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Rangers fall short in Cup Final rematch; Zuccarello snaps goal drought
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers bench looks dejected after a disappointing home-ice loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Concluding a brief two game homestand, the Rangers (48-19-7) getting beat in most facets of the game, and taking 4-2 loss against the Los Angeles Kings (36-23-14) by a final score of 4-2.
The Rangers were simply outmuscled, outworked, and outplayed in this one. They weren’t sharp, often losing puck battles and giving up silly turnovers. Vigneault said it best in the postgame interview, saying, “We were second on the puck, and second on one-on-ones. Our execution wasn’t what it needed to be against a strong opponents. We paid the price.”
It wasn’t a lack of effort, it was simply the fact that the Kings played like a team desperate to get into the playoffs. It was a great performance on their part, and they didn’t let the fatigue factor from their game last night get to them. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on desperate Los Angeles Kings team; Fast looking to stay hot
Bobby Bevilacqua
JT Miller and the Rangers will look to continue their winning ways against the Kings at MSG tonight. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Following a 7-2 clobbering of the Anaheim Ducks at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers (46-18-7) conclude their brief two-game homestand in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Finals, taking on the Los Angeles Kings (35-23-14) for the second and final time this season.
Surprisingly, the Kings find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race, sitting two points behind the Calgary Flames for third in the Pacific Division, and four points behind the Jets for the final wild card spot. Despite going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, the Kings can’t afford lose many games. Including tonight, there are just 10 regular season games left for Los Angeles.
The Rangers got a bit of revenge when these two teams last met, coming away with a 4-3 victory at the Staples Center. Cam Talbot was in net, stopping 28 of the 31 shots that he faced. Dan Boyle had a power play goal and an assist, and Derick Brassard picked up two helpers. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers offense explodes in win over Anaheim and break out of scoring slump
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers got a huge win on home ice, scoring a season-high seven goals over the Anaheim Ducks, and moving back into the top spot in the NHL. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After struggling to score for most of the month, the Rangers (46-18-7) offense exploded on Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks (46-21-7), finding the back of the net seven times en route to a 7-2 statement victory for New York.
Anaheim came into the game with a four game win streak, and they were tied with the Canadiens with 99 points for first in the NHL. But the Rangers did not let that fact faze them, dominating one of the best teams in the league on home ice.
New York has been impressive on home ice this season, posting a 23-8-5 record at MSG, with points in 10 of their last 11 games at Madison Square Garden (9-1-1). They are 13-3-2 in their last 18 games against against Western Conference teams, and 16-4-5 against the West this year. The Blueshirts are 11-1-1 versus the mighty Pacific Division this season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head back home to take on the league leading Anaheim Ducks
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers and the Ducks, two of the league’s best teams, face off tonight at 7:30 PM at MSG. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Following a very close game against Carolina, the Rangers (45-18-7) are back at Madison Square Garden where they will take on a well-rested Anaheim Ducks (46-20-7) for the last time this season, with both teams in the race for the President’s trophy.
The Rangers did not have a great effort last night, but managed to escape with two points in a shootout win over the Hurricanes, despite, getting outplayed for large portions of the game. But good teams find ways to win, and that is what New York has continued to do despite not playing at their best in the month of March.
“The last couple of weeks we haven’t played our best hockey, but we’ve still managed to win,” said Mats Zuccarello following his shootout winner last night. “That shows that we’re a good team. Hopefully we can come back to playing our style now.” The Blueshirts are 15-2-2 in their last 19, and their success has propelled them into first place in the Metropolitan division. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers escape with shootout win in Raleigh; Fast and Miller both score
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers celebrate JT Miller’s second period goal, one of two in the period for New York as they went on to win in the shootout. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Despite getting outplayed for the better parts of two periods, the Rangers (45-18-7) managed to come away with a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes (26-36-9) in the shootout, capturing their 45th win of the season, the eighth time in team history that they have reached that win total.
The win gives now have 97 points this season, surpassing last year’s point total by one. They remain five points ahead of the Islanders, and are tied with the Montreal Canadiens, but have two games in hand.
The Rangers also swept the season series against Carolina, coming away with five wins in the five games they played. They have won 16 of the last 17 games against the Hurricanes, the best 17 game span versus one opponent in franchise history. Read the rest of this entry
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