On one of the most anti-climactic deadline days in recent memory, Rangers GM Glen Sather decided, surprisingly, not to jump into the fray and only pulled off two minor transactions before today’s league imposed 3 PM cutoff. Sather added the veteran depth defenseman they had lacked since the start of the season when they acquired journeyman Anders Eriksson from Phoenix for AHL goalie Miika Wiikman and a 2011 7th round draft pick.
Eriksson, 35, is a veteran of 14 NHL seasons. The 6-3, 224 lb. defenseman played 12 games for the Coyotes this season registering 3 assists. In 564 career games, Eriksson has compiled 22 goals and 152 assists. It is unclear whether he will be assigned to Hartford or will stay with the club at the NHL level should recently waived Enver Lisin or Aaron Voros be sent down.
The Rangers also swapped minor leaguers, trading LW Jordan Owens, who had 6 goals and 13 assists in 50 games for Hartford this season, to Detroit for C Kris Newbury. Newbury, 28, had 11 goals and 22 assists for Grand Rapids of the AHL this season. The 5-10, 205 lb. pivot has played in 48 career NHL contests registering 4 goals, 3 assists and 64 penalty minutes in those games.
While Sather’s decision to stand pat was met with mixed reaction from media and fans, I believe that it was the wrong move by the embattled GM. The Rangers, most everyone would agree, are not Stanley Cup contenders as currently constituted. The team has a shot at making the playoffs if they can pull off a late season surge but to expect anything more than a first round exit from this club (if they get in at all) is purely wishful thinking. While I applaud Glen Sather for realizing that this team is more than one or two players away from a long postseason run and not sacrificing any of his valuable young assets or draft picks to bring in a rental player or two today, there were still some moves that were begging to be made prior to the deadline. With teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Phoenix all looking to gain an advantage as the playoffs near, Sather owed it to his organization to shop impending UFA’s Vinny Prospal, Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust to see if he could gain any valuable assets in return. With Carolina sniper Ray Whitney off the market, Prospal might have been a very attractive option (especially considering his low cap number) for many teams and might have garnered a first round pick in return based on other deals we’ve witnessed as of late. Sather knowing his team isn’t built for a deep run should have been looking to collect assets for next season and beyond instead of sitting on his hands and hoping for a miracle run come the postseason.
Sather has made some good moves as of late, getting rid of the ridiculous contract of Ales Kotalik and waiving Enver Lisin and Aaron Voros to gain some much needed cap space are two examples, but the moves that he needed to make the most for the future of this franchise seemed to never be a part of his deadline day plans. Sather may surprise everyone and use his cap room this summer in free agency to land a big fish up front like Illya Kovalchuk or Alexander Frolov, both players the Rangers desperately need to take some of the scoring burden off Marian Gaborik. He may even be able to pull off a trade for a bruising defenseman and in the process unload a few more of his albatross contracts. Sather has hung around for a long time by making those kind of moves and buying himself another year in the corner office but today, by holding on to hope and being blind to the reality of his team’s situation, he may have finally given the ownership of the Blueshirts an irrefutable reason as to why he shouldn’t be running this team next season. Unfortunately for the fans, the owners seem to be just as blind as their appointed emperor.
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.
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.
The Blueshirts snapped their losing streak and rookie Chad Johnson got his first career victory as the Rangers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 earlier tonight on the strength of Marian Gaborik’s first hat trick as a Ranger.
John Tortorella speaks to the media following the win.
For the second straight meeting, The Flyers shut out the Rangers in a game marred by many scrums following a fight between Philly’s Daniel Carcillo and the Rangers’ Marian Gaborik. The Blueshirts never really got any offensive momentum going and were never able to solve the Flyers’ strong forecheck.
John Tortorella addresses the media following his team’s loss and gets into a war of words with New York Post columnist Larry Brooks.
Aaron Voros joins the party with his first goal of the season.
All the Rangers coaches were hoping for following their impressive 6-2 win over the Canadiens on Sunday was a repeat of the effort the team gave during that victory. Not only did they receive the same effort but the players took it to another level as they jumped on the Lightning early and controlled play from start to finish during a dominant 8-2 dismantling of the visiting Tampa Bay club.
After a fight between Aaron Voros and Tampa’s Zenon Konopka off the game’s opening faceoff really got the crowd going, Brandon Dubinsky continued his inspired play of late and got the scoring started when he cleaned up a rebound in front of Antero Nittymaki to give the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead. The Rangers controlled play for the rest of the period with their strong forechecking and used tallies by Vinny Prospal and the resurgent Chris Drury to take a 3-1 lead after one period.
Dan Girardi and Enver Lisin would extend the lead to 5-1 in the second period and chase Nittymaki from between the pipes. Alex Tanguay would score on the power play late in the period to keep the Lightning withing striking distance but Henrik Lundqvist would shut the door the rest of the way.
Marc Staal, Aaron Voros (on the power play) and Christopher Higgins would put a nice bow on the blowout with third period tallies and gave the Rangers their second straight game with at least 6 goals. It still may be too early to call the Rangers’ season long offensive struggles solved but these two performances are definitely a promising step in the right direction.
Thumbs Up- Brian Boyle, Sean Avery and Erik Christensen were amongst the few Rangers who didn’t score a goal tonight but continued their energetic play that has been the catalyst on many of the offensive opportunities the team has cashed in on over the last two contests. Ryan Callahan and Chris Drury once again excelled on the penalty kill. Vinny Prospal seems to have fully recovered from his injury and was a factor tonight with a goal and an assist.
Thumbs Down- It was hard to find any negatives with tonight’s performance but the only thing that stood out to me was Artem Anisimov’s inability to get anything going offensively. I’m sure if he keeps up the work ethic he has shown so far during the first half of the year, he will find a way to break through but this is a situation that might bear watching especially if Evgeny Grachev should begin to put up numbers in Hartford.
Three Stars- 3-Henrik Lundqvist- “The King” was very strong early when the game was still anybody’s contest. His big saves during the first period gave the Rangers the confidence to continue to attack offensively. Another impressive performance from Lundqvist, who is finally getting the support he deserves from his forwards.
2- Aaron Voros- The toughest thing to do is come to the arena each night knowing that you might not be in the lineup the next game, even if you have a good outing that night. Aaron Voros has had to deal with this situation and be ready to contribute when called upon all season and up to this point his results have been hit and miss. Tonight, it was a big hit for Voros as he got the crowd involved early with a fight, was a physical presence throughout, drew a late penalty by being smart and even contributed a garbage time goal (after being rewarded with power play time by John Tortorella for his drawing the man advantage). This was Voros’ best game since early last season and i’m willing to wager he has earned another start in the Blueshirts’ next contest.
1- Marian Gaborik- For most of the year, Gaborik has been the Rangers focal point on offense and only consistent goal scorer. Tonight, he was the team’s playmaker with assists on 4 of the Rangers first 6 goals. Gaborik has to love this new found offensive output from his teammates as it takes the pressure off him to have to carry the club each time they hit the ice. He showed this evening that he is just as comfortable being a support player as being the team’s biggest star.
The Rangers will try to continue their explosive run when they visit the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday at 7 PM.
The biggest problem for the Rangers this season has been creating offense beyond the scoring of Marian Gaborik. The team showed a flash of getting past this last game as they exploded for six goals against the Canadiens. It would be way premature to think that the club’s season long scoring woes have been solved by the fact that they are now a healthy team having returned Vinny Prospal from injury and having added Erik Christensen (who has been a pleasant surprise so far offensively) to the mix but it does look like they are moving in the right direction.
Over the last few days, there have been many reports of the Rangers’ interest in players under contract with other clubs. Names like defenseman Sheldon Souray of Edmonton, center Peter Mueller of Phoenix and Tampa Bay’s star pivot Vinny Lecavalier have all been mentioned as possible (and in Lecavalier’s case, probably unattainable) targets for Glen Sather and Co. While all of these players have had lackluster years, each of them could be impact players should they be moved by their current clubs and would still bring a bounty of young players or picks in return. This is probably not the best move for the Blueshirts at this time as they have been able to build a strong core with their young assets and surrendering any of them for these players might turn out to be a huge setback for the future in the name of winning now.
Earlier today, TSN reported that the Minnesota Wild have placed veteran winger and former Ranger Petr Sykora on waivers. The 33-year old has had an injury-riddled season since signing a one year, $1.6 million dollar contract with the Wild as an unrestricted free agent last summer. In 14 games, he has compiled two goals and one assist but has missed a total of 29 games with groin and concussion issues. If Sykora is not claimed, Minnesota can send him to the minors or place him on re-entry waivers where he could be claimed at half the price of his contract. Sykora had 16 goals and 15 assists in 40 games with the Rangers during the 2005-2006 season.
Sykora is a high energy player and a proven sniper who could give the Rangers a short term spark and not cost the team the assets it would take to bring in a bigger name. While Sykora’s current run of injuries could be cause for concern, it might be worth the risk if the team could get him at half salary on re-entry waivers (like the way they re-acquired Sean Avery from Dallas last season). The fact that the Rangers have yet to demote Wade Redden and his suffocating cap hit to Hartford to open up cap room signals that Sather believes this team does not need a huge move at the deadline (Lecavalier, Illya Kovalchuk, Dion Phaneuf) to make a playoff run but even he can see that this team needs another proven scorer. Taking a flier on Sykora would possibly provide that scorer without mortgaging the future.
In yet another contest where the Rangers could not find their offense, Henrik Lundqvist once again showed why he is this club’s “most valuable player” and in doing so, had arguably his best performance of the season but it still wasn’t enough to lift an anemic offense past a shorthanded Ottawa team playing without it’s two top scorers and starting goaltender. Ottawa’s Mike Brodeur, an afternoon call up from the AHL, shut down the Rangers in his second career NHL start to give his team the 2-0 victory. The Blueshirts have now been held scoreless for 144 minutes of play and are in desperate need of a spark on offense or they may be in danger of dropping right out of the playoff picture.
Thumbs Up- Chris Drury dominated in the faceoff circle and was the Blueshirts best forward tonight. Brian Boyle used his size to control play along the boards and had a strong game. Sean Avery showed some snarl taking on Jarkko Ruutu and was full of energy from the opening puck drop. Matt Gilroy skated well and played one of his best games since his return from Hartford.
Thumbs Down- Marian Gaborik was a non factor tonight as the Senators matched defensemen and were able to keep him mostly to the outside in the offensive zone. Gaborik also left the zone early, looking for a breakout, on the Senators late goal that broke the shutout. Michael Del Zotto looked lost at times tonight and wasn’t skating very well throughout. Wade Redden should be in Hartford tomorrow if anybody who makes decisions for this organization was actually paying attention to this game.I thought Vinny Prospal returned from injury…Did anybody notice him out there tonight?
Three Stars- 3-Sean Avery- Avery has suffered from Jekyll/Hyde disease this season and while he wasn’t the fireball he was against Dallas last week, he was a spark each time he took the ice and his willingness to mix it up was an example of what this team needs on a nightly basis.
2-Chris Drury- Drury was a monster in the faceoff circle and continued to show that he is ready to raise his game to a level that fans have been clamoring for since he came to Broadway. His strong skating and all out effort in the third period led to a power play opportunity and his back checking was key in keeping the Senators scoreless for almost 60 minutes.
1- Henrik Lundqvist- It’s a shame to see this kind of performance wasted for the second straight game. Lundqvist did everything he could to keep the Senators off the scoreboard and was only solved when Gaborik committed a defensive gaffe that led to a late tally that cost him a shutout. Henrik is playing his best hockey of the season and the Rangers need to give him some offensive support and take advantage of his mastery before the league shuts down for the Olympic break.
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 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.
