Blog Archives
Rangers begin home-and-home series with Pittsburgh; Hayes an important piece moving forward
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (13-5-1) fell in the shootout to the Panthers last night and lost Mika Zibanejad for the next 6-8 weeks, but the turnaround is quick as they head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins (11-4-3) on the road.
Goals from Kreider and Zibanejad weren’t enough as the Rangers mustered a lot of scoring chances, but only two goals on James Reimer. It was the second loss in a row for New York, marking the first time this season that they have lost consecutive games.
The Penguins will be playing their fourth game in six nights, and coming off of a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves and allowed just one goal, while Sidney Crosby scored the lone goal for the Pens. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers return home to take on the Panthers; Jooris could return tonight
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a loss at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets to conclude their four game road trip, the Rangers (13-5-0) are back at MSG to take on the Florida Panthers (9-8-1), last season’s Atlantic Division champions.
The Rangers got goals from Mika Zibanejad and Michael Grabner but that wasn’t enough as the Blue Jackets scored late and secured a win. That was just the Rangers’ second loss in their last 10 games, and they still sit atop the Metropolitan Division Standings.
The Panthers have had a bit of a rough start to the season, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for fifth in their division. There’s been some injuries, underperforming and integrating new players into the roster, which takes some time. But at the center of the team is the same group of young talent that won the Atlantic last season. Read the rest of this entry
Kreider expected to return as the Rangers take on the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a stretch of three games in Canada that all resulted in wins, the Rangers (13-4-0) will look to keep on rolling and sweep their four game win streak as they head to Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets (8-4-2).
The Rangers most recent victory was a 7-2 thrashing over the Canucks, with JT Miller and Kevin Hayes each scoring a pair of goals, and Mats Zuccarello recording a three point night. Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves to improve to 8-1-0 in his last nine starts and 9-4-0 this season.
The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four games, including an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12. They also dominated the Canadiens in a 10-0 win back on Nov. 4, the only team to score 10 goals in a game. Columbus has scored 47 goals this season, but 18 of them have come in two games. So despite their good record, they have had some issues scoring goals at times. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Mailbag: Trading for a defenseman, the Kreider injury, and is this team for real?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
This is the first Mailbag of the 2016-17 season, a series of articles I do where I ask my readers to submit questions and I answer them to the best of my ability.
This series is all about you, so I urge you to ask any questions you have, especially about the Rangers, to help this series become full of content.
Thanks to everyone that participated, and be sure to keep your eyes out for my next edition of the Mailbag article. I’m hoping to do this every two or three weeks.
On to the questions!
Do you feel like the Rangers need to add a solid defenseman in order to make a legit Cup run? – Jason Fristensky
Marc Staal defends against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 19. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This is a question that has come up often over the last few years, and especially during this offseason. Almost every year I would answer with a resounding yes. But this year, my answer varies depending on your definition of “solid defenseman.”
Two years ago, we saw the Rangers trade for dynamic offensive defenseman Keith Yandle. He was very effective for them, but ultimately was not a difference maker when it came to trying to win a Cup. Most of that has to do with how Alain Vigneault uses defensemen, and how he tends to lean on his shutdown guys.
I am also impressed with how the defense has played to this point. At first, I was expecting this season to look something like how the Rangers played during last season’s winter months, which was a disaster on the backend. But a full season has had a positive effect on Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, as well as for keeping guys like Ryan McDonagh fresh. Nick Holden has improved over the last few weeks and Brady Skjei has been miles better than anticipated, which certainly helps. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers sweep Canada trip with 7-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks
Bobby Bevilacqua
Despite playing their third game in four nights and getting shelled in the first period, the Rangers (13-4-0) managed to come out of Vancouver with a 7-2 win thanks to an incredible offensive outburst from the team.
The Rangers got two goals apiece from JT Miller and Kevin Hayes, plus a three point night from Mats Zuccarello with a goal and two assists. Brandon Pirri (GWG) and Nick Holden also found the back of the net, while Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Klein and Jesper Fast each recorded two assists. Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular, making 36 saves to pick up his ninth win of the season.
For a box score, click here. Keep reading for my recap and thoughts on the game; Read the rest of this entry
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