Blog Archives

Rangers look to extend win streak against Chicago with new lines in place

Bobby Bevilacqua

kevin hayes hi five line 2-22

The Rangers will turn to Kevin Hayes on the second line to pick up the scoring slack in the absence of Martin St. Louis as the team goes for its sixth straight win. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

After two days off, the Rangers (44-17-7) are hoping to extend their win streak to six games when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks (42-21-6) for the second time in less than two weeks, with both teams playing quite well as of late.

New York and Chicago last faced off on December 8th in a game that went into overtime scoreless. Derick Brassard scored the game winner on a short-side slap shot, which also happened to be the last goal that he scored. Cam Talbot stopped 29 shots for the shutout.

Chicago did play last night, handing the Islanders their fourth straight loss and coming away with a 4-1 victory. Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa each scored twice, and Corey Crawford stopped 38 shots. Read the rest of this entry

Brassard gives Rangers the overtime win in Chicago; Talbot picks up the shutout

Bobby Bevilacqua

derick brassard goal celebration 3-8

Derick Brassard celebrates his first goal in 15 games, and the game winning goal for the Rangers over Chicago. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images.

After a scoreless 60 minutes of hockey, all it took was one Derick Brassard slap shot just 32 seconds into overtime to send the Rangers home with a big two points, bringing them to within just one point of the Islanders in the division with three games in hand.

The defensive effort from the Blueshirts was absolutely incredible, doing a really fantastic job of stopping some of the higher quality opportunities from Chicago. When there were a few lapses, Cam Talbot was there again, having his third consecutive extremely strong start.

Talbot would finish the night with 29 saves, earning his 14th win of the season, as well as his fifth shutout of the season. It was the first Chicago shutout for the Rangers since January 25, 1969. The Rangers also lead the NHL with 10 shutouts, just the eighth time in franchise history that they have reached that mark. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers look for rebound win in the Windy City; Nash looking to get going again

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers bench hi five 2-26

The Rangers are looking to continue their success on the road and against the Western Conference tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (39-17-7) continue their road trip tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks (39-21-5), the only remaining team that the Rangers have not played yet. The Rangers had two days off at home before practicing Saturday afternoon and heading out to Chicago for the second game of their five game road trip.

Alain Vigneault stressed rest and recovery, especially with tonight’s showdown beginning a series of three games in four days. After tonight, the Rangers will head to Nassau for the final regular season matchup against the Islanders before going down to Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals.

New York has fared well away from the Garden, with a solid record of 18-10-2 on the road. The Blueshirts also have a seven game point streak (5-0-2) against Western Conference teams, their best since the 1996-97 season. They are also 5-1-1 in their last seven games on the road. Read the rest of this entry