Blog Archives
Rangers look to continue strong play and rebound against Colorado
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite their strongest performance in at least a month, the Rangers (17-6-3) came up on the short end of the stick against the Islanders, and they’ll look to get back on track with a win over the Colorado Avalanche (10-14-1), sitting in last place in the Central Division.
The Rangers will be playing the second game of yet another back-to-back series, losing in the shootout in their first game at the Barclays Center. The Avalanche won their last game on Tuesday, coming away with a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season, and the only one at Madison Square Garden. New York came away with a 2-1 win in a goalie battle, as Henrik Lundqvist turned aside 29 shots while Avalanche goalie Reto Berra allowed just two goals on 35 shots. Derek Stepan and Oscar Lindberg scored for the Rangers, Ryan McDonagh had two assists, and Nathan McKinnon scored for the Avs. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers perform well in shootout loss to the Islanders; Lundqvist makes 36 saves
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
In the first ever rivalry matchup between the Rangers (17-6-3) and the Islanders (14-8-4), it was the home team from Brooklyn coming away with the victory, winning 2-1 in a shootout.
The game lived up to the hype, jam packed with excitement, action, scoring chances, great goaltending and aggressive, but clean, play from both teams.
Jaroslav Halak continued his history of strong performances against the Rangers, making a total of 33 saves, including three in the shootout, to pick up his seventh win of the season. Read the rest of this entry
Historic matchup as Rangers travel to Brooklyn to take on the Islanders; Glass in lineup
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
For the first time in both team’s history, the storied rivalry between the Rangers (17-6-2) will take on the New York Islanders (13-8-4) in a stadium other than the Nassau Coliseum, traveling a few boroughs over to Brooklyn and the Barclays Center instead.
A smaller venue with some obstructed view seats and the chance to get really loud, the environment should be extremely lively, with fans of both teams shouting and cheering for their respective teams.
It hasn’t been the best of starts for the Islanders in their new home. Despite last season’s success and their young, talented roster, the attendance has been pretty poor. They average 12,393 fans per game, which is 29th in the league, and the numbers occasionally dip around 11,000 too. Part of this has to do with the many obstructed view seats, where an entire third of the ice can be blocked out, the high concession and ticket prices, and the long trip for Long Island fans into Brooklyn. Read the rest of this entry
Vigneault must adjust gameplan while team’s play is lackluster
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Alain Vigneault is a very good coach. He’s reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice, once with the Canucks and once with the Rangers, he’s created a winning environment everywhere he coached, and he’s been able to get production from all aspects of his team.
But nobody is perfect, and Vigneault must challenge himself to adjust some of his practices and strategies in order to get the Rangers playing up to their full potential.
A few days ago, I wrote an article about the flaws on the Rangers team (HERE). It’s pretty obvious that they’re a product of their excellent goaltending. Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Raanta are the league’s best goalie duo, and both players have stolen games and wins. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers weather the storm and snap losing streak; Kevin Klein injured
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
A hurricane came blowing through Madison Square Garden, but the Rangers weathered the storm.
Despite playing a similar type of hockey that saw the Rangers (17-6-2) lose three straight games, Alain Vigneault’s squad managed to come out on top, 4-3, against the Carolina Hurricanes (8-12-4), who have just two wins in their last 10 games.
It was a game that the Rangers were grossly outshot in, yet again, and it took some gifted goals from Cam Ward and an excellent performance by Henrik Lundqvist to come away with a win in this one. A win is a win, but the team needs to be better before they take on the Islanders in their next game. Read the rest of this entry
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