chad Johnson. Johnson, making his first career NHL start, showed incredible poise and made some terrific saves throughout the contest. The Rangers finally solved perennial thorn-in their-side Johan Hedberg when Enver Lisin took a perfect pass from Marc Staal and deflected it past the netminder (his first goal in 11 games) to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. They would keep that lead until midway through the third period when the Thrashers used another odd man opportunity to break through against Johnson. Both teams would have their chances in overtime but neither could finish. In the shootout, Johnson would stop all world sniper Illya Kovalchuk to give his team a chance to pull out the victory and things looked good for the Blueshirts after Marian Gaborik beat Hedberg for his first shootout goal in 4 attempts this season. Unfortunately, the next two Rangers shooters (Michael Del Zotto in the shootout?) couldn’t find the net and the Thrashers’ Bryan Little would seal the victory for the home team which had lost it’s prior 9 games before tonight.
Thumbs Up- Brian Boyle had another strong outing effort wise and continued to show some grit. Erik Christensen had a nice performance with a few very good scoring chances. Dan Girardi played well and Wade Redden showed some spurts of energy throughout. Ryan Callahan was excellent on the penalty kill. Michal Roszival gave the team some good minutes and played a good physical game.
Thumbs Down- Brashear, once again, was a non factor. Ales Kotalik took a bad penalty late and really didn’t do much in either zone. Sean Avery, who has been criticized by John Tortorella for inconsistent efforts, followed up his best game of the season with another ho-hum performance where he couldn’t seem to find the edge or intensity which carried him (and this team) vs. Dallas.
Three Stars- 3- Chris Drury- Drury showed incredible toughness tonight while blocking so many big shots throughout this game. His work with Callahan on the penalty kill was flawless and his positioning was perfect. The Rangers need more games like this from their Captain and it looks like Drury is ready to give his all for his club every night.
2- Marc Staal- Tonight was the kind of performance the Rangers expect to become commonplace for the young defenseman. He was strong on the boards, cleared out the front for Chad Johnson, hit everything he saw and most importantly locked down Kovalchuk anytime he moved across the Rangers’ blueline. Add to his stellar defensive game the great pass to Enver Lisin that led to the Rangers’ goal and you have Staal’s best game this year so far.
1- Chad Johnson- The Rangers have been looking for a backup goalie since Stephen Valiquette self destructed early on and now it’s safe to say they have found their man. Johnson showed great positioning and agility in keeping the Thrashers off the scoresheet for two and a half periods (some help from Callahan in the second period helped as well) and was impressive while stoning Kovalchuk during the shootout. Johnson deserved a better result (and a better effort from his teammates) in his first game but should be proud of himself after a very strong debut.
The Rangers will try to get back on the winning track against the Bruins on Saturday afternoon in Boston.
The Rangers improved their record to 7-1-2 over their last 10 games with a hard fought 5-2 victory over the Dallas Stars tonight at MSG. Sean Avery, who played one of his best games as a Ranger versus his former club, had 4 points and was involved all over the ice. The Rangers used big goals from Avery, Chris Drury, the suddenly hot Ales Kotalik and NHL leading goal scorer Marian Gaborik and another standout performance by Henrik Lundqvist to hold off a hard charging Stars squad and add two big points in the chase for a playoff spot.
Thumbs Up- Ales Kotalik, who used his booming slap shot to score for the second straight game after going 21 straight contests without a tally, had another strong game and was a physical presence as well. Brian Boyle got involved and made some nice plays. Marc Staal did a good job of controlling the play in front of Lundqvist. Brandon Dubinsky had another strong performance playing with tons of heart and snarl and Chris Drury scored a big goal late to give the Blueshirts a much needed cushion. Ryan Callahan slipped one into an empty net to finish off the scoring.
Thumbs Down- Donald Brashear once again was invisible. Dan Girardi had a chance, much like Michael Del Zotto during the last game, to even things up and make a big statement when Steve Ott ran Lundqvist early on but instead gave him a token push. This might become a big problem later on in some of the more physical division matchups during the stretch run if this team doesn’t start punishing opponents who are obviously not scared of retribution for their actions.
Three Stars- 3- Erik Christensen- Since his promotion to the top line, Christensen has ratcheted up the intensity and put together a string of outstanding performances. He seems to be making the most of his opportunity and may be a candidate to return next season should his improved play continue.
2-Henrik Lundqvist- The “King” was a victim of two horrible bounces tonight or he might have had his second shutout of the season. Lundqvist, who appears to be thriving with what seems like an endless workload, had a wonderful game and kept the Rangers in this game with his timely saves during the many shorthanded situations the team faced tonight.
1- Sean Avery- If only Avery played with this much intensity every night, he’d be a Hart Trophy candidate. Obviously energized by playing the team that dumped him last season, Avery was a force all over the ice not only scoring and setting up his teammates but also taking many of the Stars’ big names off their games with his pest-like antics. Probably the best beginning to end game that No. 16 has had in a Rangers uniform and hopefully a jumpstart to a big second half of the season for a player who has proven he can be a huge momentum changer for this club.
The Rangers head to Atlanta tomorrow to face the Thrashers at 7PM.
In a game that saw the Rangers blow a two goal lead late after dominating most of the matchup, Christopher Higgins rescued the Blueshirts with a huge tally with just over a minute left to give them a 3-2 win tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers are now 6-1-2 in their last 9 games.
Henrik Lundqvist had a very strong game through two and a half periods and the Rangers got early goals from Ales Kotalik and Erik Christensen to build a 2-0 lead they held until about 5 minutes left in the third. After Boston netminder Tukka Rask stoned Kotalik on an open net chance, Matt Hunwick (shorthanded) and Blake Wheeler scored back to back goals to erase the deficit.
Thumbs Up- Ales Kotalik looked very comfortable and definitely got a big confidence boost from his first goal in 21 contests. Michal Roszival had a solid game. Ryan Callahan, once again, was everywhere and had a monster hit late in the third on David Krejci. Michael Del Zotto added two assists and was strong on the puck.
Thumbs Down- Donald Brashear brings nothing to the table anymore and is playing on borrowed time. Wade Redden was a non factor. Enver Lisin has skated well but still can’t find the net. Del Zotto, who excelled offensively, needs to be a bigger force in protection of Henrik Lundqvist. When Marc Savard knocked Henrik down in the second period, Del Zotto followed him to the corner but did nothing that would make Savard think twice about running Lundqvist again. This has been a club wide problem this season but the youngster had a chance to make a statement and blew it tonight.
Three Stars- 3- Henrik Lundqvist- Until giving up those two late goals, Lundqvist was a stone wall against the Bruins and was the biggest reason the team had a 2 goal lead going into the third period. Henrik needs to finish games stronger if the Rangers want to make the postseason.
2- Christopher Higgins- Higgins has been a huge disappointment this season offensively but no one can question the winger’s work ethic. When Higgins fooled Rask and slipped the puck past him short side to give the Rangers the late lead it was only his second goal at MSG all year but you would never know it by his strong play at both ends. A nice reward for a player who hasn’t given up even with a huge weight on his shoulders.
1- Brandon Dubinsky- Dubinsky was the best player on the ice tonight. He skated extremely well, moved the puck, worked the boards and led the team in shots on goal. Even though he couldn’t finish tonight, he was all over the ice and was integral in setting up both of the team’s early goals. He has raised his game in the absence of Vinny Prospal and looks ready to take a bigger role leadership wise for the remainder of the season.
The Rangers next game is Wednesday when they host the Dallas Stars at MSG
On a busy day for Glen Sather and Co., Stephen Valiquette’s career as a Ranger may have come to an end as the team waived the backup netminder for the purpose of sending him to Hartford for conditioning. If Valiquette clears waivers he will remain with the organization but chances are good that another team will take a flier on the veteran goalie. Impressive youngster Chad Johnson, whom the Rangers acquired at this year’s draft in a trade with Pittsburgh, was recalled from Hartford to replace Valiquette as the team’s primary backup to Henrik Lundqvist. Johnson has performed well this season posting a 10-6-1 record with a 2.10 GAA.
The Rangers followed these moves with a waiver claim, picking up veteran center Erik Christensen from the Anaheim Ducks. Christensen, 25, was a third round pick of the Penguins in 2002. He has 42 goals and 56 assists in 226 career games. This season for Anaheim, he had zero points in nine games. The 6-1, 203 lb. pivot had 18 goals for the Pens during the 2006-07 campaign. Christensen will give the Rangers added depth at the center position until Brandon Dubinsky returns from his injury.
Donald Brashear missed practice today and according to Coach Tortorella is “injured” and could be “out for a while”. Better news is the staus of Wade Redden whom Torts believes “is likely to play Saturday” when the Rangers return to action vs. the Sabres.
In Juniors news, Rangers prospects Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque were all selected to the Team USA preliminary roster for the 2010 World Junior Championships. Rangers prospect Evgeny Grachev was expected to play for Russia at the WJC but reports are stating that the Blueshirts have told Russian officials that they are not prepared to let Grachev participate at this time. The Russians will file an appeal with the IIHF and I’m sure we will hear more about this situation over the coming days.
The Rangers once again tried to ride a spectacular effort by Marian Gaborik to victory and once again were unsuccessful as they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time in three nights 5-2 at MSG. Gaborik, who scored two goals to raise his league leading total to 21, was the only offense for the Blueshirts as the rest of the Rangers looked lost in the offensive zone. Henrik Lundqvist had another poor performance, giving up two soft goals to Mike Rupp and was no help to a struggling defensive corps that gave up way too many opportunities on this night. The only standouts in this game for the home team were the aforementioned Gaborik, the ever improving Artem Anisimov (who had a very strong game on the puck) and Dan Girardi, who was by far the team’s best defender and had multiple big plays in his own zone.
The biggest issue for this team so far during these recent struggles is not it’s lack of scoring past it’s top line but the disappointing play of an underperforming unrecognizable Henrik Lundqvist in goal. It seems as if Henrik has not fixed his problems of last postseason and continues to go down way too early giving the opponents the top corner on a consistent basis. Tonight, he was beat again up high by Mike Rupp (an enforcer with very little offensive skill) on a shot Henrik would routinely stop in the past. Coach Benoit Allaire has to do something to help Henrik fix this flaw or it won’t matter how many goals the Blueshirts (Gaborik) score, this season will slip away faster than that series with the Caps in last year’s postseason.
Thumbs Up- Gaborik, Gaborik, Gaborik! Sean Avery joined the top line with Gaborik and Vinny Prospal and had another energetic performance. Matt Gilroy was buzzing throughout the first two periods. Donald Brashear (Who?) probably had his best game as a Ranger. P.A. Parenteau continues to be among the hardest workers on this team every night.
Thumbs Down- Michal Roszival followed an o.k. performance on Saturday with a downright horrible one tonight. He is just about done here in New York if he can’t find a way to fix his myriad of problems. He can’t join the offense, he no longer plays a physical game at all and his defensive zone coverage is just plain atrocious. Bobby Sanguinetti is not ready to play major minutes at this level. Has anyone seen Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan or Ales Kotalik lately?
Three Stars- 3- Dan Girardi- Strong game at both ends. Continues to be physical force in his own end even as his teammates continue to shy away from contact on a regular basis.
2- Artem Anisimov- While the goals haven’t come yet for the strong, talented youngster, everything else has. He controls the puck and uses his body to shield off defenders like a veteran. He plays a heads up style and is defensively responsible. He never seems to take a shift off (like fellow impressive youngster Parenteau) and is playing major minutes for this club.
1- Marian Gaborik- Who Else? Another typical night for Gabs. 2 Goals. Takes a beating in front and stands up to any and all comers. This guy is a complete player and right now might be the best player in the NHL this season.
The Rangers next game is Saturday against a very hot Sabres club in Buffalo. Let’s hope they can work on fixing these problems before they travel upstate or they will be in for more of the same butt kickings they have been experiencing as of late.
