Blog Archives
Rangers fall in the shootout to Florida; Zibanejad out 6-8 weeks
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The New York Rangers started the game a little late, but for a great reason. The Rangerstown family honored Sam Rosen pending his well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame on Monday, as they stated that this would be one of those moments that would truly “last a lifetime.”
In their first game back at the Garden after finishing up a road trip, which they went 3-1-0 on, the Blueshirts walked away with a point in their first overtime game of the season. Coming into the game, they were the only NHL team to not play an overtime game yet. In a hard fought matchup, they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Florida Panthers Sunday night in the shootout.
But the real loss came in the overtime period when Mika Zibanejad went down awkwardly into the boards. His foot jammed against the boards and you saw his ankle bend the wrong way. He was helped off of the ice, putting no weight on his leg. Alain Vigneault announced after the game that he broke his fibula and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. He has 15 points (5-10-15) in the team’s 19 games. 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
Rangers win streak ends after loss to Columbus; Grabner scores 11th goal
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The first power play of the game went to the Rangers, and they circulated the puck well but were held to one shot on goal. Against the best power play in the League, the Rangers did a great job after Nash put his team short-handed. The Jackets barely had any chances as they were kept to the outside.
With under five minutes to go in the first period, a bad set of plays put the Rangers behind by a goal. JT Miller gave the puck away right in the middle of the defensive zone to Karlsson who ripped a shot from the blue line. Lundqvist didn’t get the pads together in time on a shot that normally wouldn’t count as a quality scoring chance. The period ended with three shots on goal for each team, proving how limited the opportunities were. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Mailbag: Trading for a defenseman, the Kreider injury, and is this team for real?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
This is the first Mailbag of the 2016-17 season, a series of articles I do where I ask my readers to submit questions and I answer them to the best of my ability.
This series is all about you, so I urge you to ask any questions you have, especially about the Rangers, to help this series become full of content.
Thanks to everyone that participated, and be sure to keep your eyes out for my next edition of the Mailbag article. I’m hoping to do this every two or three weeks.
On to the questions!
Do you feel like the Rangers need to add a solid defenseman in order to make a legit Cup run? – Jason Fristensky
Marc Staal defends against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This is a question that has come up often over the last few years, and especially during this offseason. Almost every year I would answer with a resounding yes. But this year, my answer varies depending on your definition of “solid defenseman.”
Two years ago, we saw the Rangers trade for dynamic offensive defenseman Keith Yandle. He was very effective for them, but ultimately was not a difference maker when it came to trying to win a Cup. Most of that has to do with how Alain Vigneault uses defensemen, and how he tends to lean on his shutdown guys.
I am also impressed with how the defense has played to this point. At first, I was expecting this season to look something like how the Rangers played during last season’s winter months, which was a disaster on the backend. But a full season has had a positive effect on Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, as well as for keeping guys like Ryan McDonagh fresh. Nick Holden has improved over the last few weeks and Brady Skjei has been miles better than anticipated, which certainly helps. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head to Rogers Place for the first time against Edmonton
Bobby Bevilacqua
Following a 4-1 win over Calgary to begin their road trip, the Rangers (11-4-0) will finish off their back-to-back series tonight against the Edmonton Oilers (9-5-1) when they head to the new Rogers Place for the first time.
The Rangers offense was back to normal again despite only managing 28 shots on goal, scoring four against Brian Elliot and the Flames and getting an outstanding performance from Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 35 shots. Michael Grabner, Derek Stepan, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich scored for New York, and 10 players recorded a point.
The Oilers have lost their last two games, one goal defeats against the Penguins and the Stars, but still sit atop the Pacific Division with 19 points. Read the rest of this entry
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