Category Archives: Game Previews
Rangers look to rebound against the Hurricanes; Grabner and Miller questionable
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a disappointing effort against the Senators in which the Rangers (15-7-1) could not get anything going offensively, Alain Vigneault and his squad will look to pick up a much needed rebound win over the Carolina Hurricanes (9-8-4) tonight at MSG.
The Rangers are coming off of a shutout loss, while the Hurricanes are coming off of a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. It’s been a long rebuild process for the Canes, but every year it seems that they’re becoming more and more competitive. They scored three unanswered goals and got 31 saves from Michael Leighton for his first NHL win since 2010.
The Rangers are showing signs of regressing to their 2015-16 form, with defensive issues, little possession and scoring chances and too much reliance on the goaltender. They’ve won just two of their last six games and are dealing with injuries and some other issues. Given that it’s only 23 games into the season, there’s still time to get out of this funk and a win tonight would be big. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers back on home ice as they battle the Senators; Brassard comes back to MSG
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (15-6-1) were lucky to escape Philly with a win, but they’ll look to start another win streak tonight when they take on the Ottawa Senators (13-7-1) to kick off a brief two game home stand.
The Rangers were badly outshot, 42-23, in their win over the Flyers, and were able to secure a win thanks to an exceptional goaltending performance from Henrik Lundqvist. Goals from Derek Stepan, Matt Puempel and Kevin Hayes were enough for Hank to steal a victory.
The Senators also won their last game, giving them three straight wins to put them in second place in their division. Dion Phaneuf and Kyle Turris both found the back of the net and Craig Anderson made 30 saves to pick up a win over Carolina. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head to Philly for Black Friday showdown against the Flyers
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Before starting the preview, I hope all of my readers had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday. I’m thankful for every single one of you that reads my articles, leaves comments, and supports me and my website. Thank you so much!
Following an ugly loss at the hands of the Penguins on Wednesday, the Rangers (14-6-1) head to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers (9-9-3) at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time this season.
New York was shelled in their last game, a 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh that saw the Rangers get outshot 38-17, with Rick Nash scoring the only goal. The Flyers are also coming off of a loss, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road. Today begins a three game home stand for Philadelphia, as well as a stretch of seven of their next nine games at home. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers begin home-and-home series with Pittsburgh; Hayes an important piece moving forward
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (13-5-1) fell in the shootout to the Panthers last night and lost Mika Zibanejad for the next 6-8 weeks, but the turnaround is quick as they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins (11-4-3) on the road.
Goals from Kreider and Zibanejad weren’t enough as the Rangers mustered a lot of scoring chances, but only two goals on James Reimer. It was the second loss in a row for New York, marking the first time this season that they have lost consecutive games.
The Penguins will be playing their fourth game in six nights, and coming off of a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves and allowed just one goal, while Sidney Crosby scored the lone goal for the Pens. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers return home to take on the Panthers; Jooris could return tonight
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets to conclude their four game road trip, the Rangers (13-5-0) are back at MSG to take on the Florida Panthers (9-8-1), last season’s Atlantic Division champions.
The Rangers got goals from Mika Zibanejad and Michael Grabner but that wasn’t enough as the Blue Jackets scored late and secured a win. That was just the Rangers’ second loss in their last 10 games, and they still sit atop the Metropolitan Division Standings.
The Panthers have had a bit of a rough start to the season, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for fifth in their division. There’s been some injuries, underperforming and integrating new players into the roster, which takes some time. But at the center of the team is the same group of young talent that won the Atlantic last season. Read the rest of this entry