Blog Archives
Rangers back on the road against Colorado while Nash remains questionable
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
New York has played six of their last seven games, and eight of the first 12 games this season, on home ice, where they’ve posted an impressive 6-1-1 record. They’re 2-1-1 away from home, winning the first two road games of the season in Chicago and Columbus, but losing to 3-0 to Montreal and 3-2 in a shootout to Philadelphia after that.
The Rangers have been historically good on the road underneath Alain Vigneault, setting a franchise record with 28 wins last season after posting a 25-14-2 record as the visitors in the 2013-14 season. On top of that, the Avalanche are just 2-4-1 on home ice this season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report: Nash injury presents opportunity for Etem
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced in Denver today ahead of Friday’s contest against the Colorado Avalanche, the first game of a brief two game road trip. After playing the Avalanche on Friday, the Rangers will travel to Arizona for a game on Saturday.
However, Rick Nash’s availability is in question for tomorrow night after sustaining a slight injury in practice. Nash twisted his back and had to leave the ice. Emerson Etem skated on the line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zucccarello for the remainder of practice.
“I felt good there for the first three drills, then it twisted kind of the wrong way when I took a shot and it kind of went out on me,” Nash told Jim Cerny of Blueshirts United following practice. He then said that he “just couldn’t move” and spent the rest of the practice getting treatment. Read the rest of this entry
An analytic look at the New York Rangers
Bobby Bevilacqua
Rick Nash has been criticized this year, but he’s doing everything right. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
“The eyes can deceive you, don’t trust them.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s advice to the young Luke Skywalker holds value in many walks of life, but it fits perfectly when it comes to the sport of hockey. Every year, more sports and more people are starting to turn to sabermetrics and analytics to get a deeper understanding of their team or sport.
Analytics is slowly starting to catch on in hockey. It can be confusing at first, but it really helps get a look at possession, creating offensive possession, and even things like “puck luck.” You can also predict regression from players and team, and more effectively evaluate a player’s performance. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers cruise past Capitals to the top of the Metro; Hayes and Lindberg impress
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This game was billed as a low scoring, physical and heated battle between two bitter rivals, but it didn’t really turn out that way.
The edginess was there, but the Rangers (8-2-2) seemed to effortlessly cruise past the Washington Capitals (8-3-0), ending the Caps’ four game road winning streak and extending the Rangers personal win streak to three games.
The Rangers came away with a 5-2 victory in an entertaining and tense contest, with five different goal scorers helping them claim sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers make changes before Metropolitan clash with red-hot Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For the first time since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the New York Rangers (7-2-2) will battle Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (8-2-0), in search of their eighth win in the past nine games.
This is the first of five games between these two teams, bitter rivals that have seen a lot of each other over the past five years, meeting in the playoffs yet again last season. In one of the greatest goaltending battles the NHL postseason has ever seen, the Rangers came away with the series win after seven one goal games.
The Capitals will be out for revenge, looking to climb to the top of the Metropolitan Division and stake their claim as one of the best teams in the East. Looking at their roster, the Caps should be considered a top team. Read the rest of this entry
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