Blog Archives
Rangers return from break to take on the Predators; Klein and Girardi expected to play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a long holiday break, given a chance to recuperate and take a mental break, the Rangers (20-12-4) head down to Music City to take on the Nashville Predators (17-12-6), the first game in a three game road trip.
This is the second and final matchup between these two teams this season, with the Rangers coming away with a 3-0 win back on November 23rd at MSG. The Rangers played badly, outshot 31-19, but goals from Rick Nash, Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes secured a win for the home team.
December has been the month that Alain Vigneault and the Rangers seem to figure things out. Two years ago they were playing .500 hockey until a little before Christmas time. Last season, the Rangers started an eight game win streak with an overtime win over the Penguins on December 8th. But this season? They have just a 3-6-2 record this month as of today. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Rumor Mill: Gorton is “looking to shake things up”
Photo courtesy of the New York Rangers.
Bobby Bevilacqua
Craig Custance, an NHL reporter for ESPN, spoke to some of the general managers around the league, and it appears that Rangers GM Jeff Gorton has been making some calls. Because the general consensus around the league is that Gorton “is looking to do something to shake things up” after a lackluster start to the season.
The Rangers have won just four of their last 15 games, seeing their big lead in the Metropolitan Division fall apart. The defensive structure has collapsed and become disorganized, there has been inconsistent production from the top six.
As a result, it seems like Gorton wants to make a few tweaks, and he’s looking at the trade market to help make some adjustments. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head into the holidays with an OT win against the Ducks
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers and their fans got a Christmas present a couple of days early.
With both teams desperately searching for a win, it was the Rangers (20-12-4) who came out on top, taking down the 30th place Anaheim Ducks (12-15-6) by a score of 3-2 in the final game before the holiday break. It was a win the Rangers really needed, giving them a bit of a confidence booster as they get ready to unwind over the next five days.
I’m not going to be overly critical, but it wasn’t the most prolific offensive performance from Vigneault’s squad. They clearly focused on defense first, and that worked for the most part. The Ducks had very few good scoring chances and they only managed 19 shots on goal. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to finish first half strong against Ducks: Hagelin returns to MSG
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Tonight at MSG, the Rangers (19-12-4) will take on the struggling Anaheim Ducks (12-15-5) in the last game before a six day Christmas holiday break. It may look like a meaningless mid-December game, but Alain Vigneault will be looking for a way to snap his team out of their funk and try and right the ship before the break.
This is the first of two games between the Rangers and Ducks this season, and the only one at MSG. The Rangers owned the season series last year, winning both games by a combined score of 11-3, including a 7-2 win at the Garden.
Winning has not come easy for the Rangers lately. Their 7-3 loss on Sunday, surrendering six straight goals to the Washington Capitals, saw them hit a new low. In their last 14 games, they’ve won just three times, collecting a total of eight points in the standings out of a possible 28. Read the rest of this entry
Thoughts and Observations following Rangers loss to the Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
1) We’ve reached new levels of embarrassment. The first period was absolutely stellar. The Rangers outplayed the Caps by a wide margin, didn’t let Ovechkin do anything, and scored three goals. It looked like they had their game back. How on earth do you go from that to the absolute debacle of the third period? They gave up four goals, and two on the power play. The same exact problems, such as blown coverages, turnovers (less relevant in this game) and bad decision making led to an epic collapse and one of the worst losses of the year. I don’t want to feel like that again as a fan. I hope the players feel the same way.
2) Kevin Hayes hasn’t scored in 14 games. There are a number of forwards that have been struggling, but Hayes is honestly invisible. I forget he’s playing at times, which is crazy when thinking about how well he played last season. He must have the same mentality issues that Kreider has, because he looks absolutely lost.
3) Speaking of Kreider, thank goodness he scored yesterday. It was a pretty sweet goal as well. He needs to get going and start playing consistent. He had a strong game yesterday and needs to continue this consistently. No more long stretches with no contribution. Read the rest of this entry
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