Highlights of the huge 4-3 win over the Flyers on Friday night. This sets up a one game showdown on Sunday for the final playoff seed in the East.
Posts Tagged ‘hockey’
Apr
10
2010
Rangers 4 Flyers 3
Apr
08
2010
Rangers 5 Leafs 1
Highlights of the Rangers 5-1 victory over the Leafs at MSG Wednesday night.
Apr
04
2010
Rangers 4 Panthers 1
The Blueshirts used a four goal third period and another strong performance by Henrik Lundqvist to defeat the Florida Panthers and pull into a tie with Philadelphia for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Apr
03
2010
Rangers 5 Lightning 0
The Rangers rode a hot start against over matched goalie Mike Smith and an impressive performance by Henrik Lundqvist to a 5-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The win pulls the Blueshirts within 2 points of the final playoff spot.
Torts talks to reporters following the dominant victory in Tampa.
Mar
25
2010
Rangers 4 Devils 3 (SO)
Chris Drury celebrates his goal with :17 secs left to force OT.
In another must-win situation for the Blueshirts (let’s face it, every game is must-win from here on out), Henrik Lundqvist had one of his best performances of the season and “Captain Clutch” Chris Drury scored what might have been his biggest goal as a member of the Rangers, leading the team to a huge come from behind shootout victory over the Devils tonight in Newark. A botched line change by the Rangers late in the third period led to a turnover and a Jamie Langenbrunner tally that gave the Devils a 3-2 lead with under 8 minutes left in the contest but the Rangers never quit and Chris Drury beat Martin Brodeur with the equalizer off a brilliant feed from Erik Christensen with 0:17 on the clock to force OT. After an overtime period which saw both Brandon Dubinsky and Illya Kovalchuk have golden opportunities turned away on spectacular saves by both netminders, Erik Christensen once again came up huge and scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Brodeur with a nifty deke and shot off the post and in, giving the Rangers the victory and two huge points in the standings.
Thumbs Up- Dan Girardi, who has been a target of many fans this season, had one of his best games of the year and should quiet any of the critics who think the Rangers shouldn’t try to lock him up long term over the summer when he is an RFA. Marc Staal, like Girardi, was tremendous tonight and helped keep Zach Parise in check all game. Brandon Prust continues to impress and was all over the ice tonight. If Prust could find a way to finish, he could really do some damage considering the opportunities he has been able to create so far. Erik Christensen had another solid performance. I know he will never live up to the hype that was heaped upon him entering the league but this kid has shown tons of heart and while I don’t think he’ll ever be great, he is a very GOOD player and should be a priority for Glen Sather come season’s end. Who’s tougher than Ryan Callahan? Anybody?
Thumbs Down- Wade Redden was responsible for the first NJ goal when he missed the backcheck on Kovalchuk and once again was just plain tough to watch on the ice tonight. Olli Jokinen, who got less than ten minutes ice time, is in no uncertain terms, simply terrible, and looks like a shell of the player he once was. Did anybody notice Vinny Prospal tonight? Or Matt Gilroy…other than when he took that delay of game penalty?
Three Stars- 3- Artem Anisimov- I scratched my head earlier today when I heard that the kid admitted he was “more comfortable playing in the bottom six than the top six forwards” but I guess if being comfortable is gonna bring more performances like tonight than so be it. The fourth line centered by Anisimov, along with linemates Prust and Jody Shelley, was the Blueshirts best line tonight and were a huge component in the comeback win. Anisimov’s patience on his goal to make it 2-2 showed that the young man is not only gaining confidence in his offensive game but may be ready to start next season in a more important role (comfort not withstanding).
2- Chris Drury- The much maligned captain was once again a penalty killing standout and source of energy tonight for a team that truly needed to build off the momentum of last night’s shutout over the Islanders. Drury’s HUGE goal in the final seconds was possibly his finest moment on Broadway and could turn out to an all time highlight should the Rangers somehow slip into the playoffs.
1- Henrik Lundqvist- Let’s face it, The Rangers don’t win this game without Henrik standing on his head over and over again and turning back Illya Kovalchuk, from point blank range off a wicked carom off the end boards, in overtime. The “King” then stoned Parise, Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac in the shootout to secure the victory. On a night where Lundqvist had to be the best player on the ice for New York to escape with two points, he was just that.
The Rangers try to keep the playoff push alive when they travel to Toronto the face the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Mar
25
2010
Rangers 5 Islanders 0
On the night that MSG Network broadcast it’s first ever NHL game in 3-D, the Rangers completely dominated the Islanders 5-0 at the Garden.
John Tortorella talks to the media about the shutout.
Mar
22
2010
Bruins 2 Rangers 1
The Rangers fading playoff hopes were reduced to a flicker yesterday as they dropped a huge game to the Boston Bruins 2-1.
Mar
19
2010
Blues 4 Rangers 3
Marian Gaborik had a goal and 2 assists but it wasn't enough as the Rangers fell 4-3 to St. Louis
The Rangers missed another golden opportunity to gain ground on the eighth place Boston Bruins as they lost a heartbreaker to the visiting St. Louis Blues 4-3 at the Garden. St. Louis’ Paul Kariya scored his 400th career goal to give the Blues the victory in a contest where the Rangers just couldn’t find a way to take control of the game failing on a 5-on-3 advantage early in the third period. The Blueshirts are not out of the playoff picture yet, as the injury ravaged Bruins lost again, but now with the loss to St. Louis, Sunday’s game with Boston has become the most important game of the season for the Rangers.
Thumbs Up- Brandon Prust continues to take on all comers and gave his team a spark after an early goal could have deflated the momentum. Erik Christensen had another solid performance and is making a strong push for a return next season. Wade Redden scored his second goal of the season ($3 million per goal..that sounds about right?) and Brandon Dubinsky was once again in the center of the action throughout.
Thumbs Down- Henrik Lundqvist, who has carried this team for the last two months, had a terrible night. Ryan Callahan, who played a physical game, lost the backcheck on the winning goal, allowing Kariya to tap the puck past Henrik. Jody Shelley, in a very physical contest with numerous post whistle scrums, was once again a non factor. I really hope Glen Sather is watching closely as Olii Jokinen is a shell of himself and should not be brought back over the summer. Dan Girardi was average at best and Marc Staal had a non descript performance.
Three Stars-3- Brian Boyle- The thing about Boyle, much like his predecessor Blair Betts, is that he’s not going to end up on the scoresheet most nights but he finds a way to make his presence felt on the ice on a nightly basis. He played a very strong game at both ends tonight and even had a few scoring chances, including one in the third that was thisclose to tying up the game. Sather gets a lot of (much deserved) grief for his offseason moves, but taking a chance on Boyle is one move that has definitely worked out.
2-Sean Avery- Avery once again was “engaged” tonight as he played his third straight very strong game since his benching by Torts. Avery was a ball of energy early, drawing penalties and taking the body, and was the team’s most consistent forward throughout the game. If only the Rangers could find a way to capitalize on more of the power plays he has drawn, maybe Sunday wouldn’t be such a must win game.
1- Marian Gaborik- Welcome Back Marian Gaborik, We Missed Ya!. After gliding through the slate of post-Olympic games following his return from injury, Gaborik finally showed up tonight ready to skate and it showed with a 3 point performance. Gabs has had trouble finding space on the ice over the last few games but tonight (after being reunited with Erik Christensen and Brandon Dubinsky), he was able to use his speed to find some open ice and get some very good scoring chances. The Rangers are still going to need more out of the man who carried this team in the first half of the season (especially on the power play) but tonight was a good sign that finally he may be healthy enough to take over some games like he did so many times early on.
Mar
10
2010
Devils 6 Rangers 3
Erik Christensen provided a highlight goal on an otherwise disappointing night.
On a night when the Rangers found their offense, they completely forgot how to play defense. Leaving their franchise netminder Henrik Lundqvist on an island for most of the first two periods, the Rangers fell to the Devils 6-3 and moved closer to missing the postseason in the process.
Thumbs Up- Michael Del Zotto was the Rangers’ best defenseman tonight (not a tough task considering how horrible the defense played). Welcome to the Rangers, Jody Shelley! It took a while for him to get involved but his fight with Pierre Luc Letourneau LeBlond was one of the few highlights tonight for the Blueshirts. The goals by Vinny Prospal and Erik Christensen were some of the prettiest plays of the season.
Thumbs Down- The Rangers defense was non existent. Wade Redden was absolutely atrocious and Marc Staal was just plain average tonight. Henrik Lundqvist was the victim of some terrible defense and bad deflections but he also deserves some blame for a subpar performance. Marian Gaborik was once again a non factor. Sean Avery was talking early but he has to try harder to get involved in the game, especially on a night like tonight when the Devils could have easily been shaken after the Rangers responded to each of their first three tallies.
Three Stars- 3- Alex Auld- Replacing Lundqvist after the Devils’ fifth goal, Auld looked sharp and made some strong saves to keep the deficit at two goals going into the third period. Unfortunately, the Blueshirts couldn’t muster another comeback and Auld finally faltered on a late goal by Travis Zajac that he should’ve stopped.
2- Jody Shelley- The enforcer finally decided to join the party and scored a victory in his battle with Devs tough guy Pierre Luc Letourneau LeBlond (MOUTHFUL!!!). Shelley was also a physical force at even strength and continued his smart play not reacting to a crushing hit leveled on him during the second period by Colin White.
1- Brandon Prust- The other pugilist brought in by Glen Sather at deadline time, Prust brought the offense tonight, scoring his first goal as a Blueshirt. Like his teammate, Jody Shelley, Prust also played a physical contest and was diligent in his defensive game using a strong backchecking performance to help his inexplicably beleaguered defense tonight. Prust is a UFA following the season but his play of late might be enough to get an invite back for a longer look next season.
The Rangers will try to get back on the winning track when they face the Thrashers on Friday night at 7 PM.
Mar
08
2010
Sabres 2 Rangers 1 (OT)
Highlights of the Rangers 2-1 overtime loss to the Sabres on Sunday night. Henrik Lundqvist was sensational all game but Ryan Miller was just a little better, enough to give his team the edge in a hard fought contest.
John Tortorella speaks to the media following the loss.