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Raanta in net for the injured Lundqvist as Rangers battle the Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After losing focus and falling to the Penguins last night, the Rangers (37-21-6) are back on the road to close out their brief road trip against the league-leading Washington Capitals (47-12-4), a team that’s winning at a historic pace.
The Capitals 47 wins have already passed last year’s total with 19 games left on the schedule. Their 47 wins through 63 games are the most for any team in NHL history, and their 98 points through that same span is the most since the Detroit Red Wings in the 1995-96 season, and they have an 18 point lead over the New York Rangers. Needless to say, the Rangers will have their work cut out for them.
Last night, the Rangers had a mental lapse for 1:39, allowing three goals and ultimately losing the game because of that. Against Washington, they’ll need a complete 60 minute effort because the Caps are built to win from the net out. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers begin grueling stretch against the Penguins: Jesper Fast a game-time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a fantastic February where the Rangers (37-20-6) posted a 10-3-1 record and tied the franchise record for wins in February, they begin the month of March with a grueling three game stretch against Division Rivals, starting with the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-22-8) at the CONSOL Energy Center.
This three game stretch starts out against the Penguins, immediately followed by a road game against the Capitals on Friday night. The Blueshirts will get a day off before they take on the Islanders at MSG. Considering all three teams are in the playoffs, and the Penguins and Islanders are not that far behind in the standings, it’s a very important stretch for the Rangers.
The Rangers come into this game playing very well, winning three in a row, five of the last six, and 10 of the last 13 games. On top of that, they added Eric Staal to their forward group without giving up any roster players, making them an even more versatile and dangerous team. This will be Staal’s first taste of the Ranger rivalry games, and he’ll be leaned on heavily. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers close out road trip with huge win over Dallas; Lundqvist makes 36 saves
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The road warriors are back in business.
After struggling away from home for much of the season, the Rangers (36-20-6) picked up their fifth road win in the last six games, scoring a late goal to take down the Dallas Stars (38-19-6) and continue their strong play as of late.
The Rangers have climbed up the standings with a 9-2-1 run over their last 12 games, finding ways to win and getting excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist in the process. He made 36 saves, marking the third straight game that he stopped at least 35 shots. After claims that this team was done, lain Vigneault’s squad are not just four points behind the Stars for the second best record in the entire league. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on the Stars with trade connections looming
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a resilient win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, the Rangers (35-20-6) will close out their three game road trip against the number one team in the west, the Dallas Stars (38-18-6) with trade rumors linking the two teams ahead of the Monday trade deadline.
Tanner Glass and Chris Kreider each scored a goal and Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal, making 35 save and picking up his 30th win of the season, making that 10 seasons with at least 30 wins. The Rangers didn’t play all that well, but timely goal scoring and Henrik Lundqvist stole a win away from St. Louis.
The Rangers have now won 11 games in a row following a loss, and they haven’t dropped back-to-back games since December 20th when they lost 7-3 to the Washington Capitals to close out a 3-9-2 stretch. But in the last 11 games, the Rangers are 8-2-1 and as strong as any team lately. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist makes history as Rangers take down Blues
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers got Captain Ryan McDonagh and defenseman Marc Staal back in the lineup as they faced off against the St. Louis Blues Thursday night. Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 30th of the season as the Rangers won 2-1.
With the win tonight in a spectacular 35 save performance, Lundqvist became the first goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 30 wins in 10 of his first 11 NHL seasons. The only season he didn’t win 30 games was the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, when 43 games were played and Hank won 24 of them.
Lundqvist is also one of just three goalies in NHL history to win 30 or more games in 10 different seasons, joining elite company with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Hank’s even strength save percentage is about .940% this year. Compare that to his 2011-12 season when he won the Vezina – .933%.
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