Blog Archives
Rangers aim for third straight win against Bruins; Kreider maybe more than day-to-day
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After a two day break following two weekend wins, the Rangers (4-2-0) will aim to extend their win streak to three games when they take on the Boston Bruins (3-3-0) tonight at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers are dealing with a few early injury bugs, forcing them to insert Oscar Lindberg into the lineup ahead of time and place Pavel Buchnevich on IR. Alain Vigneault said that leading scorer Chris Kreider was having “a tough time moving” and that his neck spasms might keep him out longer than day-to-day. Buchnevich is on IR for the time being but has been practicing in a non-contact jersey, so he may be ready for Friday.
The Bruins had a few of their own injuries, having to make two call-ups in net for their game last night against the Wild. Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre both played in Boston’s 5-0 loss. Tuukka Rask may have tweaked his hamstring and Anton Khudobin is out for about three weeks so it’ll probably be those two again tonight. Read the rest of this entry
Addressing the state of the Rangers defense and new trade rumors
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The topic of discussion for the Rangers seems to consistently be about the defense and how the current group of guys is seemingly not enough to win the Stanley Cup. Aging veterans and a lack of a true puck-moving defenseman have made things hard on the Rangers.
On Sunday, Dan Girardi made his return to the lineup against the Coyotes and wound up scoring the game winner on a bullet of a shot from the point. As a result on him returning, Adam Clendening was scratched. There’s been a lot of bad blood on Twitter between bloggers and fans about criticizing Girardi, so I’d like to clarify my stance.
I don’t think Girardi is awful and I don’t think he’s worthy of a healthy scratch. But I do think that he has to stay on the third pairing with sheltered minutes. He’s certainly capable in that role, but simply cannot fulfill the duties of a top pairing defensemen getting big minutes anymore. It comes with age and that’s expected. Also, nobody that criticizes wants him to do bad or is happy to see him struggle. It’s just more frustrating to see him struggle in a role that he shouldn’t be placed in, which isn’t his fault. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers finish back-to-back series with Coyotes at the Garden
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers (3-2-0) don’t have much time to revel in their comeback victory over the Capitals, as they are back at Madison Square Garden tonight to battle the Arizona Coyotes (1-3-0) on Hockey Fights Cancer night.
A goal from Brandon Pirri and two from Jimmy Vesey gave the Rangers a second period lead over the Capitals, and Henrik Lundqvist did the rest with a strong 26 save effort for his second win of the season. Zibanejad picked up one assist, as did Ryan McDonagh to give him four points in five games.
The Coyotes last played against the New York Islanders, falling 3-2 in regulation. Brad Richardson scored his second goal of the season, and Radim Vrbata scored his first of the season since coming back to the Coyotes. Louie Domingue made 28 saves. Read the rest of this entry
Lundqvist, Vesey star in gutsy comeback win over the Capitals
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images.
After a poor start to the game, the Rangers’ offense sparked an incredible turnaround, and the Rangers (3-2-0) came away from the Verizon Center with a 4-2 win over the Washington Capitals (3-1-1).
The Capitals scored just 1:33 and followed that up with another goal from Ovechkin in the second period, as well as excellent goaltending from Braden Holtby. But the Rangers came out firing in the second period, fighting to get a 3-2 lead and having Henrik Lundqvist do the rest.
Here’s the recap with my thoughts and observations (GIFs of key plays at the end); Read the rest of this entry
Rangers battle the Caps for the first time; Girardi and Buchnevich still not ready
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After two home games followed by two days off, the Rangers (2-2-0) will face one of their toughest tasks of this brief season, and that’s a road contest against Alex Ovechkin and the Washinton Capitals (3-0-1), who have not lost in regulation.
This is also the first game in a back-to-back series for New York, as they will face the Coyotes tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden. For the Capitals, this is their last game before they get some time off, with just one game in the next six days.
This is the first of four meetings between the Rangers and the Caps this season, with the next game not coming until February. The Rangers were 2-2-1 in the series last season, winning one of the two games at the Verizon Center. New York has earned a point in seven of their last 10 games against Washington (6-3-1), and have scored at least three goals in eight of those 10 games. Read the rest of this entry
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