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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Stingy Ranger Offense Bankrupts In Buffalo: No Goals, No Points

by Rich Baiocco

While scoring only 3 goals in 4 games was good enough to earn the Rangers 5 points the buck finally stopped last night in Buffalo when rookie puckstopper Jhonas Enroth stepped in for the injured Ryan Miller and blanked the Blueshirts, ending an impressive 7 game point streak.

Coach Tortorella was disappointed with his team's effort, claiming they only played with the necessary intensity for the 3rd period, and while that was ostensibly true, credit must also be given to the Sabres who trapped the Rangers with an airtight team defense and forced turnovers in all three zones. The Rangers were slow to adapt and by the time they finally penetrated the offensive zone with some quality scoring chances Buffalo had it's eye on the prize and wouldn't relinquish the lead.

The slight difference on the scoreboard came on a turnover that proved costly, not only in the game but in the standings as the lone goal enabled the Sabres to tie us for 7th place with 87 points on the season. An aggressive penalty kill by the Rangers led to a wide open 3-1 up the ice with Brian Boyle and Ryan Callahan at the helm. Perhaps seized by the rare opportunity in the game, Boyle took an extra wide stride and in doing so allowed the defenseman to track a better angle on Cally. A shot with a rebound would've been the ideal play for the rush since 24 was crashing the net, but Boyle attempted a pass that was blocked and the turn up ice trapped the 2 Rangers behind the play. Tim Connelly blasted a slapper over Lundqvist's shoulder and ruined the heroic performance the King put on, stopping 34 shots and recovering from a hard shot that hit him between the padding on his right knee.

The Rangers had their chances, even a goal disallowed with Callahan contacting Enroth before Anisimov could tap in the rebound, but they couldn't crack the code. Both the Gaborik and Dubinsky lines hounded the net and haunted the offensive zone but to no avail. Gabbi had 5 shots on goal but in key situations he came up empty. He also couldn't seem to get his high gear going, failing to accelerate down the wing in the neutral zone and break through the Sabre trap with his shifty speed. Instead he, like most of the Rangers, attempted to cut to the middle at the blue line and was met with Buffalo resistance that led to turnovers.

Fortunately the Blueshirts are back at it tonight, roughing it up with the Islanders. Carolina stands just outside the playoff picture, throwing rocks at windows. They play the Islanders on Saturday and Buffalo Sunday. It's a clusterfu*k, but what else would you expect in either Conference. This is the National Hockey League and everyone fights tooth and nail because they want it so bad. The top 8 teams will rise to the occasion and the Rangers will be there.

Lets Go Blue!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BLUESHIRTS 1-UP B's IN POSSIBLE PLAYOFF PREVIEW

by Rich Baiocco

LUNDQVIST. Battle Mode. Need we say more?

B. BOYLE COULD BE DIFFERENCE AGAINST BUFFALO




BRIAN BOYLE: PLAYER PROFILE
by Rich Baiocco

Hockey analysts have had Brian Boyle's name in their mouths all season, but it is a bit annoying when their analysis goes no deeper than simply the novelty of the career year big #22 is having. Even Ranger sideman like Al Trautwig and Stan 'Tuna on Melba Toast with Pickles breath' Fischler can't interview the big man without pointing out their amazement with the season he's put together, and never hesitate to ask "did you ever think a 4th line grinder like yourself would score 20 goals?"

Well, it's amazing, but it's no fluke people! Brian Boyle was a first round draft pick out of Boston College, and you don't go that high unless scouts see a potential in you, even though sometimes there's a learning curve. The hard-nosed behemoth worked diligently in the off season on his skating stride, and the combination of his newfound speed and low center of gravity makes him a powerful, puck-protecting NHL forward--the fact that he's 6'7 and uses his gangly wingspan to pick off passes and annoy the rushing opposition makes him a threat. True Blueshirt fans know that Brian Boyle has been one of the most consistent Rangers all year, leading the team in Games Played, and at the top of the heap in Goals with 21 heading into tonight's tussle with Buffalo. But what impresses me most is that this season also finds him surpassing his career plus/minus, moving from a -6 last year to a +5 now. Coach Tortorella has noticed too, utilizing Boyle in all situations at any time of the game as evidenced in Boston where the hometown kid clocked in nearly 20:00 minutes of ice time in a tight one-goal game.

Another aspect of #22's game that I really appreciate this season is the emergence of his wicked streak, an intimidating development that has come with his maturity and comfort being part of the young nucleus on this Blueshirt club. Notice how often Boyle sticks up for his teammates--Lundqvist especially--quick to horse-collar an opposing forward who is getting out of line in our crease. All the Rangers stick up for each other this year, but Boyle seems to have his nose in as many scrums as possible.

In tonight's battle against Buffalo, Brian Boyle's size can be the difference between a win and a loss. Last time the Sabres were in town we were stymied by Ryan Miller, and though he played with Olympian ferver, we really didn't do a good enough job getting to the front of the net and screening some bodies in front of him. We were also in the midst of our worst homestand of the season, dropping 3 straight and hardly lighting the red lamp. Tonight we are riding a different kind of steady momentum and with a playoff spot literally hanging in the balance for one (if not both) of these two teams every edge counts. And if your edge is 6'7 with a healthy disdain for opposing forwards, a loyalty to team defense and over 20 goals on the season, it can make quite a difference.

Zucc back in the lineup tonight?? We'll see.
Lets Go Rangers!

Friday, March 25, 2011

RANGERS SLEEP THROUGH SENATE SESSION

by Rich Baiocco

As John Tortorella remarked in his postgame interview: "We haven't played too many games like this all year" referencing his team's inability to muster the necessary emotion and energy it took to compete for 60 minutes last night against the loose and trap-baiting Ottawa Senators. Mark Staal, who returned to the lineup after a knee soreness that kept him out for 2 games (and logged almost 30 minutes!), said he thought his team was sleepy for the first two periods and Lundqvist took it a bit further commenting "we looked dead out there for a while." Regardless of the excuse or diagnosis, the fact remained that the Rangers lost out on a big standings point to a team out of the playoff picture with only 7 games to go and a rugged schedule ahead of them.

That being said, the Blueshirts salvaged a valuable point. In fact they've managed three points in two games scoring only 2 goals, so the defense has been strong and no one has been stronger than Henrik Lundvist who has shown Vezina-worthy consistency in net lately. Brandon Prust invigorated his team and the irksome Garden crowd when he converted a feed off a monster second effort from Marc Staal in the 3rd period to send the game to overtime. The goal ran a jolt through his Ranger teammates who were finally able to sustain some offensive pressure, but they let a golden opportunity slip away taking a 4 on 3 man-advantage into the extra session and managed only one decent shot on goal.

In the shootout, the normally deadly trio of Christensen, Zuccarello and Wolski seemed unsure and sloppy, while luck worked against us as Callahan's stick broke during his attempt. Lundqvist's fellow countryman Erik Karlsson scored the lone shootout goal, much to the frustration of the King who said after playing with Karlsson during the summer he was expecting the young swede to go five-hole, but instead he fired an almost perfect shot just over the pad and inside of the post.

With a rough and tumble game coming up tomorrow afternoon against Boston it may be time, if ever, to get Sean Avery back into the mix. The agitator has been a healthy scratch ever since he took two penalties in an undisciplined game against the Islanders, though I suspect the true reason he has stayed out this long has more to do with the fact that #16 has only 3 goals this season and the Rangers spiked into an offensive groove with other line combinations. Still, the Bruins--coming off a brutal 7-0 spanking of the Canadians--will try to bully us around and we need to have a strong emotional response on Saturday in Beantown. Perhaps giving Zuccarello or Christensen a game off will put a little more torque in their engines for the final drive to the playoffs. The Blueshirts are only 2 points behind Montreal for the 6th spot in the East and following Boston they face the 8th seed Sabres who would like nothing better than to clip our pace.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Dubi Dubi Doo and a Lundqvist Shutout Too




by Rich Baiocco

Brandon Dubinsky is coming into his own right now. In his 4th full year in the NHL the Rangers power forward surpassed his single season goal total in last night's 1-0 win over the Panthers, tallying his 22nd and also becoming the first on his team to crack the 50 point plateau in 2010-2011. It is modest output, yet in the context of a Ranger team that has struggled to score goals for most of year and a Ranger player that has consistently shown budding signs of breaking out though never really owned the moment, Brandon Dubinsky is taking his game to a new level.
And his teammates are following him.

Dubi was passed over for the US Olympic team in Vancouver last winter and came into the current campaign with a leadership edge to his maturity and a self-imposed imperative to work on his shot. Coach Tortorella moved him to the wing in an effort to free him up in the defensive zone a little and spring some odd-man rushes through the neutral zone. The move has been flexible though as Dubinsky still takes a large percentage of faceoffs and can usually be found leading a streak down the center lane. Lately though he can most often be found in the midst of a celebration with linemates Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov as the trio have emerged as the number one Blueshirt scoring line.

Fans remember a game earlier in the season against Pittsburgh when Dubinsky picked up a puck behind his own net with time dwindling in the 3rd period and the Rangers trailing by a goal and through shear determination powered the play through the neutral zone and pulled a how's-she-going on an unsuspecting Pens defenseman before slipping the puck to Staal who sniped the upper corner and tied the game. The look in his eye was of a man on a mission, and in overtime he hooked up Cally with a 2 on 1 feed that earned the Blueshirts an emotional win. Tortorella gave a rare emotive fist-pump after the victory and Ranger Nation began to recognize the identity of a team that wouldn't quit working hard and making opportunities until the final buzzer rewarded them.

Brandon Dubinsky has that same look in his eye right now. He looks like a man on a mission and a man that won't be denied a battle. His strong play along the walls has overwhelmed other teams and his ability to use his size and strength as leverage and then spin off an opponent to make a play towards the net has resulted in 8 points in the last 7 games. Last night the Dubi line was pounding away all night on the Panther D and with the game resting in a 0-0 balance in the 3rd period and the inkling of a Ranger mishap costing them 2 points creeping into the Garden, the Ranger's top trio found the extra effort and the big reward. Artem Anisimov locked a puck in his skates at the top of the crease as three Panthers fruitlessly whacked at it. Just before falling AA shuffle-kicked the rubber over to Ryan Callahan at the side of the net. Cally drew Volkoun out of the net with a fake pass while Dubinsky--who started the play with a punishing forecheck--crept down the center aisle undetected and made a quick dash to gain position in front of the Panther defenseman in order to tap a Cally pass into a virtually empty net.

It was exactly what we needed and exactly the way we needed it. The Blueshirts dominated a rather bite-less Panther team for the majority of two and half periods but had come up empty on the scoreboard. Thomas Vokoun was sharp but we rarely had him moving with cross ice passes or back-door plays and many of our shots were straight on with no screen in front of him. Steve Emminger--who was +1 and played one of his better games of the season--remarked as much before the 3rd period began saying the Rangers needed to get more bodies in front of the Florida netminder. The Dubi line was all over the puck in the offensive zone and by moving it East West we caught Vokoun out of position and closed out the game.

Henrik Lundqvist notched his 10th shutout of the season and even though he didn't get a lot of work he still had to answer the bell and make 3 or 4 huge saves, one a glove save on sniper David Booth and another being was kick save off a shot from the high slot that was targeted at the lower corner. Vinny Prospal was practically in his lap trying to get a body on a shot block.

It was an important win for the Rangers coming off such an emotional tilt in Pittsburgh on Sunday and an offensive harvest in the last few games because it further solidified that this team is on point with the mission and knows how to win. We're not going to score 6 goals every game, but if keep pursuing scoring opportunities and keep our D-game tight we'll find our way to the Second Season. And right now Brandon Dubinsky is spearing the charge.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Rangers Cooke Penguins, Serve Road Sweep On Ice

by Rich Baiocco

Are we a 3rd period team or what? Despite Artem Anisimov getting the Rangers off to another hot start (on a picture-perfect sauce by Ryan Callahan), it was the clutch finish and unwavering character of this Blueshirt team that earned them another 2 points and completed the road sweep of the Penguins on Sunday.

The battle level of the Rangers has been in Playoff mode since mid-January and it's really showing now as we simply out-battled the higher seeded yet injury-plagued Penguins for 60 minutes. With Marc Staal out with an undisclosed body injury, his younger brother Jordan took advantage of some miscommunication between Dan Girardi and Steve Emminger and sneaked in behind the D, slipping a puck beneath Lundqvist's arm, tying the game at 1-1. Just the fact that Henrik Lundqvist suited up to play in this game following a whiplash injury sustained on a goalmouth collision Friday night was evidence of the Rangers' compete instinct, and despite letting up some odd-man rushes the Blueshirts moved into their comfort zone (the 3rd period) knotted at one.

The Rangers D played tough in the absence of Staal. Led by the young tandem of Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonough, the backlines authoritatively kept bodies away from Lundqvist much to the disbelief of the stymied Penguins who made a conscientious decision to crash the net hard and take advantage of an injured Henrik. The Blueshirts poise in their defensive zone kept the Pittsburgh chances to one and out and limited rebounds opportunities, keeping the shots low and the quality scoring chances even lower.

With tensions mounting in the 3rd period, headhunter and multiple-offender Matt Cooke caught Ryan McDonough with a clear elbow to the chin and earned himself a 5 minute misconduct and yet another game ejection. Unable to control the start of the power-play, the Rangers allowed a shorthanded goal by Chris Kunitz on a nearly unstoppable shot just over Lundqvist's right shoulder. Gut check moment for the brave Blueshirts who had been playing well enough to get the win and were obviously in need of points, both in the standings and now in the game. Down 2-1 but still on the power-play for another 3 and a half minutes, Ryan Callahan took an errant high stick to the bridge of his nose and came up bleeding. With the 5-3 the Rangers were able to figure out their power-play hangups and control the puck again, and Gaborik was at the helm, moving his feet, directing the puck, demanding coverage and ultimately freeing himself to hawk at a fledging crease rebound for his 3rd straight game with a goal.

Before the second power-play expired, Ryan Callahan took advantage of a puck shot wide by Mats Zuccarello and caught Marc-Andre Fleury leaning with a slapshot into the upper corner. The lead and the momentum quickly transferred to the Rangers and while the Penguins died off over the final course of the 3rd we kept our eyes on the prize and never looked back. Ryan McDonough, who played one of his best games, charged out of the penalty box and got two shots off on Fleury before Derek Stepan showed signs of Chris Drury and cashed in at the right place at the right time to put the game away with a goal.

Brandon Dubinsky was finally rewarded for his hard work the past few games with an empty net gift, garnering Ryan Callahan his 3rd point of the game and capping off an emotional comeback on National television. While the Penguins have been able to deal with the injuries to Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and still get points from other teams, the Rangers were simply not to be messed with. The strong forecheck of Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko overpowered the less threatening Pittsburgh forwards and the team's 100% desire to win ran a stake through two-time Ranger Alexei Kovalev's indecision to shoot the puck when he had the opportunity. Matt Cooke's lame attempt to bully our young defense was the final failing point on the true story of the afternoon which is that the Rangers played one hell of a road game and got contributions from the goalie on out to the last forward (probably Wolski, who seems determined to get out of the Healthy Scratch rotation). While the the public waits to find out the length of Cooke's impending suspension (my guess is 8-10 games and a video clip emailed to Mario Lemiuex, who criticized the league's soft-handedness at dealing with cheapshots) the Rangers put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the pack of dogs vying for the 7th and 8th seed by posting their 4th straight win and longest streak of the year.

Up next: Florida, and definitely no time for a let down.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

PARDON MY FRENCH, BUT GET DA F*** OUTTA MY HOUSE: RANGERS SCHOOL HABS

by Rich Baiocco

10 MINUTES before the puck dropped last night my friend Jeanne txt me from MSG: "this games gonna b nasty...can feel it in the garden air". ONE SECOND into the game Brandon Prust dropped the gloves with Travis Moen for a lengthy center ice fist-squabble that further engaged the reportedly hostile Garden Faithful. 18 MINUTES later the Rangers had put a 5 spot on the scoreboard and ended Cary Price's night. The rest of the game was a mere exercise in focus and discipline and the Blueshirts executed with passing marks, extending their win streak to 5 in 6 games and 3 straight at home.

The Rangers got off to another great start at home--a trend that is paying off in 2-point dividends--as Artem Anisimov blocked a shot at the blueline and cruised in for a long breakaway, freezing Price on a five-hole deke before finishing him off on the backhand. The Canadians tied it up briefly and we seemed to be in for a typical Original Six grinder, but halfway through the period some crafty hashwork by Mats Zuccarello freed a rebound puck for Dan Girardi to smoke into the upper corner.

Then, the play of the game: Brandon Dubinsky made himself an absolute beast in the corner, absorbing crosscheck after crosscheck from his diminutive ex-teammate and fellow Alaska statesman Scott Gomez before power-spinning off the boards like a bull tossing off a cowboy and driving towards the net. Price got a piece of Dubi's shot, but Callahan (who had spent the shift battling through the bullying of the larger, lazier Paul Mara) pounced on the rebound, sending a puck straight up into the air with enough English on it that it dipped below the crossbar behind Price's head, crossing the plane in the air, yet spun down on the playing side of the goal line on the ice. The play went to review but the eagle eyes in Toronto saw the truth and reversed the no-goal call on the ice as the Ranger bench and the Garden fans erupted with emotion.

The Blueshirts used the crowd to spring for 2 more goals in just over a minute. Marian Gaborik ripped a wrist shot rebound through a defenseman's legs for his most energetic celebration of the season (maybe because his parents were in the seats, or maybe because this was only his 2nd back-to-back scoring game of the season and he knows he's heating up at the exact right time), then Brian Boyle finalized a stampeding 3-on-1 rush for his 21st of the season and reveled in what Al Trautwig later remarked was the loudest he'd heard the Garden all year.

Following a goalie change and ice-wash, Montreal was able to put 2 more on the board, but the Rangers never really sat on the lead and continued to forecheck hard, hem-in the Canadians' pesky quickness, and generate regular scoring opportunities. The resiliency of this team to stray away from it's game plan has been almost iron-willed all season, and the coaching staff has attributed it to the fact that the players never get too high or low emotionally during or after a contest. The Garden is an emotionally invested arena though, especially nearing playoff time. Fans push for the most out of their team and the team and it's supporters have not always seen eye to eye with the Rangers dragging a .500 or less winning percentage at home through most of the season. Clearly though the Rangers and the Garden are beginning to synergize and the offensive results have been unusually explosive: 7 goals against Philly, 6 against the Islanders and 6 against the Habs chalk up the last 3 Ranger home games. Despite an unusually high number of Montreal fans in attendance noisily pushing a comeback, the MSG fans remained resilient as well and drowned them out. Fittingly Vinny High O, who has points in 13 of his 19 games this season and seems to thrive on, if not virtually LIVE for Garden cheers, put the game away late in the third stanza and the Rangers put a two-point chip into the Canadians' 6th seed playoff spot.

The only dark mark on the game was a crushing goal mouth collision that jarred goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. While at first it looked like the king may've hit the back of his head on the ice, it turned out to be more like whiplash and the stiffness set in almost immediately. He struggled through the final 3 minutes but remained between the pipes to earn his 30th win of the season and become the first goaltender to ever reach that mark in his first 6 consecutive seasons.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Odd Man...In?



ERIK CHRISTENSEN: PLAYER PROFILE
by Rich Baiocco

Erik Christensen has been an enigma in the NHL. He is arguably most well known on the Blueshirts as a shootout specialist--and one of the most creative in the league at that--but those stats don't figure into the season scoresheets. He has one of the best wrist shots in the game though labored through a month-long stretch from mid December to late February where his shooting percentage was a zero. He has an incredible offensive skill set and earlier this season Coach Tortorella remarked Christensen was hands down the best passer on the team, yet his struggles with consistency and low point production have seen him move through 6 teams (4 NHL, 2 AHL) since 2007. He is thought of as a bit of a headcase in that he self-admittedly 'over-thinks' the game sometimes, yet he has excelled both years when Gaborik has been out of the lineup and coach needed someone to step up into the goal-scorer role. So what gives?

Frankly, who cares? Going back to the Feb. 25th Gaborik-less 7-0 routing of the Washington Capitals, Christensen has put up 9 points for the Rangers including 5 goals to surpass his Ranger high and currently rides a 2 game goal scoring streak into the Montreal showdown. He may never be the 40 goal scorer his potential teases at, but he is clicking with Gabby and Prospal in a way that rejuvenates that line as a threat, and he adds a dangerous prong to our newly vicious power-play; as we come down the stretch the reality of these assets are far more valuable than the projections of his talents and if he can stay on track in shooting the puck as often as possible it will be difficult to take him out of the lineup for more than a rest game.

Tortorella scratched him for 2 games recently and EC came back with goals in back to back tilts which shows me that he's getting locked in. With an extra forward to play with, the ideal situation for the Rangers' players in this last double-handful of games left is to not take a scratching personally, but rather show up to play on time when your name is called and answer the bell.

Avery seems likely to be the scratch tonight as his discipline has come into question after two unnecessary penalties on Tuesday (one leading to a goal) but perhaps he was just trying to make some noise after being scratched in San Jose. Either way, the Canadian power-play is lethal and a momentum builder for them so the less we put them up a man the better. I don't buy the excuse that Avery has to play on the edge anymore. He's veered towards safety's side of the edge for the majority of the season and has done great puck control/cycle/playmaking work for us below the hash marks and especially behind the net. We don't need him to aggravate his game at the risk of taking dumb penalties in the offensive zone. On the other side of things, a goal at the garden for him is a huge Ranger boost as he's an energetic guy and fan favorite.

Wolski may get the scratch again but it's unlikely. The talented Phoenix transplant has been playing well lately and provides Step and Zucc with a charismatic linemate that can tic-tac-toe an odd man rush into the back of the net. This line also has the ability to be forgotten about by other teams because their ice time is low and can sneak on against an opponents unsuspecting 4th line to do some damage.

Regardless of who is scratched tonight, whoever is IN the lineup needs to chip in. It will be a total team effort to shut down the quick Canadians. But now's our time to beat them.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Rangers Swim With Sharks, Emerge Unscathed // Garden Power-Play Wattage Outshines Lighthouse

With wins in 4 of our last 5 games I've been dying to jump into some analysis here at the Brigade so my apologies for lacking on the post-game coverage. Internet problems at my apartment have brought me to some coffeeshop to mooch wi-fi. Though I guess looking at the Duguay ad for a few extra days wasn't so bad.

First off, I'd like to welcome our first Google Follower: BeerMakesMePoop, our Ranger insider holding it down in Philly. If you have a google account you can follow Blueshirt Brigade and receive automatic site updates to your email address.

Now back to the issue at hand: back to back wins against the Sharks and Islanders. Coming off a timid performance in Disney World, the Rangers clearly had it in mind to grit up their game in NorCal. They dove right into the Shark Tank and matched their compete level against the ferocious Western Conference predators with Great Whites like Thornton, Heatley, Marleau, Pavelski and Couture lurking in front of Lundqvist. Bad bounce woes lingered though as Marc Staal was clearly high-sticked in the face and then while trying to recover a shot from Ryan Clowe bounced off the defenseman's arm and past Lundqvist. The Rangers refused to belly-up and a gutsy cycle from the Gaborik, Prospal Christensen line ended up with EC finding twine and tying the game. Coach Tortorella remarked earlier in the week that he didn't want to keep Christensen out of the lineup for too long because he was just heating up; the instinct to play him payed off.

The Rangers took a brief lead when Michael Sauer read between the lines on an offensive zone situation and slid in a free puck from the high slot, but the pinball wizardry working against the Rangers continued as Torrey Mitchell's shot deflected off 3 players on it's way towards tying the game at 2-2.

Overtime was a welcoming buzzer for the Blueshirts who salvaged the road trip with the point, but were hungry for more. Brandon Dubinsky, who seems to be getting stronger with each game since singing the Productivity Blues a few weeks ago provided the heroics late in the shootout, beating Antii Niemi and sending the Rangers back to the Garden with 76 points and an important banger against the Islanders on the horizon.

The Long Island Lighthouse was too far away to save the Islanders from drowning into yet another playoff-less postseason and last night at the Garden the Rangers made this point all too clear for their cross-town rivals. The Blueshirts flexed their muscles for 6 goals and despite a brief stint at the beginning of the 2nd period where the Islanders tied the game at 2-2, the home team controlled the tilt. Erik Christensen kept his hot hand going with a powerplay snipe after Heart N Soul Brandon Prust celebrated his early birthday and activated the Blueshirt scoring Visa with a hard shift and his League-Leading 5th shorthanded goal. Brian McCabe finally got in on some Garden love tallying his first as a Ranger on the power-play and Gaborik--who seemed to be playing with a necessary chip on his shoulder all night after missing a first shift breakaway--lit the lamp twice to continue his offensive dominance against the Islanders this year.

For me it was the goal by Ryan Callahan on a sneaky feed from Anisimov that propelled the Rangers, at the time breaking a tie game and halting the Islander surge.

The power-play has really been grooving lately and even when we don't score we are getting a lot of chances and shots on goal. I credit McCabe for changing the culture on the PP. The Rangers brought him in to anchor the man-up situations but it's been his willingness to shoot the puck at any moment that has transformed the atrocious and perfectionist (can they be one in the same? in hockey, yes they can) power-play into more of a force to be reckoned with.

Another aspect to the power-play is Vinny Prospal. The man known as High Octane, and Pure Offense has been not only pocketing points since his return from injury like Mario grabbing coins on a bonus level of Super Mario Brothers but his vision and play-making skills are lethal. Even on the McCabe goal, which seemed imminent on the 5 on 3, Prospal made a great play to handle the initial rebound from McCabe's dash to the net, control the puck away from Montoya who was scrambling to cover, spin and make a great feed out to his defenseman for the goal.

Despite my reflex to shout "Potvin Sucks" when anyone at a Ranger game whistles, it's hard to hate on Tavares. The youngster continues to impress with great hands and play-making ability including a nifty feather sauce to one time Blueshirt PA Parenteau who knocked it out of the air past Lundqvist for the Islanders second goal and an extra individual effort on their third. If the Islanders drop Gillies and that potato sack Konopka they could be a decent team with the German rookie Michael Groebner's anticipated maturation.

And that's all I'll ever say about that

The Rangers were able to get scoring and big games from all their lines last night and the chemistry and effort on the attack were both evident. However, the standings don't lie and even though the Islanders have been playing well lately, they still dwell in the cellar of the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have beaten them 4 times this year and each game was dubbed afterwards as a "Springboard" for the Rangers to get their act in gear, and each time they've failed to put a streak together. Coming up they face the Canadians, and if there's ever a team we owe a beating to it's the cocky Montreal Les Habitants.

Let's keep the surge to the playoffs moving forward.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Rangers Caught Staring Up At Those Dazzling California Stars

By Rich Baiocco

The offensive wave of Blueshirt goals swelled up from Ottawa, through Philly and finally spent itself out on the shores of Anaheim with a Brandon Dubinsky tally on a pretty pass from Ryan Callahan. From there the Rangers surrendered 4 unanswered goals to the Ducks and could never seem to dig their skates into frozen Pond and implement their usually bankable road game tenacity. Part of the problem was obviously bad luck, and for anyone following New York's injury report or Shots-On-Goal/Goal ratio this season it is painfully clear that if they didn't have bad luck they'd have no luck at all. 3 opposition goals deflected in off Ranger bodies in front of the net and quickly the Blueshirts found themselves in an insurmountable hole before the first 20 clicked away. Missed wide open nets and shots off the post haunted them in the next 40. Most notable was Dubi's early third period bid where a diving Dan Ellis paddled a puck headed to the back of the net and a 1 goal game with over 15 minutes to play, then the play pushed the other way and Bobby Ryan netted a perfectly executed 2-on-1 pass from Corey Perry to stretch the Ducks lead to 4-1.

But bad luck was not entirely to blame, and nobody in a Red White and Blue jersey was willing to accept the loss as anything other than a lack off the necessary effort it takes to win in this league. A more accurate assessment of the tilt was that the Rangers simply could not contain the talented top line of Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan who played bigger, better and more skilled than any Blueshirt and combined for 8 points. They seemed starstruck by the Anaheim top line to the point of paralysis. The Duck trio controlled the puck in the offensive zone, forced turnovers (of which the Rangers uncharacteristically had many, especially in the defensive zone), and exploited the road team's inability to capitalize offensively by being patient with the puck and absolutely terrorizing the Rangers in their Defensive zone. At one point Ryan Getzlaf skated through the crease and kicked out the Henrik Lundqvist's skates and on a subsequent play Saku Koivu chased down a 50/50 puck behind the net with and elbowed the King in his crown. Neither play yielded much in the way of retaliation from the Rangers, who seemed a step behind and a foot too short against the bigger and faster Ducks.

Gaborik jumped on the board halfway through the third period on a great feed from Prospal (who continues to mount points after returning from injury), salvaging a relatively quiet personal game but he also missed a wide open chance to bring the Rangers within one a few shifts later when he weakly one-timed an off wing chance into the waiting stomach of Ellis. As guys like Callahan and Girardi iterated in post game interviews it was our game to win and our game to lose.

Though it hasn't happened very often, there have been a few occasions this season where the Rangers just get dominated by the talent of an opposition's top line. Tampa Bay did this to us when Stamkos, Lecavalier and St. Louis were able to pick apart all our weaknesses, and at one point when the Avalanche were good and healthy the Duschene line more or less dismantled our game plan. To the Rangers credit though, those losses were few and far between and our ability to compete is our strength.

This road trip is a strange one, and perhaps not optimal for the Rangers who will spend a week in California more or less practicing and relaxing while only playing 2 games. I'm sure everyone wanted to jump right onto the ice after the back-to-back Ottawa/Flyer wins but instead the Blueshirts try to remain focused in the Golden State while Star-laden NHL rosters, palm-tree lined Golf courses and 'In N Out Burger' attempt distraction. A quick look at the the tight playoff race in the East should keep the Rangers on track and though the task in San Jose may be even greater than in Anaheim, the Rangers have been resilient all year to back-to-back losses and by all accounts cannot afford one Saturday night.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Quotes: Roxy Gearheart, on Rangers down the stretch

We have to stay in a mindset that there is no leader. When Gabby is out, the Rangers fell apart (offensively) until someone like Cally stepped it up. And he truly shined (Sunday). They are a very capable team with many good players. They have to play their game and be consistent

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Four Tallies From Cally And The Rout Is On

by RIch Baiocco

During the pre-game bench interview PIerre McGuire asked Coach Tortorella about the Rangers' four unsuccessful tilts against the conference leading Flyers and the teams recent winless homestand at the Garden. The normally curt coach chuckled "Truthfully, we stunk," and his smile broke the ice on a tense afternoon that could've potentially seen the 9th place Buffalo Sabres vault past the inconsistent blueshirts. Instead, the boys embraced the tickle of Torts' honesty, relaxed the grip on their sticks in the offensive zone and burst forth with 7 goals and a league leading 9th shutout for Henrik Lundqvist to remain in the playoff picture.

A few minutes before the game I sent a txt to GH1 saying Dubi was going to have a breakout game, a reference to #17's struggles to make an impact in this string of 1 goal losses the Rangers had recently accrued (Tortorella remarked to the press that he's trying hard, but "overthinking" the game). Today, before anyone in the Garden or the national television audience had time to think, Dubinsky's strength and puck protection below the goal line resulted in a crease pass to Ryan Callahan and a 1-0 Rangers lead before the game was two minutes old.

Before the period was over Cally sniped a puck over Boucher's shoulder on the powerplay, doubling the Rangers lead. It had been a near impossible feat for the Blueshirts: getting a 2 goal lead, but this was now 2 games in a row it happened and Garden fans rejoiced. A huge pad save by Henrik on an odd man rush centering feed kept the lead intact and closed out the first period.

After a controversial kick-in goal by Sean Avery was disallowed (*note the league--do you know how hard it is to redirect an elevated puck into the goal when someone is kicking out your feet? Can we consider a rule change?) to begin the middle stanza, Philly glimpsed some hope yet all was abandoned when Brandon Dubinsky pummeled thorn-in-our-side Flyer captain Mike Richards after a disagreeable hit from the flu-infested Broad Street bruiser. The surge was on as Mats Zuccarello scored his 2nd goal in as many games off a rush. Cally picked off a lazy pass by Stanley Cup Champion Kris Versteeg (you should know better, duda) in front and dusted the top shelf for his first career hat trick.

Zuccarello and Cally (that's 4, if you're counting. Marian who? haha j/k) scored again in the 3rd, as did Artem Anisimov who appears to be blossoming offensively, scoring his 2nd goal in as many games and showing characteristic Russian gallop on each as he separated himself from checkers and rushed in hard on 2 nervous goalies with reason to be. Anisimov is an X factor for the Rangers because despite being only a 2nd year player he has surpassed his rookie output, has tremendous offensive instincts and a sneaky wrist shot that surprises goalies. If he can get hot on the Dubinsky/Cally line other teams won't know what to do with that trio.

So I'm sure the question on everyone's mind when looking at the Rangers this afternoon was "WHO ARE THESE GUYS?" I mean, they even came out wearing their home White jerseys. Well part of the new look had to do with new personnel: Gaborik, who was out indefinitely with post-concussion headaches and Ryan McDonnough day-to-day with a wrenched knee were both in the lineup and played effectively. Gabi came out shooting and was involved in the offensive zone despite not making it onto the scoresheet. He also kept his legs moving and had a few of those roadrunner-type rushes through the neutral zone that kept Philly defenders off-balance. McDonnough was perhaps a little out of sync handling the puck in the offensive zone, but played strong D and kept Flyer forwards out of the crease.

But I think the real answer is in the Ranger's buzzword: "IDENTITY". Torts stresses it all the time as do the Hockey Night Live crowd, but I think they've been off on what the identity of the team actually is. It's Defense-minded, defense-first, sure, but we've defended pretty well all year and haven't been justly rewarded for our efforts. And why should we? The team who puts more pucks in the net wins the game. Our goalie leads the league in shutouts, not wins, and we're in 7th place. You need to score in this league to make the playoffs. But I think the true identity of the New York Rangers is a puck control team. We win games when--first of all--our goalie and defensemen control rebounds, our wingers and centers control the puck on the breakout instead of giving it up with a low percentage pass through the middle or curling back into the zone and getting pinched by a forechecker, our rushing forwards control the puck through the neutral zone. and our forechecking forwards hound the hell out of pucks and rebounds in the offensive zone. Today we did that. We beat Philly to almost every rebound and 50/50 puck. We put multiple shots on net, and when their D panicked and tried to clear the puck blindly, our D held it in and almost instantly threw it back at their net.

I'd love to see a stat on our puck control ice time for today, because when you have the puck that much it makes it so much easier to relax and implement plays. For a stretch a few weeks ago I couldn't remember the last time we had a breakaway or odd man rush, and I definitely couldn't remember the last time we scored on one. We were still winning games here and there, and scoring, but the goals were strictly grinder goals off the forecheck. The last 2 games we've discovered the potential in some open ice and it hasn't cost us our defensive-minded stinginess.

I also thought another factore in the win was Fedotenko being strong in all zones. I think this was his first game where the rust from his mostly injured second half had gone away. The difference is subtle but there's no doubt he anchors the Prust/Boyle line and helps complete their offensive zone cycles by being strong along the wall and behind the net. Boyle answered the bell against ugly-ass enforcer Jody Shelley (who gave a good pop to Matt Gilroy pinching) and though the fight garnered Boyle an instigator (no idea why, they dropped the gloves at the same time) it set an example for a Ranger team that refused to be bullied at home.

Exciting trip out west coming up this week. I think we can surprise Anaheim and San Jose and the fact that we only play twice this week gives some of the teams with games in hand a chance to catch play out.