Blog Archives
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
Rangers succumb to epic meltdown in 7-3 loss to the Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This better be rock bottom, because I can’t imagine things getting much worse.
The Rangers (19-12-4) embarrassed themselves in one of the most disheartening losses of the year, surrendering six consecutive goals and blowing a lead to the Metropolitan Division leading Washington Capitals (24-6-2) in a 7-3 loss.
It’s become a tired narrative. The defense is bad from the forwards and defensemen, the team is blowing leads, the goaltending isn’t as good, and they keep finding ways to lose. It’s been happening for the last 14 games.
I don’t know how to explain it. They’ll have leads and score goals, play well for stretches, and then fall apart. The team is fragile, mentally and on the ice, and it seems like nobody has the answer as to why it’s happening. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on surging Caps in division battle; Lundqvist calls out teammates’ play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers need this win. Badly.
After weeks of subpar play, poor decision making, defensive lapses and countless turnovers, the Rangers (19-11-4) find themselves trying to stay afloat while dealing with injuries and confidence issues. But they’ll face arguably their toughest team in a while when the Capitals (23-6-2) roll into town.
After an okay start to the season, Washington has been nearly unstoppable lately, winning 11 of their last 13 games following a 5-2 comeback win over Tampa Bay that saw the Caps erase a 3-0 deficit. They’ve jumped out to a commanding lead in the Metropolitan Division, sitting six points ahead of the Rangers with three games in hand.
On the contrary, the Rangers can’t seem to do much of anything right. A brief two game road trip amounted to no points, with back-to-back 5-2 losses to Minnesota and Winnipeg. They have just one win (1-4-1) in the last six games, and only three (3-8-2) in the last 13 games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers road struggles continue in 5-2 loss to Winnipeg
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (19-11-4) have had some problems lately, to say the least, but they can’t blame losing on Stepan’s absence any longer. He returned with a strong game in a 5-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night.
Brian Little got things going for the Jets, scoring just about five minutes into the opening period of play. Ryan McDonagh turned the puck over behind the net, and Derick Brassard was nowhere to be found covering his man. Lundqvist, making his second start in as many nights, came far out of the net to challenge Little, but was beat around the left pad.
Little struck again in the first, two minutes after his first goal, to put the Blueshirts in a two-goal hole. The Rangers couldn’t blame the man in net for this one, though. It was poor coverage at the Rangers’ blueline that left Little with a big space to snap the puck just over Lundqvist’s glove hand. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 