Blog Archives
Rangers host the Hurricanes again at MSG; Miller hurt, but expected to play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (16-8-1), coming off of a truly disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres, will be hasting the Carolina Hurricanes (9-9-5) at Madison Square Garden for the second time in five days.
The Rangers held a 3-2 lead in that game against Buffalo, but surrendered two late goals to Jack Eichel and lost in one of the worst performances of the season. The Hurricanes lost their last game in a shootout, 2-1, getting a goal from Noah Hanifin and 31 saves from Cam Ward.
The Rangers are in a really rough patch, wining just three of their last eight games and playing some of their worst hockey of the season at points. A game against Carolina, who are winless in their last 12 games at MSG, could be what the Rangers needed. But the Hurricanes did win one of the games earlier this year, and are not pushovers. The Canes have lost two straight one goal games, and they will be pushing hard to get back in the win column. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers blow late lead in a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (16-8-1) saw their team fall apart, giving up two late goals and blowing a lead against the Buffalo Sabres (9-9-5), dropping their fifth game in their last eight contests.
Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash and Marc Staal combined to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead after two periods, but it all eventually fell apart. Jack Eichel, in his second game back from injury, scored two big goals, including the game winner.
It was a game the Rangers never really should have won, because they were outmatched for the majority of the game. It was another concerning showing from the Blueshirts, one that has now become a pattern. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits Recap: Rangers down the Hurricanes for a much needed win
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite a pretty rough first 40 minutes, the Rangers (16-7-1) managed to shake off their slow start and score three unanswered goals to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes for the 12th straight time at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers struggled to get much of anything going for the first two periods, managing just 12 shots on goal and giving up two goals to former Ranger Viktor Stalberg in the first period. But if there’s one thing this team has been able to do this season, and that’s capitalize on their chances and come back from early holes.
The first Stalberg goal came after Nick Holden made a weird play, kicking the puck right to the crease after blocking a shot, and it went right to Stalberg. Holden then missed his block and seemed to screen Lundqvist, which led to the goal. The second was a truly awful play by Kevin Klein, who lost the puck and essentially gave it to Jay McClement. He passed it to Stalberg as Rick Nash tripped and fell into Lundqvist. Easy finish for Stalberg. Read the rest of this entry
Could Oscar Lindberg be part of a trade for a defenseman?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Yesterday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers saw Matt Puempel make his debut as a Ranger just three days after he was claimed off of waivers. He had no points and a minus-five rating in 13 games with the Senators, but Vigneault gave him an opportunity on the fourth line.
It wound up paying off, as the 23-year-old former first round pick played a pretty good game, skating for 12 minutes and scoring a goal. Puempel described himself as an offensive player (213 points in 195 OHL games) and that he was looking forward to a fresh start. Perhaps that’s just what he needed, as a change of scenery can do wonders for a player.
But Puempel’s insertion into the lineup meant that Oscar Lindberg was the healthy scratch. Lindberg has played mostly out of necessity because of injuries, and has only appeared in nine of the team’s 22 games, recording no goals and one assists. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers host the Penguins and attempt to sweep the home-and-home series
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images.
After scoring five unanswered goals in a fantastic comeback win in Pittsburgh, the Rangers (14-5-1) now get to host their Metropolitan Division rivals at Madison Square Garden, looking to beat the Penguins (11-5-3) for the second consecutive game.
The Rangers surrendered two goals to rookie Jake Guentzel in the first period, with the first goal coming on his first NHL shift and his first NHL shot. However, the last 40 minutes were very impressive from the Rangers, seeing them do a better job defensively while scoring five unanswered goals from five different players.
Now the two teams faceoff for the second of five matches this season, and the first of three at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Hayes led the Rangers with a goal and an assist on Monday, Ryan McDonagh picked up a pair of assists, and Michael Grabner scored his 12th goal of the season, tied for the league lead. Read the rest of this entry
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