Blog Archives

Rangers down Boston for fourth straight win; Buchnevich scores first NHL goal

Bobby Bevilacqua

pavel-buchnevich-goal-celebration-first-11-5

Photo courtesy of Jim Rogash/Getty Images.

The Rangers Tuukka way the Bruins three game win streak with an offensive explosion tonight at the TD Garden.

Okay, bad puns aside, now time for the real lede.

It took him seven games, but Pavel Buchnevich scored his first NHL goal as the Rangers (9-3-0) defeated the Bruins (6-5-0), scoring another five goals and winning their fourth straight game.

Pavel Buchnevich helped put the game out of the reach with a power play goal, sniping it past Tuukka Rask for his first ever goal in the NHL. The Rangers overcame a slow start and what was otherwise not a great game with that explosive offense. Read the rest of this entry

The Rangers might not need to make a big trade for a defenseman anymore

Bobby Bevilacqua

ryan-mcdonagh-profile-10-23

Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh has been a big part of the team’s good defensive play so far. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

Through much of last season and this offseason, the narrative on many Rangers blogs and some beat writers was that the Rangers needed to shake up the defense. They lost Keith Yandle, saw Marc Staal and Dan Girardi regress last year, and didn’t have many in-house options to pick up the slack.

Although it’s been only 11 games, it seems like the Rangers may be in a good situation right now, and won’t have to worry about making a blockbuster trade for anyone right now. If things continue to go well, maybe not even this year.

Through 11 games, the Rangers have allowed just 25 goals and have a +20 differential all while working their way towards an 8-3-0 record. That’s a pretty impressive start for a team that looked to be heading towards a rebuild after the playoff loss to the Penguins last May. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers come back late for win over the Oilers; Hayes with another three points

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-goal-celebration-11-3

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (8-3-0) scored another five goals, using a late comeback to take down Cam Talbot and the Edmonton Oilers (7-3-1), and winning 5-3.

The Rangers win meant a sweep of their three game homestand, outscoring opponents 16-4 over the three games. The Oilers put up the best effort, holding the lead or maintaining a tie for 58 minutes of the game.

Kevin Hayes, Michael Grabner, Jesper Fast, Rick Nash and JT Miller were the goalscorers, marking yet another night where the depth shone through and multiple players scored goals. The defense was good enough for the most part and Lundqvist was passable.

Here’s my recap; Read the rest of this entry

Rangers welcome Talbot and McDavid to MSG to close out homestand

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-vs-oilers-12-11

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Rangers (7-3-0) will look to sweep their three game homestand tonight when they take on the surprisingly good Edmonton Oilers (7-2-1) for the first time this season.

The Rangers have won the first two games of this homestand by a combined score of 11-1, recording the first shutout of the season Tuesday night against the Blues thanks to Henrik Lundqvist’s 35 save performance.

This is the first matchup between the Rangers and the Oilers this season, and the only one at Madison Square Garden. The teams split the season series last year, with the home team winning each game. The Rangers scored at least four goals in each of the games and a total of nine. Rick Nash led the team with five points (2-3-5) while Mats Zuccarello tallied a pair of goals and assists. Read the rest of this entry

Kreider back in the lineup against the Blues; AV switches lines for speed, skill

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-vs-blues-10-15

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

For the first time in four games, the Rangers (6-3-0) will play with Chris Kreider in the lineup as they take on the St. Louis Blues (5-2-2) tonight at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers are coming off of an impressive victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring six goals and being led by Michael Grabner, who had a hat trick, as well as the rest of the third line in Kevin Hayes and JT Miller, who each had three points. Antti Raanta made 31 saves for his second win of the season.

The Rangers’ offense has been buzzing without Chris Kreider, but now the forward group gets even more dangerous and deep with him back in the lineup tonight. He started out the season red hot, scoring three goals and seven points in each of his first five games. Read the rest of this entry