Blog Archives
Rangers open the season with a win over the Islanders; KZB line impresses
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (1-0-0) opened the season at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2007, and they didn’t disappoint, winning a thriller by the score of 5-3 over the rival New York Islanders.
The goals for the Rangers were scored by Michael Grabner, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Brandon Pirri and JT Miller on the empty net. Eleven different Rangers recorded a point, while three players (Kreider, Zibanejad, Buchnevich) each scored two points.
The Rangers outshot the Islanders 39-28, won the faceoff battle 33-31, were 1-5 on the power play and they were 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers open their 90th season at the Garden against the Islanders; Pirri gets the start
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.
After an early exit in the playoffs and a lot of change on the team, the Rangers are finally back in action tonight when they take on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
This marks the first time that the Rangers begin the season at home since 2007, which makes tonight’s game even more exciting.
There’s a chance that the team will have a total of seven players skating for the first time as Rangers, with two players, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich, making their NHL debuts. The fourth line still has not been announced yet, but there’s a good chance it will be a completely different look. Read the rest of this entry
BREAKING: Rangers make final cuts, seemingly set opening night roster
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers have announced what seems to be their final roster cuts this afternoon, trimming the roster down to a total of 24 players; consisting of 14 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies.
Here’s the current roster;
Forwards (14): Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast, Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes, Josh Jooris, Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, JT Miller, Rick Nash, Brandon Pirri, Derek Stepan, Jimmy Vesey, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello Read the rest of this entry
Final battle for roster spots tonight as Rangers battle the Flyers; Jooris back in action
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
This is it; the final preseason game before Alain Vigneault and the Rangers begin their quest for the Stanley Cup on Oct. 13. The roster has been cut down to 29 players (you can read about that HERE) and tonight marks the last opportunity for players to state their case for a roster spot.
Here are the lines for tonight;
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
Jimmy Vesey-Kevin Hayes-Nathan Gerbe
JT Miller-Josh Jooris-Brandon Pirri Read the rest of this entry
Changing the system: Alain Vigneault should roll with four skill lines
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Traditionally, a hockey team is structured with 12 forwards composing four different lines; the top two lines are the scoring lines and full of a team’s stars. The third line is more of a two-way line that can chip in scoring and play some defense. And the fourth line is the checking line, your penalty killers and usually not great at scoring.
Most coaches tend to try and structure their lines in this fashion and it’s how hockey has been played for a very long time. But this year, the Rangers need to try something different.
The group of forwards that the Rangers have brought into camp is the most talented group of players that I have seen since I started following the team closely. Buchnevich, Vesey and Zibanejad are some of the talented, young newcomers brought to New York in the offseason, and all of the offseason additions have injected a plethora of speed, skill and scoring prowess into the lineup. Read the rest of this entry
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