Blog Archives
NYR-PIT Game Two proves the kids are alright
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers responded in a big way by beating the Penguins 4-2 and evening the series at one game a piece.
The series shifts now to Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers went 27-10-4 in the regular season. The momentum would figure to be playing right into the Rangers’ hands. They’ll now control on-ice player personnel matchups, a huge plus for sure.
Henrik Lundqvist continued his recent playoff dominance over Pittsburgh. Lundqvist, feeling no ill effects from the eye injury suffered in game one, stopped 31 of 33 shots faced. The real story from a Rangers perspective in this one wasn’t king Henrik, though. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to even up the series in Pittsburgh; McIlrath back in the lineup
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a Hornqvist hat trick and a Penguins win in Game 1, the Rangers will look to steal home-ice advantage and even up the series today at the CONSOL Energy Center.
In the playoffs, the road team aims to take just one of the games away from their home stadium, and that’s what the Rangers need to do here. A win tonight would send the series back to MSG, with the series tied at one, and playing on home ice where the Rangers have an impressive record of 27-10-4.
The Penguins were backstopped by third string goalie Jeff Zatfkoff, who was stellar in Game 1, making 35 saves and keeping the Blueshirts at bay. Pittsburgh’s top players outperformed the Rangers best players, and some shoddy defense on New York’s part cost them a game. Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, Patric Hornqvist scored a hat trick and picked up an assist, and Kris Letang had a pair of assists. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report; Dan Girardi will not play tomorrow, Lundqvist returns to the ice
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced today ahead of Game 2 against the Penguins tomorrow, and Henrik Lundqvist was back on the ice in full gear, practicing with the rest of the team. Dan Girardi was absent, and it was revealed by Alain Vigneault that he would not play tomorrow due to an injury.
The Rangers recalled goaltender Magnus Hellberg from Hartford yesterday just in case they got bad news about Lundqvist. But after seeing a specialist, there is no real damage to his eye, and the concern is about the swelling around his eye (per John Shannon). Lundqvist said his vision was blurry after the incident, but got better as the night went on. Andrew Gross of The Record said that Lundqvist looked sharp in practice.
Henrik Lundqvist will be a game time decision. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report: McDonagh OUT for the start of the playoffs, Lundqvist update
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG photos.
The Rangers held their first practice today, and it was certainly an interesting one. Mostly everyone was there, but the biggest scare of the day came with Henrik Lundqvist leaving practice twice and missing most of the day’s events.
Afterward, when Vigneault spoke to the media, it was revealed that Henrik Lundqvist left the ice and did not return due to an illness that didn’t allow him to finish practice. AV said that he thinks he should be fine for tomorrow’s practice. Crisis averted.
However, he also said that Ryan McDonagh “definitely” will miss the start of the playoffs against the Penguins. Some media outlets have McDonagh listed with a broken right hand, but AV says that McDonagh remains “day-to-day.” Read the rest of this entry
Rangers close out the regular season with a home win over Detroit
Bobby Bevilacqua
Dan Boyle celebrates after scoring his 10th goal of the season in the first period. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite already having their ticket punched to the postseason, the Rangers (46-27-9) came out strong and won their last game of the regular season, escaping some late drama and taking down the Detroit Red Wings (41-30-11) by a final score of 3-2.
The Rangers could have knocked the Red Wings out of a playoff spot, but luckily for Detroit, the Boston Bruins were blown out by the Senators, 6-1, in their last game of the season. That means that the Red Wings clinch a playoff berth for the 25th consecutive season, and the Flyers need two points to get back into the playoffs.
Despite a lackluster record on the road, the Rangers finished the season with a 27-10-4 record at MSG, and secured a point in 19 of the last 25 home games. Unfortunately, they will not have home ice advantage in the playoffs, but that record is still encouraging heading into the postseason. They also finished with 101 points, marking the first time since the 1971-72 season and the 1972-73 season that they have earned 100 points in back-to-back seasons. Read the rest of this entry
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