Blog Archives
Rangers take on the Stars with trade connections looming
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a resilient win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, the Rangers (35-20-6) will close out their three game road trip against the number one team in the west, the Dallas Stars (38-18-6) with trade rumors linking the two teams ahead of the Monday trade deadline.
Tanner Glass and Chris Kreider each scored a goal and Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal, making 35 save and picking up his 30th win of the season, making that 10 seasons with at least 30 wins. The Rangers didn’t play all that well, but timely goal scoring and Henrik Lundqvist stole a win away from St. Louis.
The Rangers have now won 11 games in a row following a loss, and they haven’t dropped back-to-back games since December 20th when they lost 7-3 to the Washington Capitals to close out a 3-9-2 stretch. But in the last 11 games, the Rangers are 8-2-1 and as strong as any team lately. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist makes history as Rangers take down Blues
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers got Captain Ryan McDonagh and defenseman Marc Staal back in the lineup as they faced off against the St. Louis Blues Thursday night. Henrik Lundqvist picked up his 30th of the season as the Rangers won 2-1.
With the win tonight in a spectacular 35 save performance, Lundqvist became the first goaltender in NHL history to earn at least 30 wins in 10 of his first 11 NHL seasons. The only season he didn’t win 30 games was the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, when 43 games were played and Hank won 24 of them.
Lundqvist is also one of just three goalies in NHL history to win 30 or more games in 10 different seasons, joining elite company with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Hank’s even strength save percentage is about .940% this year. Compare that to his 2011-12 season when he won the Vezina – .933%.
Evaluating the Rangers’ potential trade pieces
Bobby Bevilacqua
Oscar Lindberg could be a trade chip at the deadline. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It’s no secret that the Rangers are preparing to add a player or two before Monday’s deadline approaches. Unlike the last few seasons, it’s unclear whether or not they’ll make another big splash (unlikely) or instead try and add a depth player or two to improve the bottom six.
Players like Eric Staal, Andrew Ladd, Radim Vrbata and Kris Versteeg have been thrown around. The latter two are the more likely for the Rangers to add because of their smaller cap hits and the lower price. With this year’s draft pick almost certainly going to the Coyotes, the Rangers can’t afford to keep on sending first rounders to other teams. So here’s what they can do with what they already have.
Chris Kreider – Now lots of people, including myself, have talked about the possibility of trading Chris Kreider by this season’s deadline. A supposed swap of Kreider and Loui Eriksson from Boston has been thrown out as a rumor. The thought process is that the Rangers won’t be able to afford to keep JT Miller, Kevin Hayes and Kreider, and that Miller and Hayes are both better, further developed players. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers stumble in New Jersey without Staal and Miller; Hrivik records first career point
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
On the first game of their three game road trip, Henrik Lundqvist was brilliant but the Rangers (34-20-6) were dominated by the New Jersey Devils (30-24-7) for the last 40 minutes, losing 5-2 and losing their third game this season to their rivals in Newark.
This game had everything. Lots of action and scoring chances early on, some great performances from each of the goaltenders, and goals galore. Plus an ejection for having tape too low on the hands (more on that later).
The Rangers wound up being without Marc Staal in this game after he tweaked something in his lower body. Brady Skjei was recalled from Hartford and he played pretty darn well, logging over 22 minutes of ice time. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for bounce-back game in Toronto; Raanta expected to start
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After watching two points go out the window last night, the Rangers (32-19-6) will look to rebound on the road tonight as they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs (20-26-9) at the Air Canada Centre.
The Rangers scored three straight goals, including two on the power play, to take a lead early in the third period. But their weak penalty kill let them down, surrendering two goals and giving up the lead with three minutes remaining in the third, ultimately losing the game 5-3. It snapped a 10 game point streak (8-0-2) on home ice and it was their first regulation loss at MSG since December 20th.
Tonight is the third and final game between the Rangers and Maple Leafs this season, and New York will be looking for a sweep of the season series. On October 30th, Mats Zuccarello recorded his first NHL hat trick in a 3-1 win at the Garden, and Zuccs led the Rangers to another home win on November 30th with a goal and a pair of assists. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 