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Rangers rebound with 5-2 win over Toronto; Buchnevich keeps point streak going

Chris Vallely

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

New York Rangers defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. Strong effort from the Blueshirts tonight. Here’s the recap:

The Rangers opened up the scoring: Brady Skjei. Mats Zuccarello won a battle in the corner and set up Skjei in the slot for the goal. Derek Stepan drove the net on the backdoor, which forced Brady’s man, William Nylander, to cover him. Stepan didn’t get on the scoresheet, but his ability to crash the net, created the goal.

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Lundqvist and Co. look to get on track and snap losing streak tonight against Toronto

Bobby Bevilacqua

derek-stepan-board-battle-1-13

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Rangers (28-16-1) hit a low point during their loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, not showing up for the first 40 minutes, playing horrible defense and not getting great goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. They’ll need to turn it around quickly when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (21-13-8) on the road tonight.

The Rangers’ last game was the epitome of what the team is this season – a high-octane offensive powerhouse with a porous defense, a struggling star goalie and a coach unwilling to make changes and adjustments. The offense essentially tries to outscore the defense every game and it doesn’t work. Vigneault continues to give big minutes to Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein despite their consistent inability to handle that work, and adjustments to the pairings, personnel or defensive schemes remain the same. And therein lies the problem.

On the other hand, the Maple Leafs are enjoying a successful second season under Mike Babcock, integrating all of their young talent and sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, tied with the Ottawa Senators in points and one point ahead of the Florida Panthers despite playing five fewer games than them. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers look to rebound on the road against the Canadiens

Bobby Bevilacqua

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Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

 

 

Following a loss in their first game out of the bye-week, the Rangers (28-14-1) are on the road to close out their back-to-back series when they take on the Montreal Canadiens (26-11-6) for the first time this season.

The Rangers were sloppy in the 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs last night, with some poor defensive coverage and decisions as well as some shaky goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. Chris Kreider and JT Miller scored to make it closer, but Toronto had control of the game from the early stages.

The Canadiens were dominated in their last game, a 7-1 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Wild. Carey Price allowed all seven goals and it continued a trend of the team getting scored on a lot lately. Montreal has allowed four goals against in each of the last three games, and they’ve surrendered 21 goals in the last five games. However, their nine point lead atop the Atlantic Division makes things a bit more comfortable for them. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers lose 4-2 to Toronto; Kreider and Miller score

Chris Vallely

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Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

After the New York Rangers league mandated bye week, their first game back didn’t go as planned. Toronto defeated New York 4-2.

Toronto came out ready to play. Rookie William Nylander opened up the scoring less than five minutes into the game. The Rangers were unable to get the puck out of their zone, and were scrambling, which caused Nylander to slide the puck in between Henrik Lundqvist’s legs.  Both teams went back and forth after that, traded scoring chances, but neither were able to capitalize. As usual, Lundqvist made some tough saves following some defensive breakdowns. Late in the first period, Brandon Pirri took a penalty on a Rangers PP, after he was forced to backcheck. In order to deny a 2 on 1 shorthanded chance for Toronto, Pirri hooked the opposing player. The Maple Leafs would then score on the PP to take a 2-0 lead. Mitch Marner made a great cross-crease pass, and James Van Riemsdyk was able to put it five hole on Lundqvist. The young, Toronto team went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers back in action against Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs; Nash and Buchnevich to play

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-vs-maple-leafs

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

 

Following the league mandated bye-week, the Rangers (28-13-1) return to action when they take on rookie sensation Auston Matthews and the surprisingly solid Toronto Maple Leafs (18-13-8) at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight’s game will be a special one, as the Rangers have asked fans to wear blue for tonight’s game and get in their seats early for a ceremony honoring Det. Steven McDonald, the former NYPD detective who passed away on Jan. 10. The Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award is named after him and given to the player, voted for by the fans, who goes above and beyond the call of duty. He was a special part of the Rangers’ community and the ceremony tonight should be fantastic.

This is the first of three meetings between the Rangers and Maple Leafs, and the only one at MSG. The Rangers swept the season series last year, scoring three or more goals in all three games, and outscored Toronto 11-6. The Rangers have won each of the last four games in this series, and have earned at least a point in 11 of the last 14 games against the Maple Leafs dating back to Jan. 14, 2012 (10-3-1). Read the rest of this entry