Category Archives: Game Previews
Rangers need a big rebound win at home against the Hurricanes
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
“When you lose one, let alone two, you push the urgency button. Three is not acceptable for a team of our caliber.”
Those were the words that Rick Nash told reporters following the Rangers (16-6-2) following their shutout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden this Saturday, recording just 24 shots on goal, including 14 over the last 40 minutes. They’ll look to avoid a four game losing streak when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes (8-11-4) at the Garden tonight.
The Rangers are closing out the month of November, looking to end it on a high note. It’s been a successful month, with the team posting a 9-4 record, but they have lost three straight games in regulation, two of those coming on home ice. In those games, they’ve been outscored 12-4, with seven of those goals coming in the third period, a big surprise based on the team’s play in the third period all season long. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on Flyers in first game without Derek Stepan
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After two disappointing losses, the Rangers (16-5-2) were handed another tough pill to swallow, losing center Derek Stepan for an indefinite amount of time after he broke some ribs following a late hit from Bruins winger Matt Beleskey.
That means that Vigneault will have to adjust his squad accordingly as they prepare to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (8-10-5) for the second of five matchups between the longtime rivals, and the first of two games at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers did have their nine game home win streak snapped against the Canadiens on Wednesday, but they still have been superb at MSG, posting a 10-3-1 record. They have not lost three consecutive games in regulation since very early last season, a stretch from October 11 to the 14, so they’ll aim to end their mini slide today. Read the rest of this entry
Matinee matchup for the Rangers against streaking Boston Bruins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
With the turkey and stuffing consumed and Thanksgiving over, it’s time for Rangers hockey again.
Following the worst performance of the season, the Rangers (16-4-2) will look to rebound and get back to their winning ways this afternoon against the Boston Bruins (12-8-1), winners of four of their last five games.
Although the Rangers have won 11 of their last 13 games, they’ve lost twice in the past seven days, including barely scarping by for wins against the Panthers and Predators, two games where they did not play all that well. They still are sitting in first in the Metropolitan, but the Capitals (15-5-1, 31 PTS) are not far behind. Read the rest of this entry
Beasts of the East face off as the Rangers take on the Montreal Canadiens
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After taking down a strong but struggling Nashville Predator’s squad on Monday, the Rangers (16-3-2) take on the Atlantic Division leading Montreal Canadiens (16-4-2), a battle of two teams tied for the league lead in points.
Montreal and Boston has always been a heated rivalry, but the disdain between the Canadiens and Rangers is starting to grow. Following the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, where Carey Price got injured and the Rangers won in six games to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years, these teams have played some close games with hard hitting, fights and a lot of fun action.
This is the second of three games between these two Original Six teams, and the first at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were shutout 3-0 at the Bell Centre, and Henrik Lundqvist’s 29 saves were not good enough to fend off a ferocious Canadiens attack. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist challenges Rangers to be better against Nashville at MSG
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite the Rangers (15-3-2) overtime victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday, and a 39 save performance, Henrik Lundqvist was not a happy camper.
In a game that the Rangers led 4-2 with under three minutes remaining, Alain Vigneault’s team squandered the two goal lead, allowing a power play goal, a tying goal from Jaromir Jagr, and then forcing Lundqvist to make a save on Reilly Smith’s penalty shot. It was a disastrous late meltdown that nearly saw the team throw away a second consecutive game.
“I’m still annoyed,” Lundqvist told the team’s official website. “We have to learn our lesson here, especially after last game. We’ve been talking about all the ways we find to win a game, then we found a way to lose a game (Thursday) and almost did it again (Saturday). We need to learn from this and smarten up.” Read the rest of this entry
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