Category Archives: Game Recaps

Rangers pick up win number 50 over Devils; Lundqvist triumphant in return to MSG

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers goal celebration 4-4

The Rangers exploded for six goals on Saturday, dominating the rival New Jersey Devils thanks to a stellar performance from Henrik Lundqvist and the rest of the team. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

In Henrik Lundqvist’s first start at MSG in over two months, the Rangers (50-21-7) exploded for six goals, burying their rivals, the New Jersey Devils (32-34-13), by a final score of 6-1, playing a very solid game for their third straight win.

With the win, New York reached the 50 win mark for just the fourth time in franchise history, putting them at 107 points for the season. That ties them with the Anaheim Ducks for the best record in the league, and brings them closer to further home ice advantage in the playoffs. Three points would clinch the Eastern Conference title for the Rangers, and two wins would clinch the President’s Trophy for the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers clinch the Metro with win in Minnesota; Henrik sharp yet again

Bobby Bevilacqua

JT Miller and McDonagh goal celebration 4-2

JT Miller and Ryan McDonagh celebrate after connecting on the game winning goal early in the third period. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Just a week after clinching a playoff spot, the Rangers (49-21-7) clinched the Metropolitan Division title, and home ice through the first two rounds, with a 3-2 win over the red hot Minnesota Wild. It’s just the eighth time in franchise history that the Rangers have won the Metropolitan Division, and the second time in the last four years.

The Blueshirts continue to be road warriors this season, their 26th road win of the season, which sets a new franchise record. The previous record was set last season, with 25 wins.

The win also puts New York at 105 points on the season with five games remaining. Montreal and Tampa Bay are both three points behind, and the Rangers have games in hand on both teams. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers get back in the win column over Winnipeg; Henrik Lundqvist very sharp

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers goal celebration 3-31

The Rangers were happy to get back in the win column on Tuesday, coming away with a nice two point performance over the Winnipeg Jets. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Rangers (48-21-7) followed up a rough weekend with a great comeback win tonight against the Winnipeg Jets (39-26-12), a team that is desperate to cling onto their last Wild Card spot. In an extremely hard fought battle against the Winnipeg Jets (39-26-12), coming out on top by a final score of 3-2 thanks to a late goal by Chris Kreider.

The win was the 25th road victory for the Rangers this season, a mark that currently leads the NHL, and ties a franchise record that was set last season. They now sit in the first overall spot in the New York is also just two points from clinching home-ice advantage in the first round.

This wasn’t the best game played by the Rangers, as it seemed like Winnepeg had the puck in the Rangers zone more often, and had more attempts and chances. The Jets had 73 shot attempts in the game. 34 of the shots were on net, 24 of them were blocked, and 15 missed the net. But the Rangers weathered the storm, battling through the tough moments and finding ways to come out on top. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers drop second straight against Capitals; Hayes and Brassard both score

Bobby Bevilacqua

chris summers debut 3-29

The Rangers fell short yet again, losing a handle of things in the third period due to turnovers and sloppy play. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

For the first time since January 29th, the Rangers (47-21-7) dropped their second straight game in regulation, losing by a final score of 5-2 to the Washington Capitals (41-25-10), giving the Rangers losses in three of their last four games.

The day started out with some surprising news, learning that Matt Hunwick was a late scratch due to an upper body injury sustained in yesterday’s game against the Bruins. As a result, Chris Summers was an emergency call up, and played in his first game as a Ranger. Summers was acquired in the trade that sent Keith Yandle to the Rangers.

Despite the score, the Rangers played better than it indicates, at least for the first half of the game, consistently out-chancing the Capitals, but they were undone by a few bad mistakes and sloppy play in their own end. The Capitals capitalized on the few quality chances that they had, and made the Rangers pay. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers disappointing in Boston in Henrik Lundqvist’s return

Bobby Bevilacqua

Rangers vs Bruins 3-28

The Rangers were unable to come away with a win in Henrik Lundqvist’s return, plagued from the start due to turnovers and poor play. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Rangers (47-20-7) were not sharp today, dropping their last game of the season against the Boston Bruins (37-25-13) by a final score of 4-2, with a downright embarrassing effort in front of Henrik Lundqvist at times, who was making his first start in 25 games since a vascular injury.

Boston is fighting for their playoff lives, and played like it, playing hard from the start, and really controlling play for the first 35 minutes of the game. They threw pucks at Lundqvist, got a bit of luck and some help from the Rangers defense.

Henrik Lundqvist did not have the return he was hoping four, although he was practically left out to dry from the start. Lundqvist allowed four goals on 30 shots, although one was very controversial. Another two were off of turnovers, and another slipped through his legs. He looked a bit uncomfortable in the first period, leaving rebounds and struggling a bit, but settled in nicely after that. Read the rest of this entry