Blog Archives
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
Rangers look to continue win streak in Carolina; Buchnevich ready to go
Bobby Bevilacqua
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
Rangers open the season with a win over the Islanders; KZB line impresses
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers (1-0-0) opened the season at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2007, and they didn’t disappoint, winning a thriller by the score of 5-3 over the rival New York Islanders.
The goals for the Rangers were scored by Michael Grabner, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Brandon Pirri and JT Miller on the empty net. Eleven different Rangers recorded a point, while three players (Kreider, Zibanejad, Buchnevich) each scored two points.
The Rangers outshot the Islanders 39-28, won the faceoff battle 33-31, were 1-5 on the power play and they were 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers open their 90th season at the Garden against the Islanders; Pirri gets the start
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.
After an early exit in the playoffs and a lot of change on the team, the Rangers are finally back in action tonight when they take on the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
This marks the first time that the Rangers begin the season at home since 2007, which makes tonight’s game even more exciting.
There’s a chance that the team will have a total of seven players skating for the first time as Rangers, with two players, Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich, making their NHL debuts. The fourth line still has not been announced yet, but there’s a good chance it will be a completely different look. Read the rest of this entry
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