Blog Archives
Aaron Ekblad should win the Calder Trophy; Kevin Hayes impressive in his first season
Bobby Bevilacqua
Aaron Ekblad has had a tremendous season with the surprising Florida Panthers team, and should take home the Calder Trophy at the end of the season. Photo courtesy of Elliot J. Schechter/Getty Images.
Sorry Filip Forsberg, what you have done in Nashville has been tremendous, but Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers deserves to take home the Calder Trophy for the NHL’s most outstanding rookie.
Anytime you watch a Florida Panthers game and see Ekblad skating on the first defensive pairing, it’s easy to understand why Dale Tallon, the General Manager of the Panthers, drafted him with the first overall pick in last year’s draft. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win statement game over Predators; Zuccarello strong after extension
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers took down the top team in the NHL, dominating most facets of the game in a 4-1 victory. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
In the Rangers (39-17-6) first game since acquiring Keith Yandle and re-signing Mats Zuccarello to a four year deal, the re-energized Rangers shut down the best team in the NHL, handing the Nashville Predators (41-16-7) their third straight loss by a final score of 4-1.
With the win, the Rangers leap-frogged the Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division, tied with 82 points, but the Rangers have two games in hand. New York is 9-1-1 in their last 11 games, 21-5-5 at home since October 16th, and 28-7-2 since December 8th.
This was one of the most impressive showings of the season, with New York really muffling the Predators scoring ability, keeping the puck to the outside, and really controlling play for almost the entire game. It especially showed when the Predators pulled Rinne at the 16:00 mark of the final period, and barely got any shots on goal. The defensive effort was outstanding. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers fall in overtime to the Stars; Kreider scores late equalizer
Bobby Bevilacqua
Cam Talbot made 23 saves, but the Rangers could not come away with a win, dropping their second straight game, but this one came in overtime. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite a sloppy game, the Rangers (30-16-5) managed to pick up a crucial point against the Dallas Stars (24-21-8) at Madison Square Garden, losing early in overtime by a final score of 3-2.
It looked like the Stars were going to win in regulation, but Chris Kreider scored a clutch goal to send the Rangers to overtime.
It was a relatively sloppy game, with the Rangers struggling to carry the puck through the neutral zone and to clear their own zone. They also seemed to have trouble keeping the puck in at the blue line, often losing possession that way. Basically, the fact that they were playing the second game of a back-to-back showed, for both teams. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers finish off back-to-back against the Stars; Talbot likely to start
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers and Stars will face off for the final time this season, with the Rangers looking to get some revenge on home ice. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After dropping a game against a strong Nashville team, the Rangers (30-16-4) will take on the Dallas Stars (23-21-8) at Madison Square Garden, the second matchup between these two teams this season.
The Rangers eight game win streak was snapped in Dallas on December 29th, with the Stars coming away with a 3-2 victory. Kevin Hayes and JT Miller scored the Rangers goals, and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced in a loss. Kari Lehtonen made 28 saves, including all 21 shots he faced in the last two periods. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers drop tough game in Nashville; Nash scores league leading 33rd goal
Bobby Bevilacqua
Rick Nash opened the scoring for the Rangers again tonight, finding the back of the net for the 33rd time this season. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (30-16-4) played one of their best games in a loss today, falling to the Nashville Predators (34-12-6), improving their record at Bridgestone Arena to 21-3-1 this season, which is the best home record in the league.
The Rangers controlled play for most of the final two periods, but the Predators scored two goals in the final 1:21 of the second period, continuing to get contributions from their top defenseman in Shea Weber and Roman Josi. Read the rest of this entry
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