Blog Archives
Dylan Mcilrath to miss “a couple of weeks” with right knee injury
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault revealed yesterday that his 23-year-old defenseman will be out in the vicinity of “a couple of weeks” with a right knee injury.
Mcilrath sustained an injury on a clean hit in the first period of Monday night’s meeting with the rival New York Islanders and did not return. Thankfully this is not the same knee that Mcilrath injured in 2012, when he dislocated his kneecap at Rangers development camp, an injury that required surgery. That injury set Mcilrath back. Read the rest of this entry
Raanta fantastic as Rangers fend off Sabres comeback to avoid back-to-back losses
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Yet again, the Rangers (39-22-6) answered a loss with a win taking down the Buffalo Sabres (27-32-9) by a final score of 4-2, extending their win streak to nine games against the Sabres.
The Rangers have now won 11 straight games immediately following a regulation loss, marking the longest stretch in one season in team history. The last time they lost back-to-back games was December 18 and 20.
This wasn’t the best played game of hockey for Alain Vigneault’s club. In fact, they didn’t play that well at all. The only time where the Rangers dominated play was the first six or seven minutes of the second period. Other than that, they were outplayed by the Sabres for a vast majority of the game. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers battling injuries as they take on Eichel and the Sabres
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Following a tough loss at home to the Islanders, the Rangers (38-22-6) will look to try and add points to their second place lead when they battle the Buffalo Sabres (27-31-9) at the First Niagara Center without their full lineup intact.
After the defeat at the hands of the Islanders, the Rangers lead in the Metropolitan fell to just three points. If they want to rebound with a win tonight, they’ll need to play a much more complete game than they did on Sunday. The Rangers didn’t show up for the first 10 minutes of the game and gave up three quick goals, and their late game comeback wasn’t enough.
The Rangers have lost two out of their last three games after winning five of six games, and the Islanders and the Penguins are now creeping up in the standings. On top of that, they’ll be playing tonight’s game without four of their key players. Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash are getting closer to returning but remain out, plus Dylan McIlrath and Marc Staal did not make the trip to Buffalo. The Rangers recalled Brady Skjei from Hartford on an emergency basis. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Practice Report: Rick Nash day to day, Brady Skjei recalled from Hartford
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers practiced today ahead of their road game against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night. And it seems like they’re very close to getting two of their key players back. Rick Nash and Henrik Lundqvist both skated with the team and it looks like they’ll be back soon.
Lundqvist has missed the last two games with neck spasms after colliding with Ryan McDonagh in the game against the Penguins. He was on the ice and participated in drills, but he will not travel with the team to Buffalo. However, he said that the plan is to “be ready for the weekend.”
Nash practiced in a non-contact jersey, marking the first time that he skated with teammates since his injury back in January. He also won’t be traveling to Buffalo, marking the 20th straight game he will be out, but the good news is that his status has been upgraded from “week to week” to “day to day.” Read the rest of this entry
Alain Vigneault criticism and properly re-assembling the Rangers lines
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After last night’s loss to the Islanders, Alain Vigneault was getting A LOT of criticism, from both fans and even some pointed questions from reporters. His team didn’t show up at the puck drop, played terrible defense and weren’t prepared for one of the biggest games of the season yet.
There was criticism about his usage of JT Miller, about why Stepan took the faceoff, and just about anything else people felt like complaining about.
JT Miller didn’t play because he wasn’t that good last night, plain and simple. Everyone is insisting he gets top line minutes because of the streak he went on, scoring practically a goal a game for a span of 12 or 13 contests. But he hasn’t scored 13 games now, and hasn’t been nearly as effective or dangerous as he was back in January.
therangerzone.com 