Blog Archives

Rangers look to continue win streak in Carolina; Buchnevich ready to go

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-vs-hurricanes

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

 

 

Following an exciting comeback win over the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers (5-2-0) are back on the road briefly, taking on the Carolina Hurricanes (1-3-2) at PNC Arena.

The Rangers have won their last three games, taking down the Bruins with five unanswered goals; two from Brandon Pirri, and one from Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes. Four players scored while 10 players picked up a point, continuing the trend of offensive production from all over the team.

While the Rangers have played a lot of home games, the Hurricanes have yet to play one, with tonight marking their home opener after starting the season with six straight road games. They’ve lost the last two games by a combined score of 9-5, but their three other losses have been by just one goal. The Hurricanes are winless in their last seven home openers (0-6-1). Read the rest of this entry

Injury Update: Josh Jooris out indefinitely with a separated shoulder

Bobby Bevilacqua

josh-jooris-skating-10-19

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

Rangers beat Boston with five straight goals; Pirri and Vesey remain red-hot

Bobby Bevilacqua

jimmy-vesey-goal-celebration-10-26

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

The game started pretty awfully for Alain Vigneault and his club, but the Rangers (5-2-0) showed resiliency and the talent of their team in a 5-2 comeback victory over the Boston Bruins (3-4-0).

The Bruins opened the scoring just 10 seconds into the game and wound up leading 2-0, but a potent power play and a three goal second period helped fuel a comeback win for New York. Brandon Pirri led the way with two goals, including the game winner, while Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes also scored. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves.

Here’s my recap with some thoughts and opinions; Read the rest of this entry

Rangers aim for third straight win against Bruins; Kreider maybe more than day-to-day

Bobby Bevilacqua

rangers-vs-bruins-1-15

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

dan-girardi-hi-five-line-10-23

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