Blog Archives
Rangers lose Lundqvist to injury as Penguins take a Game 1 victory
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It’s a good thing that it’s a seven game series.
Patric Hornqvist scored a hat trick as the Pittsburgh Penguins took down the New York Rangers in Game 1, 5-2, backstopped by a 35 save performance from Jeff Zatkoff, their third string journeyman goaltender.
What’s worse? Henrik Lundqvist took an errant stick to the eye and was removed from the game after the first period. Antti Raanta was forced into his first career playoff game, and although three goals on 19 shots doesn’t look great, he was fantastic in relief. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers open round one on the road vs Pittsburgh; Fleury a game time decision
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a tumultuous regular season, the Rangers open up the playoffs tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, looking to get things started on the right foot in their latest quest for a Stanley Cup Championship.
This marks the third consecutive season that the Rangers and Penguins will meet in the playoffs, and the second straight year that they play in Round 1. Two years ago, the Rangers came back from a 3-1 series deficit, without having home ice advantage. Last year, Derick Brassard opened the scoring 28 seconds into the playoffs and Carl Hagelin sent the Penguins home packing after a Game 5 overtime winner. The Rangers had home ice in that series.
The mentality in the Rangers locker room since training camp was getting back to the playoffs and finishing what they’ve started, what they’ve been so close to accomplishing in three of the last four seasons. They haven’t made it easy on themselves, and face a tough road ahead, but this is a team full of hungry guys as well as veterans who realize their window may be closing. And that makes this playoff series a special one, and one with potentially a lot more riding on it. Read the rest of this entry
Series Preview, Round 1: Rangers vs Penguins
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
This matchup seems quite familiar.
For the third consecutive season, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off in the playoffs, as the long time rivalry between the teams continues to intensify through intense playoff matchups.
The Rangers have won both of the playoff series in the past two years, including a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in 2014 after rallying around the death of Martin St. Louis’ mother. That series saw the double goal in overtime from Benoit Pouliot, a St. Louis goal on Mothers’ Day, and a clutch Game 7 win with some excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. Read the rest of this entry
5 Keys to a New York Rangers Stanley Cup Championship
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It’s that time of year again. The records are wiped, every team is equal ground, and 16 teams begin their quest for the greatest trophy in professional sports.
And for the sixth consecutive season, the Rangers are a part of that quest, looking to capture their first championship since 1994. They’ve come close in recent years, reaching the Eastern Conference Championship in three of the last four seasons and reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2014.
Despite playing 44 playoff games since 2014, the most in the entire league, Alain Vigneault and his team are ready to make another run at the title. The team is loaded with experience, all the way from their veterans down to their youth. Everyone has big game experience which prepares them well for the high pressure situations. Read the rest of this entry
Injuries to key defensemen give Marc Staal a chance to save his Rangers legacy
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Bridget Samuels/Flickr
Six days ago we were preparing the narrative in support of the Rangers’ chances at making a Stanley cup run: they were injury free. It was a potential advantage, especially with just about all of the playoff teams in the Eastern Conference playoff mix dealing with key injuries.
Pittsburgh recently learned Marc-Andre Fleury was going to be sidelined with a concussion. Fleury joins Evgeni Malkin and Olli Maatta as question marks for the high flying Pens with just one game remaining in their regular season. The Islanders’ Travis Hamonic is out with a lower body injury, and could miss the start of the playoffs and beyond. Their goaltending situation is an injury riddled mess, although Thomas Greiss nearly blanked the Rangers last night. The Lightning lost their leading goal scorer and captain Steven Stamkos to a freakish blood clot issue. The Rangers? Just bumps, bruises and fatigue. Read the rest of this entry
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