Blog Archives
Rangers take on the Capitals in D.C.; NHL’s leading goal scorers face off
Bobby Bevilacqua
Rick Nash had his first hat trick as a Rangers when these two teams last faced off, and is hoping to keep providing offensive support for the Rangers. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a huge win over the Islanders, the Rangers (41-17-7) will look to stay hot when they take on the Washington Capitals (36-21-10) at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C, another Metropolitan Division matchup.
The Rangers and Capitals have met just once this season, with the Rangers coming away with a 4-2 victory at Madison Square Garden. Rick Nash scored his first hat trick as a Ranger, and Derick Brassard had three assists. Henrik Lundqvist started, stopping 30 of the 32 shots that he faced.
The Rangers have been really successful against Metropolitan Division opponents, with a 17-3-1 record in their last 21 interdivisional games. The Rangers will take on the Capitals two more times this season after tonight. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take down the Isles in final Coliseum matchup; Nash nets game winner
Bobby Bevilacqua
Marc Staal and Kevin Klein congratulate Cam Talbot on his 29 save performance in the Rangers 2-1 win over the Islanders. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After an abysmal first period, the Rangers (41-17-7) scored two straight goals to take down the New York Islanders (43-22-4) for the second straight game, and bringing the Blueshirts to within one point of the first place spot in the Metropolitan Division, with four games in hand.
It was a playoff atmosphere at the Nassau Coliseum, and the game itself was played out like a playoff game; very close, very physical, good defense, and an extremely competitive game.
The Rangers were back on their heels for the first 20 minutes, but picked up their play in the second period. A gorgeous Kevin Hayes goal got the Rangers going, and Rick Nash’s 39th goal of the season sealed the 2-1 win for the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers prepared for one last battle at Nassau Coliseum against the Islanders
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers and Islanders will play for the final time in the regular season, and potentially the last time at Nassau Coliseum. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The stage is set for a crucial game tonight between the Rangers (40-17-7) and the Islanders (43-21-4), the last regular season matchup at Nassau Coliseum ever. The Rangers have four games in hand, and a win would bring them to within one point of the Islanders.
This is the fifth and final game between these two teams, with the Islanders winning three of the first four games. In the last game, the Rangers battled back for a thrilling 6-5 victory, with Kevin Klein scoring the game winner. Chris Kreider, Martin St. Louis and Kevin Klein both had a goal and an assist, Ryan McDonagh had two goals, and Derek Stepan had a goal and two assists.
Jaroslav Halak and Cam Talbot were the goalies, with both netminders facing over 40 shots. They will be the goalies again this time around, although I expect a much closer, tight checking game. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers rematch Predators at the Garden with their newest acquisitions
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers are back at the Garden, looking to take down the Nashville Predators before heading out on a tough road trip. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a hectic trade deadline, the Rangers (38-17-6) are back at Madison Square Garden for one game, where they will take on the Nashville Predators (41-15-7), currently the best team in the NHL when it comes to points.
Both teams have re-tooled their lineup since the last time that they met, a 3-2 Nashville win on February 7th. In that game, Rick Nash (PP Goal) and Ryan McDonagh found the back of the net, and Derick Brassard assisted on both goals. Nashville got goals from Shea Weber, Roman Josi, and Mike Ribeiro, as well as 30 saves from Pekka Rinne.
Rinne has been one of the best goalies in the league this season, and he has some impressive numbers to back that up. Rinne has 35 wins, a 2.07 GAA, and a .928 save percentage, second to Montreal’s Carey Price in all of those categories. The Rangers will need to work hard to get pucks past Rinne. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers re-sign Zuccarello, trade Lee Stempniak, and acquire James Sheppard
Bobby Bevilacqua
Mats Zuccarello will be a Ranger for the next four years, with the Rangers locking up one of their key playmaking wingers. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers extremely bust trade deadline day seems to have come to an end, with Glen Sather locking down Mats Zuccarello for the next four years, and making some minor adjustments to the rest of the lineup.
The biggest news, outside of the Keith Yandle trade earlier, was the extension of Mats Zuccarello to a four year, $18 million deal, paying him an average of $4.5 million a year.
Although Zuccarello, is not producing like he was last season, he has been playing very well lately, bringing his point total to 35 (12-23-35) this season. Zuccarello has built tremendous chemistry with Derick Brassard, and is one of the best playmakers on the team, with great vision and a knack for finding the open man. Read the rest of this entry
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