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Rangers surrender late goal, lose to Capitals in overtime

Alexandra Russo

rangers vs capitals 1=9

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

Coming into this game, the Rangers (22-14-5) knew how big a test this would be. A little over a month ago, the Capitals (31-7-3) were looking up at the Rangers, but now they’ve blown by them. After a blowout 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars, the Rangers lost to the Capitals in overtime in a heartbreaker, 4-3.

Both teams traded chances early in the game and allowed few scoring opportunities by clogging up the neutral zone. The Rangers had the best chance early on as Kevin Klein came from behind the net and slapped a shot up high but was denied by Holtby, who is now an impressive 19-0-2 in his last 21 starts.

The Rangers first power play was a good one. Boyle did a great job screening Holtby but they were unable to convert on their shot attempts. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers play 41st game against the Washington Capitals; Chris Kreider OUT

Bobby Bevilacqua

Rangers vs Capitals 12-20

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The Rangers (20-14-4) hit the halfway point of the season today and continue their three game home trip as they take on the Washington Capitals (30-7-3), currently holding a one point lead over the Dallas Stars for the President’s Trophy with one game in hand.

This is the third straight game where the Rangers will play one of the elite teams in this league, having been shut out by the streaking Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida, before bouncing back with a dominant 6-2 win over Dallas at MSG.

Now they must take on their division rivals, a team they’ve faced so many times before, a team that’s 11-1-1 in their last 13 games, and a team looking for their 31st win in the first half of the season win. Two consecutive wins over the Stars and Capitals could be a turning point of this season, so the Rangers must be at their best tonight. Read the rest of this entry

Should the Rangers explore trading options with Chris Kreider?

Bobby Bevilacqua

chris kreider full body 12-15

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

Chris Kreider has shown a ton of potential and upside ever since entering the league in the 2012 playoffs, scoring five goals before ever playing a regular season game. He scored 17 goals in the 2013-14 season, and topped that with 21 goals and 46 points last year.

It seems like many people had predicted that Kreider would break out and become a consistent 20 goal scorer, maybe even hitting the 30 goal mark, including myself. Head coach Alain Vigneault had high expectations for Kreider before the season started.

But he hasn’t lived up to expectations. While the offense has been very good this year, scoring 2.93 goals per game, Kreider is one of the forwards that hasn’t been a big part of the scoring. Despite playing on the second or first line for almost every game, he has just six goals in 39 games. He’s scored just two goals in the last 14 games, and three in the last 22 games. Read the rest of this entry

Megna, Second line help guide Rangers to dominating win over Dallas Stars

Bobby Bevilacqua

jayson megna goal celebration 1-5

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

In arguably the team’s most complete win in months, the Rangers (22-14-4) wound up dominating the Dallas Stars (28-10-4) at Madison Square Garden, coming away with an impressive 6-2 win and handing Dallas their third straight loss.

For a team that had 39 shots on goal and was shutout against the Florida Panthers, this was exactly the type of win that they needed. The Rangers will take on the Washington Capitals on Saturday, and taking down the Dallas Stars in such convincing fashion like this is a great confidence booster.

The Rangers had as good of a start to a game as you could ask for. They really limited what Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were doing, allowed very few chances against, and wound up leading after the first 20 minutes. Read the rest of this entry

Rangers face big test against Stars; Kreider doubtful, AV challenges Hank

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers vs stars 12-29

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

This is the matchup that every Rangers fan was dreading.

With just five wins in the last 8 games (5-11-2), the Rangers (21-14-4) are back at Madison Square Garden to take on the Western Conference’s top team, the Dallas Stars (28-9-4). Dallas has lost their last two games, but still managed to secure 60 points in 41 games.

After being shut out by the hottest team in the NHL, the Florida Panthers, and closing out a three game road trip with just one win, the Rangers don’t just face one of the best teams in the league. They will take on the team that leads the NHL in goals scored by a wide margin. The Rangers have a tendency to play up to their opponents at times, so they better bring their “A” game tonight. Read the rest of this entry