Monthly Archives: December 2015
Rangers take on surging Caps in division battle; Lundqvist calls out teammates’ play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers need this win. Badly.
After weeks of subpar play, poor decision making, defensive lapses and countless turnovers, the Rangers (19-11-4) find themselves trying to stay afloat while dealing with injuries and confidence issues. But they’ll face arguably their toughest team in a while when the Capitals (23-6-2) roll into town.
After an okay start to the season, Washington has been nearly unstoppable lately, winning 11 of their last 13 games following a 5-2 comeback win over Tampa Bay that saw the Caps erase a 3-0 deficit. They’ve jumped out to a commanding lead in the Metropolitan Division, sitting six points ahead of the Rangers with three games in hand.
On the contrary, the Rangers can’t seem to do much of anything right. A brief two game road trip amounted to no points, with back-to-back 5-2 losses to Minnesota and Winnipeg. They have just one win (1-4-1) in the last six games, and only three (3-8-2) in the last 13 games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers road struggles continue in 5-2 loss to Winnipeg
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (19-11-4) have had some problems lately, to say the least, but they can’t blame losing on Stepan’s absence any longer. He returned with a strong game in a 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
Brian Little got things going for the Jets, scoring just about five minutes into the opening period of play. Ryan McDonagh turned the puck over behind the net, and Derick Brassard was nowhere to be found covering his man. Lundqvist, making his second start in as many nights, came far out of the net to challenge Little, but was beat around the left pad.
Little struck again in the first, two minutes after his first goal, to put the Blueshirts in a two-goal hole. The Rangers couldn’t blame the man in net for this one, though. It was poor coverage at the Rangers’ blueline that left Little with a big space to snap the puck just over Lundqvist’s glove hand. Read the rest of this entry
Raanta hurt early, Rangers fall to Wild in first game of road trip
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The same struggles that have been plaguing the Rangers (19-10-4) all season long were present again tonight in their 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild (17-7-6), the team’s ninth loss in the last 12 games.
Defensive breakdowns, minimal offense and sub-par goaltending were on full display tonight. Vigneault continues to fail to correct the mistakes that have been in just about every Rangers game since Thanksgiving.
The Wild had numerous breakaways, odd man rushes and wide open skaters because of missed coverages or poor decision making. Raanta and Lundqvist covered up a few of the mistakes, but they couldn’t stop everything. Read the rest of this entry
Skjei, McDonagh return home as Rangers take on the Minnesota Wild
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’ll be a family affair tonight in Minnesota as the Rangers (19-9-4) begin a two game road trip, and another back-to-back series when they take on the Wild (16-7-6), who are in the midst of an eight game point streak.
The Rangers returned home for a single game on Monday night, and it was exactly what the team needed as they were able to snap their three game skid and come away with a 4-2 win over the Oilers. Dylan McIlrath scored his first career goal and Rick Nash netted the game winner, putting the team back in second place ahead of the Islanders.
This is the first of two meetings between these teams, with the next matchup coming on February 4th at the Garden. The Rangers won both games against Minnesota last season, including a thrilling, come from behind victory on October 27th, scoring five goals in the third period to overcome a 3-0 deficit and two ejections. Derick Brassard had a goal and three assists in those games, and Rick Nash tallied a pair of goals. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report: Stepan and Klein progressing, Skjei to play Thursday
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced today ahead of their two game road trip, beginning tomorrow night against the Minnesota Wild, who sit in third place in the very competitive Central division.
The Rangers are coming off of what was overall a pretty good performance against the Edmonton Oilers, tightening up defensively despite the injuries on the back end. Dylan McIlrath was outstanding, logging 18:38 of ice time and scoring his first career NHL goal.
Brady Skjei made his NHL debut at Madison Square Garden, and showcased some of his really impressive talents and abilities. His skating, probably his best asset, was strong, catching up to guys like Jordan Eberle and Leon Draisaitl, and then pushing them off the puck. And after making a mistake that led to a goal, he bounced back and played well. I highlighted some of his better plays, which you can read HERE. Read the rest of this entry
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