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Kevin Hayes’ improvement warrants an All-Star Game Appearance
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For years now, the NHL has regarded the All-Star Game highly. Kevin Hayes deserves a spot on the roster due to his excellent and consistent play with the New York Rangers so far this season.
After a seemingly lackluster performance last season, there was a lot of grief among the fan base and calls for him to perform better. When he started his career with the Rangers, he opened up with 45 points in his rookie season. To the chagrin of many, including coaches and fans alike, Hayes played the same amount of games, while only producing 36 points and three less goals (14). He was forced to listen to talks of trades and rumors of not maintaining a spot on the roster. But has he ever proven everyone wrong this season.
In just 36 games, Hayes has managed an impressive 23 points, including eleven goals and twelve assists. He is already on track to finish the season better than any he’s played before, and it’s not only limited to point production. His faceoff percentage has gone up by over ten percent, now operating at around a respectable 47%. And let’s not forget that his shooting percentage is a big reason why his game is functioning overall at a better pace, as it has increased from 10.5% to 19%. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look to rebound and snap Minnesota’s nine game winning streak
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a beat down at the hands of Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers (23-11-1) face another tough opponent before they close out their pre-Christmas schedule, a home matchup against the red-hot Minnesota Wild (20-8-4), winners of nine straight games.
The Rangers played Pittsburg on Tuesday, their ninth game in 15 days, and got pummeled in every aspect imaginable. Antti Raanta was unsupported by his teammates, the defense was atrocious, and the offensive struggles continued.
For Minnesota, everything has been going right. Last night they took down the Montreal Canadiens, Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 of the 26 shots that he faced, improving his record to 17-6-3 with a 1.57 GAA and a .948 save percentage. Eric Staal scored the game winner, a shorthanded goal in the third period. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head to Brooklyn to battle the Islanders; Grabner out, Hrivik in
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
With the Rangers (17-8-1) in the midst of a rough stretch, having won just four of their last nine games, they’ll take on the lowly Islanders (9-10-5) in the first matchup this season at the Barclays Center.
The Rangers took down the Carolina Hurricanes in their last game, getting two goals from Chris Kreider and one from Michael Grabner and Derek Stepan to secure a win despite playing pretty poorly through the first two periods. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 of the 28 shots that he faced.
The Islanders had a dreadful start to the season, opening the season with a 5-9-1 record and sitting in last place in the league. But with a 3-0-1 record in their last four games, they’re finally starting to show signs of life. But they’re still last in the Metropolitan and have the third fewest points in the NHL. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers host the Hurricanes again at MSG; Miller hurt, but expected to play
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (16-8-1), coming off of a truly disappointing loss to the Buffalo Sabres, will be hasting the Carolina Hurricanes (9-9-5) at Madison Square Garden for the second time in five days.
The Rangers held a 3-2 lead in that game against Buffalo, but surrendered two late goals to Jack Eichel and lost in one of the worst performances of the season. The Hurricanes lost their last game in a shootout, 2-1, getting a goal from Noah Hanifin and 31 saves from Cam Ward.
The Rangers are in a really rough patch, wining just three of their last eight games and playing some of their worst hockey of the season at points. A game against Carolina, who are winless in their last 12 games at MSG, could be what the Rangers needed. But the Hurricanes did win one of the games earlier this year, and are not pushovers. The Canes have lost two straight one goal games, and they will be pushing hard to get back in the win column. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers visit Eichel and the Sabres for first time this season
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
New York is coming off of a game where they didn’t play particularly well, but managed to come away with a win anyway. Rick Nash had a spectacular game, with a goal and an assist in a dominant offensive performance, while Jimmy Vesey scored the game winner on the power play to end a scoreless drought. Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves in the win.
Buffalo is also coming off of a win, an exciting back-and-forth game against the Ottawa Senators that ended with a 5-4 scoreline. Ryan O’Reilly led the way with two goals and an assists, while Kyle Okposo, Sam Reinhart, and Jack Eichel, in his first game back from injury, had a goal and an assist. Read the rest of this entry
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