Mike Cammalleri puts the finishing touches on a Rangers loss with his third goal of the game in OT.
In a wholly frustrating performance tonight, The Blueshirts failed to hold a two goal lead twice and were beat by a Montreal squad that wanted it more than they did. A third straight loss, after reeling off seven straight wins, has to have coach Tortorella seething and if he isn’t then I don’t know what game he was watching tonight.
The Canadiens jumped out to an early lead but the Rangers roared back with 3 goals including a beautiful rebound by Artem Anisimov to build a 3-1 lead at the end of one period. Once again, as they have done throughout the season, the Rangers came out flat in the second period and the Canadiens cut the lead to one on a goal by Matt D’Agostini. The highlight of the game for New York came 3 minutes later as Marian Gaborik took a pass from Enver Lisin and broke in untouched on Jaroslav Halak sliding the puck between his pads on the deke. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there as the Canadiens would get a power play goal off a blast from Marc Andre Bergeron (why didn’t we sign this guy again?) and would tie the game when Christopher Higgins (who has been nothing short of horrible this season) was late picking up Mike Cammalleri, who would score his second goal of the game to knot it at 4-4. Higgins would earn a seat on the bench (along with Brandon Dubinsky, who had his own costly gaffe) for the remainder of regulation and overtime. The third period was full of scoring chances on both ends but no one could solve Halak or Lundqvist.
The Rangers (minus two of their top 6 forwards) started OT with some strong play in the offensive zone but couldn’t get the game winner and when Mike Cammalleri skated all the way from his own blue line into the offensive zone (without being touched by any Ranger player) and ripped a laser over a down too early Lundqvist the game was over. Marian Gaborik knew that he didn’t skate and backcheck hard enough (coasting and just reaching with his stick the whole time) and you could see it on his face.
All night the Rangers gave the Canadiens too much room in the neutral zone and did not play an energetic game. Brandon Dubinsky, Christopher Higgins and Marian Gaborik (despite his highlight reel goal) had disappointing nights as they seemed to become complacent with the two goal leads and stopped skating hard.
John Tortorella has said after both previous losses that the team played well and just got bad breaks. It’s time for Tortorella to stand up and call this performance what it was, horrible. The Rangers may have fixed their scoring woes but their lack of discipline once they get a lead is alarming and if Torts doesn’t see this (or isn’t willing to admit it) then that is a huge problem going forward.
Thumbs Up- Tough to find bright spots in this performance but Artem Anisimov and Michael Del Zotto both had strong games and impressed in the opportunities they recieved. Brian Boyle stood up for his teammates and played with an edge.
Thumbs Down- Christopher Higgins needs to get out of his own head before this season passes him by and he’s looking for a new team come summer. Brandon Dubinsky had a terrible performance and has been invisible during the three game skid. Henrik Lundqvist had an inconsistent game and went down way too early (like in last year’s first round collapse vs. Sergei Fedorov) on the game winner. Sean Avery played hard but hasn’t been a factor and might be too worried about pleasing Torts and not worried enough about being a pest and playing with an edge.
3 Stars- 3- Wade Redden- Just an all around solid game by the much maligned defenseman.
2- Artem Anisimov- Anisimov took his demotion to the fourth line well and played a strong game, scoring one goal and almost converting on another late in the third period.
1- Matt Gilroy- The rookie blueliner who has gotten less buzz than his fellow rookie Del Zotto since the season began had a great first period (including a huge blast to give the Rangers a 3-1 lead) and an overall solid showing. He still needs to work on stepping up at the top of the circles and stopping a rush (he was on the ice for the game winner) but he is improving with each game and was a factor offensively throughout.
The Rangers hope to stop the bleeding on Monday night at MSG as the surprising Coyotes visit at 7 PM.
Tags: Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle, Christopher Higgins, hockey, John Tortorella, Marc Andre Bergeron, Marian Gaborik, Matt D'Agostini, Matt Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto, Mike Cammalleri, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, NHL, Sean Avery, Sergei Fedorov, Wade Redden
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While it would seem that the Rangers might be just about done dipping into this season’s free agent pool, there are still holes to fill on the current roster (No.1 Center, Power Play point man and secondary scorer on the wing, especially with the impending departure of Nik Zherdev) and while Glen Sather may eventually have to turn to the trade market or to homegrown talent to fill them, there are still a few intriguing players that remain unsigned and might be worth kicking the tires on.
Let me say before I begin that I believe the best move for the team, not only for this coming season but also for the future, would be to give the youngsters currently in the system a chance to fill these spots through a training camp open competition. I believe Brandon Dubinsky has proven his ability to play with an all world talent on his wing (Jagr) in the past and is on the verge of a breakout season much like Ryan Callahan had last year. I also believe Evgeny Grachev could be the answer at wing should Zherdev depart. Grachev has shown an ability to not only score but also an improvement in his game without the puck.
If the Rangers don’t think these two, amongst others, are the solution at those positions, there are a few veterans still jobless who might fit in for the short term (and the right price) until the youngsters prove themselves worthy.
Alex Tanguay- Reports of Tanguay signing with Florida were premature and I believe he is either waiting and holding out hope for the ideal situation (possibly a return to Colorado and a scene of past glories) or for some team to become desperate and offer a huge payday (think the Thrashers 4 year 16 million dollar deal with Nik Antropov) and if this is the case then scratch him off the Rangers’ list. If the case however, is that Tanguay realizes he may need to look short term (perhaps a one year deal with incentives) to rebuild interest in himself after an injury plagued season, he could be a perfect fit on the Rangers top line opposite Marian Gaborik.
Robert Lang- Let’s face facts, Lang is no longer a number one center in the NHL. Some would argue that he’s not even worthy of second line center minutes at his age but he is still the only viable option for a team looking for help down the middle left in free agency. Lang showed flashes of his former self last season (18-21- 39 in 50 GP) before injuries cut his season short. Rumors have KHL teams interested in the crafty playmaker but indications are that he wants to finish his career in the NHL. If Sather believes Lang has enough left in the tank to keep up with the speedy Gaborik, a one year deal and the opportunity to end his career on Broadway might be enough to persuade Lang to call the Garden home. More than likely, Sather will address this position through trade.
Todd Bertuzzi- The buzz is that the Rangers would like Brendan Shanahan to return to the team after his one year hiatus across the river but if they are going to give minutes that should be slotted for a younger player to a veteran, I believe Bertuzzi has more to offer than Shanahan at this point in their respective careers. Bertuzzi is not the All-Star he was earlier this deacade but he still brings size, strength and good hands in front of the net to any team he plays for. While there is no question that Shanahan is the better locker room presence, Bertuzzi seems to have more left in the tank on the ice (and plays with more of an edge) than Shanny, who disappeared for long stretches during the second half of his last season on Broadway.
Marc Andre Bergeron- Bergeron has one of the best slapshots in the NHL from the point on the power play. The Rangers showed that this is something they desire when they traded three players to Phoenix for Derek Morris at last year’s deadline. Morris didn’t work out and will most likely not be brought back. Bergeron is an offensive defenseman who struggles in his own end and is not overly physical (see Tom Poti) but does play hard every shift and brings another dimension to the man advantage that the team is currently lacking. If the Rangers decide that Sergei Zubov is not worth pursuing or that they have no interest in trading for Anton Babchuk of Carolina, Bergeron could be a one or two year answer until one of the organization’s many prospects (Sanguinetti, Del Zotto) is deemed ready to contribute.
Obviously these 4 players are not going to carry a team the way the Rangers hope Gaborik can but they all bring something to the team (at the right price and term) that could make a difference in the team’s fortunes this upcoming season. If I am Sather, I am at the very least checking in on each of these guys and seeing what their asking price is in the hopes of maybe getting a bargain that could turn out to be a steal.
Tags: Alex Tanguay, Anton Babchuk, bargains, Bobby Sanguinetti, Brandon Dubinsky, Brendan Shanahan, Colorado Avalanche, Derek Morris, Evgeny Grachev, Free Agency, Glen Sather, hockey, KHL, Madison Square Garden, Marc Andre Bergeron, Marian Gaborik, Michael Del Zotto, New York Rangers, NHL, Nik Antropov, Nikolai Zherdev, Robert Lang, Ryan Callahan, Todd Bertuzzi, Tom Poti
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There are some rumblings on the free agency front this morning concerning the Rangers. The most surprising news comes from The Fourth Period where Derek Morris’ agent says that he has spoken several times with the Rangers and that they are still interested in bringing Morris back to Broadway. The agent also says that length of contract isn’t as important to Morris as feeling comfortable where he plays. Morris seemed to have nothing but good things to say during his brief tenure here last season so this situation may bear watching if Morris would be willing to accept a one or two year deal for probably less than the 3.25 million he made last year.
Derek Morris
Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg is close to re-signing with the team for a reported 3 years at around 9 million dollars. This will almost surely (along with the Marian Hossa and Cam Barker signings) force the Hawks to make a trade and move some money as they still have to sign a backup goaltender to Cristobal Huet and are right against the cap for next season. The prevailing thought is that forward Patrick Sharp could be made available. If this happens, the Rangers should put in a call to GM Dale Tallon to see what it would take to bring him to NY. Sharp is a talented and young (27) winger who excels in front of the net on the power play (something the Rangers lack in their current forward group) and makes a reasonable (by current standards) 3.9 million per season. He could probably be had for a prospect and a pick considering the Hawks current cap situation.
For the full Morris article on The Fourth Period click here. For some theories on what the Rangers might do to fill up the remaining spots on their blueline, Dan Akeson brings up Marc Andre Bergeron, Mathieu Schneider and some other UFA options here.
Remember if any news breaks, we’ll bring it to you right here.
UPDATE (2:10 PM)- The Rangers have come to terms with restricted free agent Brian Boyle , whom they acquired from the Kings on Draft Day. Specifics of the contract were not disclosed. In other news, Saku Koivu has signed a one year 3.25 million dollar deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
Tags: Blackhawks, Brian Boyle, Cam Barker, Contracts, Dale Tallon, Derek Morris, Ducks, Free Agency, hockey, Kris Versteeg, Marc Andre Bergeron, Marion Hossa, Mathieu Schneider, New York Rangers, NHL, Patrick Sharp, Saku Koivu, Salary Cap, trades
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