Blog Archives
Rangers excited for last hurrah at Nassau; Dan Boyle playing more comfortably
Bobby Bevilacqua
Tomorrow night will be the last time that the Rangers and the Islanders will face each other during the regular season at the Nassau Coliseum. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
On Tuesday night, the Rangers will play 126th and final regular season contest at Nassau Coliseum in the revived Rangers-Islanders rivalry this season. It could potentially be the last time that these two teams face off at the Nassau Coliseum, also known as “The Barn” out in Long Island.
The Islanders are set to make a move to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and although they have needed an upgrade for a while, it doesn’t mean that the fans and players will miss the loud and raucous atmosphere of the Barn.
“It’s old, but you don’t really think about it because it’s a great environment when the Rangers and Islanders play there,” said Mats Zuccarello. “With the fans getting into it, it’s always exciting games there for sure.” Read the rest of this entry
Brassard gives Rangers the overtime win in Chicago; Talbot picks up the shutout
Bobby Bevilacqua
Derick Brassard celebrates his first goal in 15 games, and the game winning goal for the Rangers over Chicago. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images.
After a scoreless 60 minutes of hockey, all it took was one Derick Brassard slap shot just 32 seconds into overtime to send the Rangers home with a big two points, bringing them to within just one point of the Islanders in the division with three games in hand.
The defensive effort from the Blueshirts was absolutely incredible, doing a really fantastic job of stopping some of the higher quality opportunities from Chicago. When there were a few lapses, Cam Talbot was there again, having his third consecutive extremely strong start.
Talbot would finish the night with 29 saves, earning his 14th win of the season, as well as his fifth shutout of the season. It was the first Chicago shutout for the Rangers since January 25, 1969. The Rangers also lead the NHL with 10 shutouts, just the eighth time in franchise history that they have reached that mark. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers look for rebound win in the Windy City; Nash looking to get going again
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers are looking to continue their success on the road and against the Western Conference tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (39-17-7) continue their road trip tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks (39-21-5), the only remaining team that the Rangers have not played yet. The Rangers had two days off at home before practicing Saturday afternoon and heading out to Chicago for the second game of their five game road trip.
Alain Vigneault stressed rest and recovery, especially with tonight’s showdown beginning a series of three games in four days. After tonight, the Rangers will head to Nassau for the final regular season matchup against the Islanders before going down to Washington D.C. to take on the Capitals.
New York has fared well away from the Garden, with a solid record of 18-10-2 on the road. The Blueshirts also have a seven game point streak (5-0-2) against Western Conference teams, their best since the 1996-97 season. They are also 5-1-1 in their last seven games on the road. Read the rest of this entry
Keith Yandle makes the Rangers a more explosive and dangerous team
Bobby Bevilacqua
Adding Keith Yandle to an already strong Rangers team makes them even better, and adds more diversity to the attack. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
On Sunday, March 1st, Glen Sather, the New York Rangers General Manager, pulled off yet another blockbuster trade, acquiring Keith Yandle, one of the league’s best offensive defenseman, from the Arizona Coyotes, and sending John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a first and a second round pick in the process. The Coyotes will also pay for half of Yandle’s salary through next season, making his cap hit a modest $2.625 million.
While that is a high price to pay, the Rangers managed to get a highly skilled player without losing anything off of their current roster, keeping the chemistry intact while adding an elite talent on the back end, giving the Rangers one of the best three defensive pairings in the league.
In 560 career games, the 28 year old Yandle has scored 65 goals along with 246 assists, a grand total of 311 points. Three times in his career he has scored 10 or more goals (career high of 12 in 2009-10), and he has eclipsed the 50 point mark twice including an 11 goal, 48 assist season in the 2010-11 season. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers fall in overtime to Red Wings in a defensive and goalie showdown
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers dropped an extremely competitive game to the Red Wings, losing in overtime but gaining a point in the standings. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Whenever the Rangers (39-17-7) and the Red Wings (36-15-11) face off, they always tend to be very close and exciting games. That was the case tonight, as both teams dueled all the way to overtime, with the Red Wings eventually coming away with a 2-1 victory.
The Rangers earned a point in the game, which ties them with the Islanders in points, but puts the Blueshirts in first place. The Rangers have two games in hand on the Isles, and they play tomorrow night.
While both teams had their fair share of chances, defense and goaltending was the name of the game. Despite the very tight checking, the Rangers managed to get 40 shots on goal, with Detroit firing 31 shots at Cam Talbot. After the game, the Rangers players said that they didn’t get enough traffic in front of Howard to jump on second and third opportunities. Read the rest of this entry
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