Blog Archives
Rangers comeback bid falls short in 6-4 loss to the Islanders
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers battled hard after showing up late to the 5:08 puck drop, but the bad start ultimately cost them two huge points.
It wasn’t just a typical bad start; this was downright awful. The worst of the season by far. You can take your pick from the excuses being thrown around, but there is no explanation for the lack of effort and headiness the Rangers started this game with. Alain Vigneault said after the game “credit them, they came out hard.” Yeah right, coach.
The Rangers start in that spot, against a division rival, with home ice advantage on the line, was inexcusable. Read the rest of this entry
Raanta remains in net as the Rangers take on the Islanders; Marc Staal OUT
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After bouncing back with a huge win over the Capitals, the Rangers (38-21-6) close out a tough three-game stretch against division rivals when they take on the New York Islanders (35-20-7), returning to MSG for one game before another short road trip.
Although the Rangers hold a five game lead over the Islanders, the Isles have three games in hand, making this a true battle for second place in the Metro. Both teams are coming into this game playing well, and both teams will be playing hard to get the two points.
This is the third out of four games between the Rangers and Islanders, and the first game at MSG this season. The last five encounters have all been played at the Islanders’ home; three at the Nassau Coliseum and two this year at the Barclays Center. The Rangers are 0-1-1 this year against the Isles, losing 2-1 in a shootout in December and 3-1 on January 14th. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers suffer late collapse in defeat to Islanders, slip to third in the Metropolitan
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of the Getty Images.
On November 23rd, the Rangers (23-15-5) were up in the standings by seven points. After tonight’s loss to the rival Islanders (24-15-5), they trail the Capitals by 18 points. That’s a 25 point swing in less than two months.
The Rangers are no longer in first place, they sit in third in the Metropolitan. The Rangers are no longer a lock for the playoffs, because they’re just four points away from being kicked out of a wild card spot.
What’s worse? They totally deserved to win tonight. They Dominated, with a capital D, for the first two periods, and Jaroslav Halak stole the show. Three bad minutes in the third period undid everything they did in the rest of the game and handed the Rangers their 15th loss in the last 22 games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for consecutive wins when they take on the Islanders; Girardi a game time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The last time the Rangers (23-14-5) won two games in a row, the Rangers had won their 16th game of the season in just 21 games, sitting atop the Metropolitan Division and amongst the league leaders in points.
Flash forward almost two months, and the story is completely different. While they have been playing better lately, with a 4-2-1 record in the last seven games against some tough competition, they’re just 7-11-3 in the last 21 games.
So tonight’s matchup against the Islanders (23-15-5) presents an opportunity to not only gain ground in the division, since both teams are tied with 51 points, but also for the Rangers to get their first win streak going in over seven weeks. Read the rest of this entry
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