Blog Archives
Increasing scoring in the NHL: Angled goalposts, bigger nets, smaller pads, or nothing at all?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Ever since Mike Babcock, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, mentioned that the size of the nets should be increased, the NHL world has been discussing ways to increase the amount of goals scored in the league to cater to the more casual fans.
In this day and age, where people seem to have the attention span of a goldfish, everyone wants high scoring games. In the eyes of the casual fan, a 5-4 score line every night is ideal, offering lots of action and fun. The wider the appeal of the sport, the more fans and revenue the league pulls in.
Unfortunately, some people don’t seem to appreciate the great defensive battles and goaltending duels that the modern era of the NHL offers. Remember the Rangers series against the Capitals last season? Every game was decided by one goal, the games finished 2-1 or 3-2 and both teams still had like 30 shots on goal. Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby battled it out, and it was awesome and intense. Read the rest of this entry
BREAKING: Kevin Klein OUT 2-3 weeks, Dylan McIlrath to be an everyday player
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
There’s an infestation of injury bugs in the New York Ranger locker room.
Just three games after learning that Derek Stepan would miss upward of a month due to broken ribs, the Rangers announced that Kevin Klein will miss the next 2-3 weeks with an oblique strain.
In last night’s game against the Hurricanes, Klein skated over to the bench, hunched over in the first period. He headed to the locker room and never returned. There was no contact that led to the injury. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers drop third straight, blanked by Flyers at home
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After two pretty disappointing effort against the Canadiens and Bruins, the Rangers (16-6-2) continued their losing streak to three straight with a 3-0 loss at the Garden with Raanta in net. It was the second meeting of these teams. The Flyers took the 3-2 win in the last game in a shootout in Philadelphia and have now gone 2-0-0 on the season. They broke an eleven game losing streak at the Garden with the win.
In Friday’s matchup against Boston, Derek Stepan took a hard hit, and two of his ribs were broken. He is out indefinitely as of right now. Coach Vigneault’s decision was to give Hayes a chance at center in Stepan’s absence, with Kreider on the left and Etem on the right.
A bitter rivalry between the Rangers and Flyers reared its head in Saturday’s contest. The fighting started early when McIlrath dropped the gloves with Luke Schenn early in the period. But the physicality didn’t stop there. The Rangers, who aren’t a very physical team, recorded 15 hits in the first period alone to the Flyers’ 11. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on Flyers in first game without Derek Stepan
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After two disappointing losses, the Rangers (16-5-2) were handed another tough pill to swallow, losing center Derek Stepan for an indefinite amount of time after he broke some ribs following a late hit from Bruins winger Matt Beleskey.
That means that Vigneault will have to adjust his squad accordingly as they prepare to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (8-10-5) for the second of five matchups between the longtime rivals, and the first of two games at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers did have their nine game home win streak snapped against the Canadiens on Wednesday, but they still have been superb at MSG, posting a 10-3-1 record. They have not lost three consecutive games in regulation since very early last season, a stretch from October 11 to the 14, so they’ll aim to end their mini slide today. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers lose the game and Derek Stepan in Boston
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
It was an intense back-and-forth affair with a lot of aggressive play, typical of a rivalry matchup we’ve seen from these two teams over the years. Despite an improved performance and steadfast play, a pair of late goals swung the game in Boston’s favor.
Part of the reason why the Rangers loss was due to a dirty, late hit from Matt Beleskey on Derek Stepan. Beleskey hit the Rangers center well after a pass and into the boards headfirst. The Rangers were without him for the last 38 minutes of the game, which really hurt late in game on defense. Read the rest of this entry
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