Monthly Archives: February 2016
Staal in the family: Eric makes Rangers debut at MSG against the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennet/Getty Images.
With the trade deadline looming at 3 PM, there’s no certainty about what the lineups will look like for tonight’s game, but the Rangers will definitely have a new face on the bench. Eric Staal was at morning skate and will make his New York Rangers debut tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Alain Vigneault got a lot of help from Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday, with Hank making 36 saves in a tightly contested victory over the Dallas Stars. Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein all scored goals to help pick up the team’s second straight win, and giving them nine wins in the last 12 games. Read the rest of this entry
BREAKING: Rangers acquire Eric Staal from the Hurricanes
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Welp, the Rangers have done it again.
For the third straight year, the Rangers have made a splash at the trade deadline, acquiring Eric Staal, the face of the franchise and captain of the Carolina Hurricanes. But with Jeff Gorton in charge and not Glen Sather, things were handled a bit differently.
In exchange for Staal, the Rangers sent two second round draft picks and Finnish prospect Aleksi Saarela, a 2015 third round draft pick. On top of that, the Hurricanes agreed to retain 50% of Eric Staal’s salary, giving him a cap hit of just $4,125,000, which they can afford without placing Rick Nash on LTIR. Read the rest of this entry
The Case for trading Keith Yandle
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When the Rangers sent away draft picks and Anthony Duclair to the Arizona Coyotes, they acquired Keith Yandle, one of the most talented offensive defensemen in the entire NHL. The price was high, but he helped the team during their playoff run as well as shouldering heavy minutes while other players were injured.
In the year he’s been here, Yandle has delivered, showing off his elite level skills and driving possession while generating the most amount of offense from the blueline than any other player. Yandle leads the team in assists (31), he’s third on the team in points (35) and first among all defensemen, and he’s tied for second on the team in power play points with 12.
Despite everything that he has shown, and all of the offense he’s provided, Alain Vigneault continues to bury him on the third pairing when all six defensemen are healthy. When Ryan McDonagh was injured and Keith Yandle was on the top pairing, he was regularly getting 22 to 25 minutes of ice-time a night and playing extremely well. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers close out road trip with huge win over Dallas; Lundqvist makes 36 saves
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The road warriors are back in business.
After struggling away from home for much of the season, the Rangers (36-20-6) picked up their fifth road win in the last six games, scoring a late goal to take down the Dallas Stars (38-19-6) and continue their strong play as of late.
The Rangers have climbed up the standings with a 9-2-1 run over their last 12 games, finding ways to win and getting excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist in the process. He made 36 saves, marking the third straight game that he stopped at least 35 shots. After claims that this team was done, lain Vigneault’s squad are not just four points behind the Stars for the second best record in the entire league. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on the Stars with trade connections looming
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a resilient win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, the Rangers (35-20-6) will close out their three game road trip against the number one team in the west, the Dallas Stars (38-18-6) with trade rumors linking the two teams ahead of the Monday trade deadline.
Tanner Glass and Chris Kreider each scored a goal and Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal, making 35 save and picking up his 30th win of the season, making that 10 seasons with at least 30 wins. The Rangers didn’t play all that well, but timely goal scoring and Henrik Lundqvist stole a win away from St. Louis.
The Rangers have now won 11 games in a row following a loss, and they haven’t dropped back-to-back games since December 20th when they lost 7-3 to the Washington Capitals to close out a 3-9-2 stretch. But in the last 11 games, the Rangers are 8-2-1 and as strong as any team lately. Read the rest of this entry
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