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Lundqvist Shutout Propels Rangers over Penguins
Ezra Kwestel

Kevin Hayes celebrates his goal with Daniel Paille (Photo via NY Rangers)
Tonight, the New York Rangers (31-18-5) defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins (27-19-7) by a score of 3-0. Let’s start off with the positives: The Rangers have now won four in a row and are 4-1 since the All-Star break and 7-3 in their last 10 games. Many people noted that tonight’s game was going to be a litmus test for the Rangers, going up against a Penguins team that has been clicking on all cylinders lately. It was also the Rangers first game against a team in playoff position since their tilt on January 17 at Washington. Although the Rangers went into Pittsburgh and shut out Crosby and Co. we can’t categorize tonight’s game as “signature win.” With that being said, there is still plenty of merit in winning a road game without Ryan McDonagh and Rick Nash. It should also be noted that the Penguins played tonight’s game without All-Star forward Evgeni Malkin. Read the rest of this entry
The Impact of the Next Three Weeks on the Rangers’ future
Ezra Kwestel

Photo via Getty Images
Being that this is my first post as a writer for The Ranger Zone, I want to take a moment to introduce myself. I am a junior in college and have been a Rangers fan since the day I was born. I began writing as a member of NYRFullTilt last March and joined the team at TRZ this past Thursday. I welcome the opportunity and look forward to interacting with you all on twitter. My twitter handle is @ekwestel. Questions, comments etc. are always welcome, so feel free. Now to the actual article…
We sit just under three weeks until the NHL Trade Deadline (Feb. 29). This is the time when teams identify themselves as buyers or sellers. With the new scheduling format instituted two seasons ago, more teams find themselves within arms reach of the playoffs, with less inter-conference games being played. This day has had major significance for the New York Rangers throughout their history, but even more so the past three seasons. To recap:
April 3, 2013: Rangers trade Marian Gaborik to Columbus in exchange for Derek Dorsett, Derrick Brassard, John Moore and a 6th round pick Read the rest of this entry
McDonagh hurt as Rangers mount late comeback to take down the Flyers
Alexandra Russo

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
With 30 games left in the regular season, the playoff race is getting tight, and the Rangers (29-18-5) know how important these remaining games are. Rick Nash was still out of the lineup with a bone bruise, but Kevin Klein returned after missing the previous game with a fractured thumb. After a wild back-and-forth contest, the Rangers came away with a 3-2 shootout win on the road.
The rivalry was felt in the early stages of the game as both teams traded chances. Stepan had a takeaway at the blueline, but his pass was stolen, and the Flyers came down the ice. Mark Streit skated in on Lundqvist, but he shot it wide. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for important rebound game without Klein and Nash
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Just about everything that could have went wrong, went wrong for the Rangers (27-18-5) on Tuesday night. They lost an important interdivision battle against the Devils, lost Kevin Klein indefinitely to a fractured thumb, and are just two points away from being out of the playoffs entirely.
After that, it was announced that Rick Nash’s bone bruise hasn’t really healed, and he’ll miss tonight’s game as well. In the wake of the injuries to Klein and the continued absence of Nash, the team decided to call up Jayson Megna again as opposed to a defenseman. That tells me two things;
- They have faith in Dylan McIlrath to play in Klein’s role, and they should
- Nash’s injury is probably more serious than initially thought, or AV wants to shake up the lineup to try and slap some sense into this team.
Rangers Update: Klein suffers fractured thumb, Nash still sidelined; How this effects the Rangers defense
Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers suffered another serious blow to their team, as it was announced that Kevin Klein had suffered a fractured thumb and will be sidelined indefinitely.
Now Klein has not had the same offensive success as he had last season, but he’s really helped solidify the top pairing when playing with Ryan McDonagh. For the most part, he’s played consistently solid defense with solid possession numbers, and along with Keith Yandle, Klein has been one of the best defenseman this year. And now he’s gone.
This is bad. I don’t know if you realize how much of an effect this will have, but it’s bad. On one hand, it’s wonderful that Dylan McIlrath will be an everyday player. He totally deserves it and he will do well. But it’s terrible that it comes at the expense of Klein. Read the rest of this entry