Blog Archives
Grabner’s hat trick leads Rangers to dominating win over Tampa Bay
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a tough loss in Carolina, the Rangers (6-3-0) rebounded extremely well, scoring six goals and dominating Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-4-0) at Madison Square Garden.
Rick Nash opened the goal scoring in the second period, and from there the floodgates opened. Jimmy Vesey and JT Miller each scored in this period, while Michael Grabner netted the first of his hattrick in the middle period. Antti Raanta finished the game with 31 saves, surrendering a late goal to Steven Stamkos that spoiled the shutout.
Here’s my recap with some thoughts and observations; Read the rest of this entry
Rangers head back home to battle the Lightning; Kreider doubtful
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After a brief stop in Carolina that resulted in a 3-2 loss, the Rangers (5-3-0) look to get back to their winning ways when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-3-0) at Madison Square Garden.
In that loss to Carolina, Mats Zuccarello scored both Rangers goals, giving him four this season. Pavel Buchnevich recorded an assist in his first game back from back spasms, and Ryan McDonagh also tallied an assist, on a marvelous stretch pass, to extend his six game point streak. Mika Zibanajad’s assist kept him at a point-per-game pace through eight games (2-6-8).
The Lightning played last night in Newark, falling to the Devils by a score of 3-1. Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 20 shots and the team’s lone goal came from Tyler Johnson. Tampa Bay has had trouble with starting slow, and that happened again when they gave up two goals in the first period to New Jersey. Read the rest of this entry
Brandon Pirri might end up being the steal of the summer
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
When the Rangers signed Brandon Pirri to a one year, $1.1 million contract this offseason, many fans and blogs covering the team were thrilled. The deal was a bargain and he’s a shifty, smart player with a knack for scoring. Despite bouncing around the league a bit, Pirri has shown flashes of being a really special player.
Initially drafted by Chicago, Pirri really made his mark with the Florida Panthers. In 21 games with them in 2014, he scored seven goals and 14 points. The following season he wound up scoring 22 goals in 49 games, showcasing his elite shooting ability. Prior to the start of this season, Pirri was scoring at a rate of 1.31 goals per 60 minutes, higher than Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares, James Neal, Brad Marchand and Zach Parise over the last three years.
After splitting time between the Panthers and the Ducks last year, Pirri was surprisingly not given a qualifying offer by the Ducks and the Rangers were able to snatch him up. And he’s been a fantastic signing so far. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers win streak comes to an end in Carolina; Zuccarello scores twice
Alexandra Russo
Photo courtesy of Greg Forwerck/NHLI.
The Rangers broke their three-game winning streak with a 3-2 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night. They had a strong attempt to come back in the third, but Ward stood tall in net for his team and helped give them their first home opener win in eight years.
After two bad giveaways, the teams traded chances but failed to capitalize. Soon after, Faulk’s delay of game penalty allowed the Rangers to really get their offense going on the power play. After a few attempts, Mika Zibanejad thought he put the puck behind Ward, but it somehow came back out, and Zibanejad fed an open Zuccarello. He ripped a shot from the circle that found its way past a sprawled Ward. The Hurricanes challenged for goalie interference, but in looking at the replay, it seemed as though one of the Hurricanes’ own players fell on top of Buchnevich in front of the net, so it was ruled a good goal.
Carolina responded fast, though, and put one past Lundqvist, as there was no defender in front of him. Jeff Skinner received credit for the slap shot that tied the game at 1. Read the rest of this entry
Injury Update: Josh Jooris out indefinitely with a separated shoulder
Bobby Bevilacqua
UPDATE: The Rangers have placed Dylan McIlrath on waivers. I’m not sure why because they didn’t need the cap space, but hopefully he doesn’t get claimed. The only thing I can think of is moving a bit of money for a trade, but other than that I’m not too sure.
Last night during the Rangers’ 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins, Josh Jooris left the game in the first period following a hit on Torey Krug. He did not return to the game.
Following the game, AV announced to reporters that Jooris had suffered a separated shoulder and is out “indefinitely.”
Jooris had scored one goal in five games but his impact has been felt in other ways as well. Jooris was a good defensive fourth liner, had been effective at suppressing shots and played his role well. With Lindberg back, the Rangers have another player like him to step in if needed but their depth will be impacted. Read the rest of this entry
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