Blog Archives
Rangers fall in the shootout to Florida; Zibanejad out 6-8 weeks
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The New York Rangers started the game a little late, but for a great reason. The Rangerstown family honored Sam Rosen pending his well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame on Monday, as they stated that this would be one of those moments that would truly “last a lifetime.”
In their first game back at the Garden after finishing up a road trip, which they went 3-1-0 on, the Blueshirts walked away with a point in their first overtime game of the season. Coming into the game, they were the only NHL team to not play an overtime game yet. In a hard fought matchup, they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Florida Panthers Sunday night in the shootout.
But the real loss came in the overtime period when Mika Zibanejad went down awkwardly into the boards. His foot jammed against the boards and you saw his ankle bend the wrong way. He was helped off of the ice, putting no weight on his leg. Alain Vigneault announced after the game that he broke his fibula and will be out for the next 6-8 weeks. He has 15 points (5-10-15) in the team’s 19 games. 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
Jeff Gorton’s Legacy Will Be Defined by Difficult 2016 Offseason
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Blueshirts United.
The 2016 offseason is shaping up to be one of the wildest periods of personnel movement the NHL has seen in some time.
General managers of cap-strapped teams will be aggressively trying to shed dollars and shakeup the makeups of their respective teams. With an expansion draft looming, and questions on whether the salary cap will even be as high as it was this past season, make no mistake about it—many GM’s will have no choice in this regard.
The team facing some of the most interesting offseason decisions of the summer? The New York Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Brady Skjei a perfect partner for Ryan McDonagh on the blueline
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Not a lot of good came out of the Rangers’ five game series against the Penguins. With defensive injuries and a slacking team, the Rangers stood no chance against the now Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Despite defensive injuries and problems, Brady Skjei emerged as a strong, consistent defenseman despite minimal NHL experience. In a high pressure situation, Skjei played better than just about every Rangers defenseman in the playoffs.
On top of showing that he could play in the NHL at a high level, Skjei showed something else that was more important – he can play the right side. Read the rest of this entry
What is the most important area for the Rangers to improve in the offseason?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Over the course of the regular season and the brief playoff run, one thing was clear with the Rangers; changes needed to be made. They were outmatched against top teams, threw away games they should have won, and went “all in” on a trade for Eric Staal that didn’t pay off.
That leaves the team in a weird spot, not ready to rebuild and not ready to win a Cup. Jeff Gorton is stuck making some really tough decisions that could shape the franchise for the rest of the Henrik Lundqvist era and beyond.
Gorton will look to make improvements, but there are quite a few areas that they need to tweak and work on before moving forward and trying to capture that elusive Stanley Cup. But which one is most important? Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 