Blog Archives

Rangers look for bounce-back game in Toronto; Raanta expected to start

Bobby Bevilacqua

Rangers vs Maple Leafs

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

After watching two points go out the window last night, the Rangers (32-19-6) will look to rebound on the road tonight as they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs (20-26-9) at the Air Canada Centre.

The Rangers scored three straight goals, including two on the power play, to take a lead early in the third period. But their weak penalty kill let them down, surrendering two goals and giving up the lead with three minutes remaining in the third, ultimately losing the game 5-3. It snapped a 10 game point streak (8-0-2) on home ice and it was their first regulation loss at MSG since December 20th.

Tonight is the third and final game between the Rangers and Maple Leafs this season, and New York will be looking for a sweep of the season series. On October 30th, Mats Zuccarello recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 3-1 win at the Garden, and Zuccs led the Rangers to another home win on November 30th with a goal and a pair of assists. Read the rest of this entry

McDonagh back as the Rangers take on Chicago; Boyle and Staal still questionable

Bobby Bevilacqua

Rangers vs Blackhawks 10-7

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Following a physical and exciting game against the Flyers, the Rangers (32-18-6) will face a huge test tonight when they close out their three game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks (37-18-5), one of the best teams in the NHL.

In the last game for the Rangers, the fists were flying early on as the Rangers looked to stand up for their downed captain. After that, Derick Brassard tied his career high of 19 goals, and Derek Stepan found the back of the net twice, including scoring his 100th career NHL goal. Henrik Lundqvist was superb when he had to be, and came within 10 seconds of a shutout.

The Rangers have played some pretty good teams in the past few weeks, but this is the first time they’ll be going up against one of the league’s elite teams since they played the Capitals on January 17th. After a slow start, Chicago has surged into second place in the Central Division, and third in the NHL with 79 points. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers lose barnburner in OT to the Kings

John Dundon

rangers vs kings faceoff 2-12

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

Tickets were worth the price of admission in what turned out to be a 5-4 loss to Anze Kopitar and the LA Kings.

A duel between backup goalies, both whom have not played in NHL action for an extended period of time, made for a high scoring affair in which Peter Budaj made one more save than Antti Raanta in OT.

The Rangers went down two goals early but battled back only to lose the lead late in the third. They would then lose the second point on a goal scorers goal from Tanner Pearson in the 3 on 3 overtime. This one was a high-paced affair that got off to a fast start when Anze Kopitar scored his first of three goals after Marc Staal arrived late for the 7:08 puck drop and had a really bad first shift. After Staal wasted an opportunity to exit the defensive zone with ease, he stood like a statue in front of Kopitar, who had all the time in the world to pick a corner and put the Kings up in the first minute of the contest. Read the rest of this entry

Raanta starts in net for the first time in a month as the Ranger battle the Kings

Bobby Bevilacqua

Rangers vs Kings 3-24

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (31-18-5) are finally back on their feet and playing consistently, and they kick off a three game home stand tonight against the Los Angeles Kings (32-18-3).

Wednesday night’s game against the Penguins marked the fourth straight win for the Rangers, their longest win streak since they won nine games in a row back in October and November. Playing without Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh has forced them to face the adversity and rise to the challenge, which they’ve done admirably.

This is the first of two matchups between these two teams and the only one that will take place at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers will travel to Los Angeles on March 16th for a game at the Staples Center. Last season, the teams split the season series, with the road team coming away with a 4-2 win both times. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers need rebound win in matchup against Buffalo; Lunqvist and AV infuriated

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers vs sabres 3-14

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Let’s face it, the Rangers (26-16-5) stunk last night.

After two very strong and promising performances by the team against Vancouver and the Hurricanes, Vigneault’s squad came out almost entirely flat, barely pressuring Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson and showing a lack of effort. It’s not often that you can criticize the Rangers’ effort, but it wasn’t there last night.

That led Henrik Lundqvist to question his team’s preparation in his postgame interview when questioned about the topic. Read the rest of this entry